Nice Games Club

In this week's episode, Mark teaches us to cast polymorph, a 4th level transmutation spell. Just kidding! But Mark does put his high INT score to work helping us understand polymorphism, a useful feature of object-oriented programming. Later on, Stephen talks about the pattern of "save scumming" and considers how it might influence how designers create games. Ellen noodles on things.Noodle demo game - Ellen Burns-Johnson, The Training Arcade0:04:48Polymorphism31:57:0Save ScummingShepard. Wrex. Grunt.YouTube

Nice Games Club continues to celebrate the Spooky Season with the second-ever “Nice Games Panel”. Our panelists include creators known for their work on horror games: James Pratt, TorpalDork, and Max Kunze. We discuss the using humor and using nostalgia in horror games and if clowns have ever not been scary.Horror Games 201Game DesignJames PrattGuestJames Pratt is a game developer out of Canada, and Co-founder of MANGLEDmaw games. His work includes 'Amanda the Adventurer' and other games.External linkJP Game Design@JPratt_Design on twitter@AmandaAdvturer on TwitterAmanda on ItchAmanda on SteamTorple DookGuestTorple Dook looks like a wizard and we can't prove that he isn't one. Also the maker of 'Hand of Doom', 'Chip's Tips', and 'Black Relic'External linkTorple Dook on Itch@TorpleDook on twitterHand of Doom on Itch.ioMax KunzeGuestMax Kunze is the wonderful person responsible for booking all of our interview guests. He is also a gamemaker having worked on too many titles for me to keep track of.External link@

In this episode, the team gets back to all the regular reasons to complain about Unity. Stephen makes a pun, and Ellen searches for elegance through the power of internet research.  Noodle - The Training ArcadeMark and his bike took a train to Chicago.0:07:41Composition over InheritanceComposition over inheritanceWikipedia0:33:00EleganceElegant ProgramPC Mag10 Things Elegant Woman Wear - How to dress classy and elegantAustralian Finishing SchoolTerms of Art #30: Elegance (and Aesthetic Concepts)Aesthetics for BirdsWhat makes a game system elegant?Leo LesetreMediumElegant Game DesigngabahulkRedditStephen loves jank, and talked about it in"All of this mess that I'm throwing at you."

It's the first-ever "Nice Games Panel," in which we invite multiple guests on the show to discuss something interesting! Our panelists today include multiple creators who are known for their work on horror games: Schera Wyss, Conner Rush, Henry Hoare, Samuel Guglielmo, and Nick F. We discuss the fundamental nature of horror as a genre (or maybe a theme or an "orientation"), and what devs should consider if they're looking to make horror games that haunt players long after the end credits roll.Photo credit - Andrea Piacquadio, PexelsHorror Games 101Game DesignDreadXP SCP Foundation: Secure, Contain, Protect - collaborative fiction, WikidotSamuel GuglielmoGuestExternal linkon Twitter (or X or whatever)on BlueSky SocialNikk FGuestExternal linkNick F on itch.ioConner RushGuestExternal linkon TikTokSchera WyssGuestExternal linkon CoHostHenry HoareGuestExternal linkwebsiteon itch.ioon Twitter (or X or whatever)

Mark is back from Toronto, and guest host Holly Harrison is back in the clubhouse! Holly completes a topic, Stephen likes that part, and Ellen reads half a book.Talking Heads Take Over TIFF As ‘Stop Making Sense’ Reunion Has Crowds Dancing … - Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline'Lost Ladies' Review: Kiran Rao’s Delightful Hindi Comedy Swings and Wins - Proma Khosla, IndieWire'Robot Dreams' Review: A Beautiful Tale of Friendship and Love in the Hand-Draw… - Tomris Laffly, The Wrap0:09:09CompletionismConfessions of a Semi-Reformed Video Game CompletionistMatthew GaultViceResearch on the Effects of MediaDouglas GentileComposition with Red Blue and Yellow (Piet Mondrian)WikipediaHieronymus Bosch painted sheet music on a man's butt and now you can hear itSarah DoughertyThe World0:52:56Educating IntuitionEducating IntuitionRobin M. HogarthThe University of Chicago PressDoorway effectWikipedia

Earlier today, Unity issued an update to their controversial "runtime fee" policy introduced last week. What changed? What didn't? How could this have even happened? What does it mean going forward? Can we ever trust Unity again?We get into all of it, from the original announcement on September 12th, to the "open letter" update and "fireside chat" on September 22nd. Your nice hosts are joined by special guest and "Unity Insider" Freya Holmér, who offers some additional context and much-needed clarity about the events of the last 10 days.Unity Runtime Fee and Subsequent Policy CorrectionThe original policy: "Unity plan pricing and packaging updates"UnityThe current policy: "An open letter to our community"UnityUnity's Marc Whitten - Answers Unity Price Policy Jason WeimannYouTube'Flappy Bird' Guy Gets $12 Million Bill From UnityMark RoebuckHard Drive

