As MEMODEMO, Kobe Anthony creates music for video games and inspired by video games. In this episode, we learn about Kobe's creative process for composing music. He also shares a bit about how he uses his DAW (digital audio workstation) to capture sounds and convert them into melody and beats. Also featured in this episode: memes, rhythm games, and three seconds of terrible beatboxing.

Creative Process & Workflow for MusicAudioIzotope RX 11 (audio repair toolkit)XO by XLN Audio2 MelloNot in the Groove (game)Sideshow Bob Stepping On Rakes Compilation - Cartoon Vids, YouTubeRolling Sampler777 - RoughSketch, YouTube"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's razor, Wikipedia

Stephen brings a half-baked thought into the clubhouse for this Nice Thinking episode: how can we improve dialogue systems? He's got some opinions, which Mark and Ellen immediately debunk, but it leads to some engaging conversation.

Dialogue Through Goals

Last month, Mark gave a talk at the IGDATC Gamedev Meeting about what it might mean to take game development seriously as an artistic practice, theorizing that video games are still a very young and immature medium by that standard. It's "sorta-Socratic" seminar, a set of three case studies, and a string of stone cold bummers that ends on a hopeful note.

Your game has a message... did you write it?

In the episode, Mark, Ellen, and Stephen talk local events, including (don’t worry everyone’s fine) a fire in the clubhouse’s building, construction, and the games they are playing, so if you are just here for the topics, go ahead and skip to minute 23. Ellen learns about King Making, Stephen humble brags about being good at Smash Brothers, and Dale plays kingmaker in naming the second topic!

• News

• Masu Fire - Paul Walsh, Star Tribune
• Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) - Jared Brey, Governing

• What We are Playing

• Dragon's Dogma 2 - Wikipedia
• Princess Peach Showtime NPR Review - Rakiesha Chase-Jackson, NPR

0:23:00King MakingStephen has been QA testing Harvest KingdomBen HunderDiscordThe YouTube video that Stephen referencesDistraction MakersYouTubeKingmaking in Root (Leder Games) videoCole WehrleGDCSmallworldBoard Game Geek0:49:17Thinky Bits (Off-Screen Gameplay)

Games discussed

Return of the Obra DinSpirit IslandBoard Game GeekDeath Drives a Busitch.io

Most of our favorite games aren't created by solo devs; they're created by groups of people. And, when you get a bunch of people together in a group, culture happens. So, what makes for a good working culture in a game development team? How do you establish such a thing and maintain it? When we say someone doesn't "fit the culture" of a team, what does that mean—and what should the team do about it? Chris Bergman, CEO of Gylee Games, joins us for an enlightening discussion about how he thinks about work culture, and he didn’t swear even one time!

Work CulturesMisc.ProductionGylee GamesRa Ra Boom! - SteamGylee and Friends PodcastAsk A Manager Blog

In this more games-adjacent episode, Mark recounts his experiences at the South by Southwest conference this year! Many fascinating discoveries to be found within that topic, in addition to Stephen's continued obsession with Dragon's Dogma 2 and Ellen's experience with the podcast as a listener.

• Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle - Fellow
• Stephen's used this for a couple of weeks now (in fact as he's editing this episode). It's... okay! Not as many features as expected with the app, it just updates the firmware of the kettle. It is nice to wake up to hot water though! And it's quite fast.

0:09:52South by Southwest 2024South by SouthwestJust Play JamCinereachJust Play Jam 2023itch.ioHow Design Thinking Protects White Supremacy talkSWSXWhat Is the Design Thinking Process? The 5 Steps Complete GuideEmily StevensCareer FoundryIntel crushed its supplier diversity targets 8 years early. Here’s howBen UnglesbeeSupply Change DiveIntel® One MonoIntelIntel One Mono TypefaceGitHubNet neutrality restored as FCC votes to regulate internet providersDavid HamiltonAP NewsMoneySpyresYouTube1:08:31Player FrictionDragon's Dogma 2 Is Polarizing Its Community, And It's Not Just the Microtransa…Rebekah ValentineIGN

In this Episode Seth Fulkerson joins us in the clubhouse to talk the game engine, GameMaker. Seth is a long time user of GameMaker who's latest project is "Arzette: the Jewel of Faramore." The clubhouse discusses the history of GameMaker, the scripting language GML, and the advantages and disadvantages of the system.

And Stephen learns a bunch of the stuff he wished he knew when he actively using GameMaker.

GameMakerProgrammingTools

Seth's body of work:

CDi Zelda Titles Remastered - Retro RGBArzette: The Jewel of Faramore - Wikipedia

GameMaker

GameMaker Licensing CostsYoYoGames GameMaker Github - GitHubGameMaker history on Wikepdia - Wikipedia

GameMaker Language (GML)

GML Manual

GameMaker Tools

GameMaker MarketplaceAdd Ons for Game Maker:

-Scatterbox

-Yellow Afterlife

-Juju AdamsShaun Spalding GameMaker Tutorials - Shaun Spalding, YouTube

We’re joined this week by Laura Onderwater, friend of the show! Laura is an experienced concept artist currently working with Greensky Games. In this interview, she shares a bit about her workflow and how she thinks about worldbuilding from an artistic perspective. Plus, your hosts learn when to cry into a pillow, and Stephen repeatedly asks for THE limit.

• Greensky Games
• SWARM - "The Epic Arcade Shooter Built for VR" - Greensky Games

Visual WorldbuildingArtMeow Wolf - Immersive ExperiencesWrist and forearm stretches for the workplace - Mayo ClinicThe Art of Psychonauts 2 - Ashley Esqueda, Double Fine Productions

Your nice hosts conclude their GDC 2024 coverage with a pair of interviews they conducted at the show. Mark catches a post-show cold, Stephen gets over his, and Ellen thought everything sounded great.

Midwest Games / Carbon Engine

Midwest Games

Midwest GamesChris Klimecky - LinkedInMidwest Games - Work with us

Carbon Engine

Carbon Engine - Limited RunShantae Advance - Shantae WikiArzette: The Jewel of Faramore

And now, the conclusion (sorta!), as tour nice hosts recount the back half of the week at this year's GDC. It's a long one, but there's somehow even more on our Patreon.

GDC 2024 Special (Part 2)ReSpec: Accountability SupportHow Nintendo made Super Mario Bros. Wonder so weirdAndrew WebsterThe VergeJack Foley (sound effects artist)WikipediaThe return of 1ReasonToBe and why we still need itMarie DealessandriGamesIndustry.bizPanic says two pallets of Playdates worth $400,000 have vanished in VegasChris KerrGame DeveloperA frequently-cited "good first episode" of Nice Games Club is one where we interview August Brown:Developer/Publisher RelationsWe had Monica on the show to help create a Nice Game Jam game in:Blame the Cat! (with Monica Fan)