Lightmap - Conversations with video game creators

UNPACKING is a pixel art puzzle game tasks you with simply sorting items from boxes into rooms all the while telling a story of a woman's life.

‍Wren Brier & Tim Dawson from Witch Beam join us to share about how they have injected emotion and spirit into their little organisational puzzle game which is entirely environmental storytelling.

Lightmap is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer.

Support the show: https://sifter.store

BOOK OF TRAVELS is a different type of MMO experience focusing more on the story and playing the game at your own pace.

Dennis Gustafsson from Might and Delight joins us to talk about the philosophy of BOOK OF TRAVELS and the world they are building.

SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer.

Support the show: https://sifter.store

Daniel Visser started learning to make games like a lot of people who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, by tinkering away on their computer when they ran out of things to play.

That fascination and support from family lead to further studies and making games with studios like Torus Games and Melbourne House.

Over twelve weeks Daniel rebuilt ALIENS: THANATOS ENCOUNTER for Gameboy Color from scratch contracting with a company in the UK, which started the company Wicked Witch in earnest in 2001.

Learn a bit more about the history of this long running studio which has made AFL, NRL titles and remastered AGE OF EMPIRES II: DEFINITIVE EDITION.

SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang&Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is our Senior Producer, Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer.

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Support the show: https://sifter.store

Queensland based studio Prideful Sloth returns to the podcast with their brand new low pressure town building adventure game GROW: SONG OF THE EVERTREE, which doesn't have the time pressures of other games in the genre.

Developers Cheryl Vance and Adam Markham share their design philosophy for the game which was influenced not only by games like ANIMAL CROSSING and STORY OF SEASONS but also PERSONA 5.

SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer.

Support the show: https://sifter.store

In most zombie survival games, you eventually reach a point where you become so powerful there is nothing in the apocalypse that can stop you, but in THE LAST STAND: AFTERMATH an isometric rogue-lite, you start the game infected with limited time left to make a difference.

The fifth game in THE LAST STAND series which originally started out as a Flash game developer Chris Condon of Con Artist Games shares the history of the series, how the game has been modernised and the world players will be jumping into on November 16.

SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is our Senior Producer, Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer.

Support the show: https://sifter.store

BROKEN ROADS is a classic isometric roleplaying game by Victorian based studio Drop Bear Bytes that's set in and around the Western Australian wheatbelt community of Brookton after a cataclysmic event .

Game Director Craig Ritchie and Art Director Kerst Evans join Lightmap to share the world of BROKEN ROADS, how narrative and player choice will determine the narrative path, and how documentary series Aussie Gold Hunters inspired the look of the game.

SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is our Senior Producer, Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer.

Support the show: https://sifter.store

South Australia's Mighty Kingdom (CONAN CHOP CHOP, AVA'S MANOR, PETER RABBIT RUN!) is rapidly expanding and according to COO Tony Lawrence they want to be Australia's answer to an EA sized studio.

Tony has worked previously as General Manager of 2K Australia (BIOSHOCK series, THE BUREAU: XCOM DECLASSIFIED, BORDERLANDS: THE PRE-SEQUEL!) and with industry representative groups GDAA and IGEA.

Speaking broadly of the economic incentives for new studios, what it was like to see foreign companies shut down the studios he helmed and what the future might hold this conversation is a great insight from one of Australia's veteran game developers. 

SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is our Senior Producer, Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer.

Support the show: https://sifter.store

It is well-known amongst both developers and players that Australia has one of the most onerous and hardline classification systems in the world.

From AAA titles including FALLOUT 3 to indies including DISCO ELYSIUM and most recently SLUDGE LIFE and LAKE, there are a significant number of titles that run into release problems under our current classification guidelines.

In this PAX Australia 2021 panel, we'll explore how the videogames classification system works, the impact of interaction on classification, we'll look at the history of games that have been refused classification and pose the question - isn't it time our videogames classification system was overhauled?

Screenhub's Jini Maxwell, Freeplay's Chad Toprak and ACMI's Arieh Offman joined SIFTER's Gianni Di Giovanni for this fun discussion .

Lightmap is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer.

Support the show: https://sifter.store

Mel Taylor from Brisbane's Mellow Games was inspired by her own life to make BLUEBERRY a story focused platform game with light puzzle elements that follows a character's life from beginning to end.

This semi-autobiographical game explores how our perspective shifts throughout our lives, climbing a tower filled with memories that you can replay as you get older and understand new points of view.

This episode was broadcast live as part of PAX Radio at PAX Australia 2021, supported by Audio Technica.

Lightmap is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer.

Support the show: https://sifter.store

‍Iris and Paul Anstey of Melbourne's Melting Parrot are first time game developers, but their teamwork on DAP a spooky adventure game with a charcoal drawing aesthetic is a combination of this couple's interests. Recently awarded the top prize at Japan's Bitsummit, The Vermillion Gate Award, and the prize for best sound this Pikmin like twin stick shooter hides complexity within it's visual style.

Pixel Sift is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Viv Thum, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer.

Support the show: https://sifter.store