We continue the recent production talks this week as we welcome Julia Keren-Detar into the clubhouse! The discussion topic is "working on a bigger team" but we also somehow talk about rain water barrels at some point? It's relevant, I swear.Mushroom 11 -  Untame, SteamWorking on a Bigger TeamProductionWork: A deep history, from the stone age to the age of robots - James Suzman, Penguin Random HouseAn example of what Ellen brings up during the episode, probably.Julia Keren-DetarGuestJulia Keren-Detar is a game designer at Spry Fox, a Netflix studio. She has worked on games like Alphabear and Cozy Grove. Before Spry Fox, she previously worked on Mushroom 11.External linkLinkedIn

It's been a while but your nice hosts come up with a game in roughly an hour, this one for the cat owners out there! After a fairly long meta, we get into the mind of a cat and design a competitive game for them to play.Toronto International Film FestivalRenew an adult passport - USA.govBloor–Yonge station - Wikipedia Prompt Create a game my mother can (and wants to) play with her cats, with the supply list below. Bonus points if this can be played a single cat or multiple cats at the same time, for optimum usefulness in listener households with single cats Game type Design document Player count 2 Materials At least two catsA cat toy shaped like a die with a treat insideList of activities the die points to Setup Pick an end date for when the game stops (can be arbitrary). Rules Give the cat

This week, Stephen and Ellen catch up with Mark about his (and Dale's) trip to GenCon. There is a happy minor Glom update, and then it's down to business. What's grind? What purpose does it serve, and what are the mechanics of it? Your nice hosts attempt to come up with some definitions & guidelines—you decide whether they succeed. And feel free to share your opinions on Discord :)Gen Con Grind 06:08 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignA Necessary Evil: Grinding in Games - Brice Morrison, Game Developer Emphasizing Uniqueness 26:32 Stephen McGregorMarketing

In this episode your nice hosts welcome Rick Stemm of PikPok to the clubhouse to talk about what happens after a game gets greenlit.Turns out the answer involves building your team and trust. Rick touts the idea of a sh*tty first draft - faster and worse. Coaching feedback givers for what you are looking for, and the importance of building a trust in a team. Rick spouts useful idioms and your host claim points for each time Rick says ‘cohesive’ or ‘holistic.’Who scored the most points? Turns out Stephen declared that the points don’t matter, good thing I never bothered tabulating them.   Getting Things Going IRLRick StemmGuest Rick Stemm is the Design Manager and Narrative Director at PikPok! RIck is originally from Wisconsin but now lives and works in New Zealand. Rick Stemm can be reached by email at Rick@PikPok.com External link Rick Stemm is on Li

We return to the topic of cheating for the third (and final, maybe?) time this week! In this episode, Ellen brings cheating to a close, Mark makes up a band he'd totally listen to, and Stephen comes up with an engaging dish washing game.Cubistry - Match 2 LLC, Google Play Store Cheating, Part Three 0:12:26 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGamingIRLProgramming We first visited cheating in this episode. "What's a little grand larceny?" Cheating Part II in this episode. Cheating, Part 2Anti-cheat in video games: The A to Z - Reinhard Blaukovitsch, IrdetoMedal of dishonour: why do so many people cheat in online video games? - Keith Stuart, The GuardianReport: Cheating Is Becoming A Big Problem In Online Gaming - Nelson Granados, Forbes167: Randomly Generated T

Your nice hosts get called to the boss' office to interview Frani Esquenazi, who is Stephen's actual boss at Future Club. Frani discusses servant leadership, getting your "C" legs, and not having all the answers. Leadership IRLProductionServant Leadership - Mind ToolsServant Leadership is NOT What You Think - John S. Todorovic, LinkedInWomen in Games - DiscordFrani EsquenaziGuest CEO of Future Club. External link LinkedInFuture Club website

In the second installment of your nice hosts' discussion about cheating in games, we talk about the nature of cheating in contemporary video games: what it looks like, what factors shape it, and how worried we gamedevs should be about it. Yeah, we had so much to say about cheating that we couldn't fit it into one episode. Can we fit it into two? Also, Mark skips the punctuation, Stephen is excited, and Ellen quits a game.Gex Is Coming to Modern Consoles - Alex Stedman, IGN Cheating, Part 2 0:16:58 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignGaming "Cheating, Part 1" was in a recent roundtable episode. "What's a little grand larceny?"Why Dream kept his face hidden — and why he revealed it (2022) -  Ana Diaz , PolygonYouTube’s big Minecraft cheating scandal, explained (2020) - Patricia Hernandez, PolygonAnti-cheat in video games:

