Cafe Booleans: A Game Dev Podcast

Join SA video game developers John Oestmann, Susie Emery and Jackson Michael as they hang out at Cafe Booleans and chat about culturally innovative games they’ve discovered and the development stories behind them ☕🎮 -- For our final episode of the year, Alex and Kosta have sent in a heartfelt reflection on the history of Booleans, and now pass on the torch to John, Susie and Jacko. We also use this episode to launch our new format, focusing on innovative and culturally interesting games as a springboard for conversation, rather than the current news cycle. [Content Warning: One of the games discussed, Yume Nikki, contains some elements which reference death and suicide. Please see the timestamps below if you would like to skip our discussion around this game] ---------------------------------  Timestamps ---------------------------------  [01:13] Special Message from Alex and Kosta [13:11] Yume Nikki - 2004 Surreal RPG Maker Proto-Walking-Sim developed by Kikiyama [40:04] Community Messages [44:04] Outer Wilds - 2019 Time-Loop Space Adventure developed by Mobius Digital ---------------------------------  Game Information Adapted From ---------------------------------  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yume_Nikki https://www.pcgamer.com/the-horrifying-legacy-of-yume-nikki-the-homebrew-game-that-became-a-phenomenon/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Wilds https://www.gamesradar.com/the-making-of-outer-wilds/  ---------------------------------  Community Messages ---------------------------------  GameMaker is now free for non-commercial projects: https://gamemaker.io/en/blog/gamemaker-free-platforms SAGE Game Exhibition happening on 16/17 February 2024: https://www.sagameexhibition.com/  ---------------------------------  Other Mentions ---------------------------------  Toby Fox interviews Kikiyama (English Translation): https://chartcarr.neocities.org/secretbase_4  Hokkikomori (syndrome): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4912003/  Welcome to the NHK (anime): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_to_the_N.H.K.  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (novel): https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/58784475  Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (game): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Majora%27s_Mask  Twelve Minutes (Netflix game): https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126637 Geocaching (activity): https://www.geocaching.com/play  The Infinite Game (book): https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/  Slow TV (tv show genre): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_television 

Cafe Booleans is back! ☕🎮 Alex Ferrabetta and John Oestmann are joined by Jacko to re-open the Cafe doors. Old friends join in spirit 👻 We discuss Sega's steps towards AI-powered User Generated Content tools, and the current state of Video-Game-to-Film Adaptations. We also had planned to play through the Slam Jam 3 entries, however due to technical issues and the realization it really isn't that fun to listen to without visuals, we decided to give all entries a shout-out instead! --- Links from this episode: --- Slam Jam 3 Entries: https://itch.io/jam/slam-jam-3/entries Sega teams up with AI startup Eques on voxel-based generation tool so players can generate content: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/sega-teams-with-ai-startup-eques-on-voxel-generation-tool  Nintendo Is Teaming Up With Sony To Create A Live-Action The Legend Of Zelda Movie: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-is-teaming-up-with-sony-to-create-a-live-action-the-legend-of-zelda-movie/1100-6518986/ GTA Company Take-Two Will Be "Very Selective, And Very Careful" With Film Adaptations: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-company-take-two-will-be-very-selective-and-very-careful-with-film-adaptations/1100-6519049/ Wikipedia list of Video Game Film Adaptations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_video_games SIFTR - Aussie Games Published List: https://www.sifter.com.au/add-my-game-to-sifters-australian-made-games-list Global Game Jam site applications now open: https://globalgamejam.org/ UniSA Research into how AI / Automation is affecting Workflows/Feelings/Products in Video Game Audio: Email john.oestmann@unisa.edu.au

Dive into Episode 3 of "The Business of Indie Game Development" series for a fresh take on indie gaming. 🏰 We start with an exploration of King Arthur as the ultimate fanfiction, illuminating the power of shared storytelling. 📜 A quick history lesson on copyright and intellectual property paves the way for a deep dive into the world of mods and fan games. 🌳 Did you know that many game ideas often evolve from pre-existing ones, like ARMA and Fortnite? 🚫 The restrictions surrounding public domain works and the challenges of placing your own creations within this scope. 🕹️ We highlight examples of public domain games and free cultural works, shedding light on the potential of this approach. 🤝 Finally, we discuss the societal benefits of shared creativity. Could this approach be a viable alternative as we move into the future of indie gaming? Hosts: John Oestmann - @john_oestmann Alex Ferrabetta - @amferrabetta Kosta Canatselis - @kostacana

