Duty vs. Responsibility
Let’s say I’m an extremely dutiful child. Maybe my parents raised me that way, maybe I got to see an older sibling go off the rails in a horrifying way,…
The Warrior: Kill Kill Kill
The warrior is hard-working, self-sacrificing, and used to being miserable. He can chew through a wall to get what he wants, and routinely hits goals. He’s full of focused, often…
Thank someone
Write thank you notes/emails/tweets to people who don’t expect them.You’ll improve other people’s day. You’ll be more grateful, less inclined to miss the miracles around you, less likely to ignore…
Are you an artist, or a designer?
The artist is looking for something subjective, something deep inside themselves (or not that deep) that applies to them, and few others. It’s a window into their soul. At best,…
The Bard: Shiny Object Syndrome
This is the second post in a series on game developer archetypes. Read the introduction here. The Bard is hungry. Hungry for ideas, experiences, pleasure. He’s constantly on the search…
Some upsides of sticking when times are tough:
People will look to you when they’re going through tough times. They’ll ask for your help when they’re in crisis mode. They’ll ask for your advice. If you run, if…
Four game developer archetypes
We’ve got four different modes when making games. They’re roughly equivalent to Bartle’s Player Types, but they’re bigger and deeper than the killer/achiever/socializer/explorer model. These are modes of operating, not…
🎈 Enthusiasm is a stupendously fun trap.
Enthusiasm is an engine, it drives you forward, gives you get-up-and-go – but an engine doesn’t work so well when your wheels are pointing four different ways. If you don’t…
How to complete your game when life is busy and complicated.
Making games is hard. Finding time to make games is harder. If you’re working/married with kids like I am, you probably have wondered vaguely how anyone gets anything done. You…
Our Indie Game Publisher Master List
We’ve accumulated a huge spreadsheet of publishers along with contact info, it’s here to save you a ton of time if you need a publisher: Here’s the link to the…
Creating the illusion of depth in a 2D game
If you’re making a 2D game, you’d better start thinking about depth early. If you don’t communicate depth properly, you risk creating a flat-looking game – or worse: you’ll create…