A journey through the world of games

25 minutes

When we think about what evokes emotion in a game, our mind often first thinks of realistic graphics and environments. But is that what really captures us, or creates a sense of realism? Or is it the small, intimate objects that reveal stories and breathe realness into a virtual world? Jacob Gellar's channel is fantastic, and it was hard to choose one video. His video Control, Anatomy, and the Legacy of the Haunted House fundamentally changed how I approached writing horror.

6 minutes

Gone Home is a great example of the intimacy of objects and the story that can be told through them. Gone Home was released near the bubbling up of gamer gate, and suffered through a campaign of people calling it “not a real game”, but here Polygon outlines how Gone Home has earned its place in games and dramatically impacted even the mainstream video game industry, with more game including slow exploration sections, that rewards players with a more rich story told through the things they find there.

12 minutes

While I don't necessarily agree with some of the reasoning behind why souls games should be so difficult, I recognize there's a nuanced conversation to be had (mainly I think too often these creators unnecessarily conflate accessible = easy). With that disclaimer out of the way, I think this is still a great look into the ethos behind the notoriously difficult souls games, and why frequently dying is meant to be a feature and staple of the game.

50 minutes

“Cursed Problems” as explained by Alex Jaffe are problems that cannot be solved because you have promised to the players two contradictory things. So, how do you go about dealing with these problems? Alex Jaffe lays out some examples, and how these problems can be designed around, or through, in order to find a good middle-ground. This talk comes from GDC, and the channel contains numerous other interesting talks if you're looking to dive into more (it was hard to limit them!). NOTE: this talk is long, but the visuals often are not super crucial to understanding the talk, so feel free to throw this up on a second screen, or listen while doing something else.

13 minutes

”When the UX of a game is done right, it just feels natural“ begins fortnite UX designer, Celia Hodent. This video takes a look at all the considerations of what needs to be done to make a game enjoyable, and ease cognitive load for players. If you enjoyed this dive into Celia's work, she has another, more in-depth, fascinating talk about UX and Cognitive Science.

6 minutes

This article takes a look into one of my favourite tabletop RPGs, Dialect, which is about how languages are created and inevitably change, and sometimes die. Alex Roberts interviews the games creators and explores the intense emotions that a deceivingly simple game can invoke in its participants.

16 minutes

A deep-dive into the intense maths and mechanics behind tabletop RPGs.

40-45 minutes each

A 5-part docu series digging into the development of the hit-game Hades, from the trouble of pitching, to working under COVID-19 restrictions. A fascinating look into all the work that goes into making a game.

1 hour summary, or many episodes

7 Years of game development lead into a beautiful world creation game

27 episodes

A chill game development vlog about a gravity bending platformer.

3 episodes

Sebastiann Lague welcomes us in an adventure about unfinished ideas, and transports us into a mini game development vlog about a plane delivery and geography mini game.

17 minutes

Again, another series by Sebastian Lague about game development. After a stream of unfinished projects, he decides to take one week to complete a small game about a super hero bound to do house chores.

Regardless of what I may think of the writing of TLoU2, I still think it's worth praising the incredible accessibility work that Naughty Dog pushed for in this game, and hope it sets a trend for future games to come. This is a quick showcase of what's included. Accessibility is something we often take for granted, but it's impact and need cannot be understated, as evidenced in the emotional reaction of Steven Saylor, blind gamer and twitch streamer, upon viewing the accessibility options of the game.

Laura K takes us on a bit of a deeper dive into the accessibility of The Last of Us 2, and why that's important. Her channel also features numerous other great talks about accessibility and gaming.

Can I Play That is a video game accessibility review site, reporting on accessibility in the industry/related events, as well as detailed reviews on the accessibility options of video games (answering the question: can I play that?)

Consider a classic textbook of game designs, this book urges you to consider your game from multiple lenses/possible scenarios, in order to make better choices in developing your game. While the book is focused on the development of a video game, it pulls many principles from card and tabletop games, so a lot of this book can be used in thinking through tabletop games as well.

I own a lot of the art of books (Kate here), but this one remains one of my favourites. There's writing sprinkled throughout the book that gives insight into the decision making process, and enough visual development work to give a good idea of how the visual storytelling of a game is developed.

A great look at the development behind some of the most famous video games, and the often human cost behind them.

An incredibly comprehensive read into the studio/creators behind some of the most influential video games. And, if you're curious to see the code behind it, there's also the engine book.

A question worth asking

One thing I have asked myself over and over again in the past months when I have a strong emotional reaction to something at work is if I am unconsciously gatekeeping. By that I mean that some experience in the past is shaping my attitude towards what I am reacting to in a way that does not objectively make sense. For example, maybe somebody is proposing and working on an idea that I had wanted to work on in the past and now I am being excluded from that, or, somebody is doing something differently to how I would have done it and that feels incongruous. Once I started thinking about it, I realized how often it happens, and it has become my go to question to ask myself whenever I feel like something is not sitting right.

A video worth watching

How Dangerous Can Ocean Waves Get? Wave Comparison I know this is pretty random, but the first time I watched it, I had two thoughts:

1. There is so much we do not know about how the earth works
2. That we can be really wrong about something even if we believe science backs our assumptions.

A book worth reading

Every generation claims to have the best science fiction/fantasy authors, and as such, I will make the same bold claim. Between Ann Leckie, Martha Wells, Emma Newman, P. Djèlí Clark, Yoon Ha Lee, Kameron Hurley, and N.K. Jemisin there is such an incredible wealth of amazing content and so many hours of reading pleasure.

A newsletter worth subscribing to

Rawsignal Newsletter - I have found this newsletter to be great if you need inspiration on being a better manager or even if you would like to give feedback to your manager on what they could change.

A game worth checking out

I appreciate games that feel like they are well crafted and the best one I have played in the past year is the “Return of the Obra Dinn”. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it was a huge treat when I played through it!

If you're a fan of board games, but have trouble deciding on what to buy, the board game review site may just be the thing to help you pick! SU&SD offer thorough and insightful reviews.

James Stephanie Sterling does some of the best critical reporting on not just games themselves, but the industry and practices behind them, often calling out outdated or problematic behaviour within the industry. Their reviews are incredibly detailed and thought-provoking, and their reporting on industry issues (despite the backlash they often receive for it) are invaluable.

A small peek into the in-game developer notes of Breath of the Wild.

Girlfriend reviews is a humorous (but still useful!) video game review channel, led by a couple with prior acting and/or film editing experience. I share this particular episode because it dives into one of my favourite games, Death Stranding, which received some mixed reviews, but the duo do a good job outlining the real meaning behind the game, and why some may shy away from that (hint: the game is best meant to be played with you doing things to better the lives of other players, since ultimately it's about seeking connection when there seems the least hope)

A framework to build board games for the web.

Twine has been a long-standing staple for indie interactive story games. Feel free to pick it up and try it for yourself, and take a gander at some games made with Twine if you're in need of some inspiration.