Join us in this second episode of The Business of Indie Game Development series: 🎯 The importance of marketing your indie game and how it's a mindset, not just a task 📈 We discuss the marketing funnel and its importance in understanding your audience's journey 💡 Explore how to build a strong marketing mindset, and why promoting your game early is vital 👥 Learn the benefits of community building, and how it can help hype your game, improve it through feedback, and establish a sense of legitimacy 🔎 Understand how to identify your game's target audience and why it's crucial for your game's success 📚 Discuss strategies for reaching out to influencers and streamers to boost your game's visibility Join us as we demystify the world of indie game marketing, providing actionable insights to help you succeed in the business of game development. Hosts: Alex Ferrabetta @amferrabetta  Susie Emery @susannahkemery  John Oestmann @john_oestmann  Kosta Canatselis @kostacana Join us on the Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord Listen in, and let's level up our indie game marketing together 🚀🎮

Join us for the first episode of The Business of Indie Game Development series, where we delve into: 🎯 Navigating legal structures for indie game devs 💼 Understanding budgeting, finance, and payment structure in the gaming industry 🤝 Assembling a solid team and tip on working with contractors 🔐 Protecting your intellectual property and dealing with challenges 🎮 Sharing our and other game developers' experiences, tools, and insights in game development business Legal Structures, Budgeting & Finance - crucial elements for indie game developers to succeed in the gaming world. We'll help you understand the basics and set a strong foundation for your game development journey. Stay tuned and level up your indie dev business skills 🧡 Alex Ferrabetta - @amferrabetta Kosta Canatselis - @kostacana Check out: Slicing Pie: A Fair Equity Split for Bootstrapped Startups LegalZoom: Legal Forms and Agreements for Game Developers (Spotify) Live Booleans Episode - Protecting your video game's IP with Cam Rogers (YouTube) Perfectly Fair Cofounder Equity Splits for Startups Company Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord

In this last episode for 2022 we chat with Hannah Crosby, multi-disciplinary Artist currently a Senior 3D Artist at Gameloft Brisbane, about: ❇️ How 'The Sims' kicked off Hannah's journey as a professional artist 🎬 Working in games and film for 16 years 🧊 Designing in 3D while being limited by technology of a given time 🤔 Process and working with technical artists at Gameloft 😍 Designing environments that capture certain feelings 🏞️ Bringing The Oregon Trail environments to life 🔍 GCAP panel discussing metaphors in visual media 👩‍🎨 Advice for aspiring artists GUEST LINKS: Hannah Crosby: Website | LinkedIn LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: @amferrabetta | @kcanatselis Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

Join us at the cafe this week as we deep dive and chat about Incentives vs Rules in video games, more specifically: 🤔 How do incentives affect player behaviour? 💻 How technologies can shape culture and behaviour generally 🎉 Examples of games influencing player behavior and culture 💡Players discovering novel ways to play games 🌎 Games can reflect and comment on real-world incentives 🚶‍♂️Incentives in a game like Pokemon Go 💻 Technology choices can shape the culture of a game SUPPORT ARTICLES: ‼️Find the Play and Pause survey study being done at UniSA here‼️ - The Power of Incentives - How Games Help Us Examine our World - Extra Credits - Technology is Not Values Neutral: Ending the Reign of Nihilistic Design - 'Ruined by Design' book by Mike Monteiro Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: Alex Ferrabetta @amferrabetta | Susie Emery @susannahkemery | John Oestmann @john_oestmann | Kosta Canatselis @kostacana Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

Join us at the cafe this week as we deep dive and chat about Minimal and subtractive in video games video games, more specifically: 🤔 What is minimalist design and philosophy? 👩‍🎨 Designing by subtraction ✅ 7 Minimalist Games that Every Developer Should Take Inspiration From 👹 How minimal game design can help avoid feature creep 👾 Working with the PICO-8 and TIC-80 🧩 Does simple game design make gaming more accessible? ♟️One-page Tabletop RPGs - the ultimate minimalist game? SUPPORT ARTICLES: - Ico, and Design by Subtraction - Pico-8 - TIC-80 (Open Source Pico-8) - 7 Minimalist Games that Every Developer Should Take Inspiration From Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: Alex Ferrabetta @amferrabetta | Susie Emery @susannahkemery | John Oestmann @john_oestmann | Kosta Canatselis @kostacana Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