In this episode your nice hosts chat with Anna C. Webster lead writer on The Foglands, and her cat Montezuma. Anna talks about how writing for games is different than writing for other medias, including making decisions on what options the player can make (you can never let your player do anything because scope), and writing for players that role-play as the character vs. wearing the character's costume as yourself. And the importance of frequent Narrative Reviews and getting together with other teams to talk about how new elements feel.Stephen's journey in this episode takes him from declaring that writing is hard to being encouraged and pledging to write for the his next games jam project (Ellen will be coding in Godot). Writing for Games IRLNarrativeAtmospheric sci-fi western roguelike The Foglands launches on PS VR2 this year - Derek O'Dell, Playstation BlogThe Foglands - SteamTools for Game WritingConfluence -

After a fairly self-indulgent meta, your nice hosts eventually get into the nitty-gritty of both Player Motivation and Copying Others. Listen after the outro to hear a plethora of fun horse names!Normal Gossip - Kelsey McKinney, DefectorTour de France: Unchained - Netflix Player Motivations 0:26:57 Mark LaCroixGame DesignGamingGamer Motivation Profile - Quantic FoundryBoard Game Motivation Profile - Quantic Foundry We've talked about types of players this episode as well. "Killed the flightmaster, killed the griffin..." We also took Quantic Foundry surveys in this episode. "Will you be the best with me?" Copying Others Stephen McGregorArtGame DesignNarra

Quinn K joins the clubhouse to break down their IGF-nominated game "An Outcry." Your nice hosts learn about choosing your own limitations, the Haunted PS1 scene, and how much playtesting is still not enough playtesting. Postmortem: "An Outcry" An Outcry - Quinn K, itch.ioRPG Maker 2003Oulipo: freeing literature by tightening its rules - Andrew Gallix, The GuardianDogme 95 - Movements in FilmHuanted PS1 Demo Disc 2021 - itch.ioThe Shrike (ship) - Memory AlphaQuinn KGuest External link ItchTumblrPatreon

In this week's roundtable, Ellen needs help with ALL the things. Stephen and Mark offer advice on where to find people who can help, and discuss some of the hidden challenges of expanding one's team. Later, Stephen challenges everyone to think about how games can do a better job of implementing companion characters. Also, some host backstory tidbits, weird horse names, and (of course) a bit about Glom.Rival Stars: Horse Racing (the game that Ellen’s playing) - PikPok, Google Play Store“What’s your favorite commentary-friendly name?” - RedditAhead Of The Kentucky Derby, 5 Absurd Rules For Naming Racehorses (2015) - Julie Alderman, NPR Finding Help 0:11:46 Ellen Burns-JohnsonProductionHiring Game Designers - Game Developer Companion Characters 0:46:22 Stephen McGregorGame DesignGami

(Some of) your nice hosts went to Origins Game Fair last week to check out the launch of their card game Glom. But before they went, they talked about the state of the next card game they're working on (and working on pitching to publishers), Dogpile!The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth - Smithsonian InstitutionW. E. B. Du Bois: A Resource Guide - Angela McMillian, Library of Congress The State of "Dogpile!" Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonIRLTabletopSell sheet for "Dogpile!"Rules document for "Dogpile!"Sell Sheets for Game Designers 101 - Luke Laurie, League of GamemakersCooper Black - Wikipedia Listen to us come up with the game in: Dogpile! We developed it further in: Dogpile! (part 2)‘Heroin for middle-class nerds’: how Warhammer conquered gaming - Alex Hern,

Your nice hosts return to form with a roundtable recorded together for the first time in a while! In this episode, Stephen sneaks a mini-topic in, Ellen asks some controversial questions and Mark helps us realize when we're breaking the law.As a side note, Glom is available right now! We've talked about it plenty on the show, but for more information or purchasing info you can go to nicegames.club/glom.Summer Games Done Quick 2023 - YouTube Licensing 0:10:27 Mark LaCroixIRLProductionA complete guide to font licensing for designers - Garrick Webster, Creative Bloq Cheating, Part 1 0:36:22 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGaming

After Mark's time with Covid, the first day he was free to go outside, the area was covered with the smoke of distant wildfires. Another bout of smoke has rolled in to the Twin Cities just in time for the release of this episode.The club spends this Nice Thinking episode talking about the making of Glom, and discussing their feelings about pitching and publishing board games. They discover that Mark and Stephen dread pitching, but Ellen thinks it can be fun (it's her superpower).This section is about Dale, who edited this episode. I did write most of the Glom cards, but that was really playing to my superpower of brainstorming lots of ideas, very quickly. The club mentioned - that I have a full time job - TRUE - that I have to deal with the club's crap - TRUE - cats - TRUE - I volunteer at a cat shelter For 'Dogpile!' the game - I thought up 100 dog names - EASY and I have been thinking up ~20 cat names a week (my superpower right?)Finally, they share the story of how Mark no longer edits every episode, and t