We chat with Reuben Moorhouse, the Founder and Director of Noble Steed Games, an Australian Game Studio & Consultancy, about: 🏜️ Reubens start as a game developer and working in Silicon Valley 🤝 The key to working as a consultancy studio with a range of clients, guiding their projects 🌎 Culture and the role it plays at both Noble Steed Games, and in teams 🗓️ Running standups productively and effectively 🤔 What is production? and how do you manage production in an Indie Team? 👏 Best practices for tracking tasks and keeping a team on track GUEST LINKS: Reuben Moorhouse: Website | LinkedIn | Noble Steed Games LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: @amferrabetta | @kcanatselis Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

We chat with Simon Scales, the Owner and Director of CDW Studios (Concept Design Workshop) school of visual effects and entertainment design about: 👶 Simon's start as an Illustrator and journey to founding CDW 🎂 CDW's 10 year anniversary 🚀 Launching two new CDW campuses in Victoria and NSW in 2023 📺 Creating original animated content and future roadmap with CDW Animation 🎨 Advice for artists on how to maximise their portfolios 🤖 AI art tools like DALLE and what impact it'll have on art and artists 🍦Being artistic is as good as eating ice cream? GUEST LINKS: Simon Scales: Twitter | CDW Studios | CDW Animation LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: @amferrabetta | @kcanatselis Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

The lights are off in the spooky Cafe this week for this Halloween special, join us as we chat about what makes a good horror game? More specifically: 🤔 What are some key elements of horror games? 🧟‍♂️ What are some of the best horror games? 🎃 Why are horror games important? 🧡 Why do people love horror games? 📗 What are some key narrative themes in successful horror games? SUPPORT ARTICLES: - Nothing to Fear? An Analysis of College Students' Fear Experiences With Video Games - Why are Horror Games so Appealing? - What makes a good horror game? Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: Alex Ferrabetta @amferrabetta | Susie Emery @susannahkemery | John Oestmann @john_oestmann | Kosta Canatselis @kostacana Guests: Chantal (darkwebSTREAMER) @thoughtrise | Michael Fischetti (Blue Moon Games) (written response) @BlueMoonGames Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

We chat and struggle to play Phasmaphobia with Chantal Ryan, Founder of We Have Always Lived in the Forest - developers of darkwebSTREAMER about: 🎃 The origins of RPG streamer simulation game, darkwebSTREAMER 🎨 Art style and story inspirations for the upcoming occult horror 🎉 Experiences and feedback from taking darkwebSTREAMER to PAX and Gamescom 🔀 Procedurally generating unique narrative and an entire 'internet' in-game ✈️ Chantal's insane childhood experience on a plane that shaped her 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Procedurally generating NPCs - what does it mean to be a person and have an identity? GUEST LINKS: Chantal Ryan: darkwebSTREAMER Twitter | darkWEBSTREAMER website | Chantal's Twitter LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: @amferrabetta | @kcanatselis Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

Join us at the cafe this week as we deep dive and chat about Artificial Intelligence in video games, more specifically: 🤔 What is AI in gaming and how is it used? 🧑🏻‍💻 Why does AI matter in gaming? 🤖 Can an AI make video games? 🧐 What kind of bias exists in AI? What impact does this have on using it and results? 📕 Glaive - an AI tool for narrative design 🏓 A mini-brain in Petri dish learns how to play Pong 🛠 GPT3, DALL E 2, and other tools being used in the game development pipeline SUPPORT ARTICLES: - Think, fight, feel: how video game artificial intelligence is evolving - Glaive Narrative Planner - Mini-brain in Petri dish learns how to play Pong - AI in Gaming | 5 Innovations Changing The Future of Gaming Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: Alex Ferrabetta @amferrabetta | Susie Emery @susannahkemery | John Oestmann @john_oestmann | Kosta Canatselis @kostacana Guests: Jacko @papercactusgames Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

Join us at the cafe this week as we deep dive and chat about open-source, more specifically: 🖥️ Open-sourced programs used to create video games 🎮 The moral argument of including and remixing copyrighted content in games ⚖️ The moral and legal dilemma of of modding in games. SUPPORT ARTICLES: - RiP: A Remix Manifesto Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: Alex Ferrabetta @amferrabetta | Susie Emery @susannahkemery | John Oestmann @john_oestmann Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

Live from Melbourne... it's GCAP Recap. In this limited series we Recap our day by day at GCAP. In our third GCAP Recap for 2022 we're talking about: Talks ⚙️ Game Production for Indie Teams (Reuben Moorhouse) 🧐 Understanding your players better through user research (even on an indie budget) (Dr Megan Pusey) 🎨 A newcomers guide to adding interactivity for Artists and Designers (Chris Murphy) 👫 Strapped for Cash Not Style - Building a Strong Art Direction with a tiny team (Cyrian Guillaume, Callum Williams) LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: @amferrabetta | @kcanatselis Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

Live from Melbourne... it's GCAP Recap II. In this limited series we Recap our day by day at GCAP. In our second GCAP Recap for 2022 we're talking about our takeaways from: Talks 🤖 Keynote: Voltrons Will Save Us--Flexible Collaboration Structures in the Information Age 🤘PROG ROCK ODYSSEY: Designing the Artful Escape (Johnny Galvatron) 🗣 A series of quiet conversations (Alexander Swords) 📚 Data-driven narrative and narrative analytics (Emma Losin, Rebekah Little) 🎨 State of the (technical) Art - A Tech Artists Panel (Teja Godson, Chris Murphy, Dan Elliot, Hannah Grace) 🏃‍♂️UI Animation: The Art of making Buttons Move (Emmanuel Jr Vasquez) ✅ UE5 to 10: Easy techniques to make your scene look Unreal (Chris Murphy) 🙏 Building a Better Industry - Australia’s First Union for Game Workers (Tim Colwill, Jill McCabe) 👩‍💻 Don't quit your day job: How to survive making games on the side (Brendan Keogh) 💃 Throwing Shade: How to Yassify Your Game (Teja Godson) 👾 1001 ways to draw an object: An isometric pixel art tutorial (Angus Doolan) 🧶 Logos for Games (Ben Harmon) LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: @amferrabetta | @kcanatselis Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

Live from Melbourne... it's GCAP Recap. In this limited series we Recap our day by day at GCAP.  In our first GCAP Recap for 2022 we're talking about: Talks 🎨 Show Don't Tell - The intricacies of metaphors in visual media 💰 Max Art - Winning $250k in 30 days a prototype retrospective 🧑🏻‍💻 BeginPlay: The Dos, Don’ts and Key Concepts in Switching to Unreal Engine Booths 🌐 AWS for Games 🎮 Playside Studios 🗝 Mighty Games (Keyword Studios) LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: @amferrabetta | @kcanatselis Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

We chat with Ben Marsh, the Managing Director of local Adelaide game studio and leaders in mud & dirt racing video games, Odd Games, about: 👶 How Odd Games began, and Ben's introduction into the games industry 🐣 The game development industry in Adelaide in 2011 🚙 Odd Game's super popular Monster Truck Destruction and Trucks Off Road on mobile 🛞 Slicing and dicing the racing genre market on mobile devices, how to find your niche 👀 The art and challenges of approaching partnerships, with Monster Truck IP owners 📊 Using the Business Model Canvas to flesh out your video game business GUEST LINKS: Ben Marsh: LinkedIn | Odd Games Website  BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS 👈 LIVE BOOLEANS LINKS Hosts: @amferrabetta | @kcanatselis Follow us on Twitter @LiveBooleans Email us at livebooleanspodcast@gmail.com ⭐ Want to help support Live Booleans? Review us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen!

Join us at the diner this week as we deep dive and chat about Serious Games, more specifically: 🤔 What are serious games? ⚙️ Where are serious games used? ✅ What are the advantages of serious games and why are they important? 🌊 Examples of Serious Games including Sea Hero Quest - a game that collects data for dementia 🔮 Where will Serious Games go in the future? Kosta Canatselis - @kostacana Alex Ferrabetta - @amferrabetta Susie Emmery - @susannahkemery John Oestmann - @john_oestmann Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord Support articles: - Five game-changing examples of serious games - What are serious games? Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord

Join us at the diner this week as we chat about: 🎟 SAFC sponsored GCAP all-access tickets – apply now! 😍 Whats your most memorable and favourite storytelling in games? 🧐 What are the different 'types' of storytelling in games? 🤔 Is there a 'best way' of storytelling? 🎮 Some games to check out with amazing storytelling 🎬 How is storytelling in games different to movies and TV shows? 💪 What are the strengths and weaknesses of games as a storytelling medium? Kosta Canatselis - @kostacana Alex Ferrabetta - @amferrabetta Susie Emmery - @susannahkemery John Oestmann - @john_oestmann Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord Support articles: - SAFC sponsored GCAP all-access tickets – apply now! - The Evolution Of Storytelling In Video Games - Storytelling in Games - What Works and What Doesn't? - Video Game Storytelling Isn't Bad, It's Just Different - 10 Games with the Best Environmental Storytelling Adelaide Game Developer Discord: https://bit.ly/AGDdiscord