The Game Developers' Library

Buy Books But Not From Bezos: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/indiegameclinicIGC Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/indiegameclinicMusic:GDL Theme created by Joe Baxter-Webb especially for the show. No Generative AI was used.The music during the ad break was Backdrop Lady by John Runefelt, licensed via Epidemic Sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NkdfV5NQxwGames in the Book:Elite: https://playclassic.games/games/space-simulation-dos-games-online/play-elite-online/Rogue: https://www.myabandonware.com/game/rogue-4n/play-4nSpelunky: https://playclassic.games/games/platform-windows-games-online/spelunky/Dwarf Fortress: https://store.steampowered.com/app/975370/Dwarf_Fortress/Caves of Qud: https://store.steampowered.com/app/333640/Caves_of_Qud/AI Dungeon: https://aidungeon.com/Games in the Book We Neglected to Discuss:Black & White: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/postmortem-lionhead-studios-i-black-white-i-Creatures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-6DzI-krUQAdditional Resources on Key Topics:Mike Cook ProcGen Talk 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3daNITP9vBcMike Cook ProcGen Talk 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SGEcrRFuv4ProcJam on itch.io: https://itch.io/jam/procjamDrunk Cats in DF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yWf6BHqiWMProbability Curves with Dice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEW6OufmGfsWave Function Collapse explainer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI_y2GAlQFMRedblock Games Perlin Maps: https://www.redblobgames.com/maps/terrain-from-noise/Cyclic Dungeon Generation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wvkTT-6P3QDoom Level Progress Diagrams: https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/100569-level-progress-diagrams-%E2%80%93-2002ado/Perlin Noise explainer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMj3WU4gORISpelunky Level Gen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqk5Zf0tw3oArticle on "Yomi": https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/what-is-yomi-Jamie Cheng interview on Designer Notes: https://soundcloud.com/idlethumbs/designer-notes-jamie-chengDerren Brown vs 9 Chess Players: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIAXIubSTkcDesign/Play/Disrupt at the V&A https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/videogames?srsltid=AfmBOopAVyltddhnMhkoRQrXIT01B80O1KNmBq8zMCDYpmq0PKb7GRv4Engelstein on Loss Aversion at GDC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_1YcCcBVfY&t=2958sOther Games MentionedMap Painter '84: https://acellular.itch.io/map-painter-84Elite Dangerous: https://store.steampowered.com/app/359320/Elite_Dangerous/Populous: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populous_(video_game)Dungeon Keeper: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1996630/Dungeon_Keeper_Gold/Rimworld: https://store.steampowered.com/app/294100/RimWorld/Bad North: https://store.steampowered.com/app/688420/Bad_North_Jotunn_Edition/Baldurs Gate 3: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1086940/Baldurs_Gate_3/Disco Elysium: https://store.steampowered.com/app/632470/Disco_Elysium__The_Final_Cut/Skyrim: https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/Alien Isolation: https://store.steampowered.com/app/214490/Alien_Isolation/Arc Raiders: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1808500/ARC_Raiders/Fable 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fable_IIIOregon Trail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pze05Fz_rh8&t=1sTom's itch.io: https://tchom.itch.io/Joe's Stuff:Golem Gourmet on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4209800/Golem_Gourmet/Strange Voyage on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/strangevoyage.bsky.socialThanetGuide on X: https://x.com/ThanetGuideJoe's article of Baldur's Gate 3 and the silliness of seeing D&D as "IP" when it's also a pre-designed ruleset: https://medium.com/@indiegameclinic/dungeons-dragons-isnt-just-i-p-the-real-game-dev-lessons-of-baldur-s-gate-3-c086bc6c4f35 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Tom and Joe read and respond to Rise of the Videogame Zinesters: How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives Are Taking Back an Art Form.Patreon.com/indiegameclinic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we read Rimworld creator Tynan Sylvester's design textbook.00:00 introOVERVIEW01:34 situating the book in our collection07:55 signposting cultural politics10:30 book's structure & approachPHILOSOPHY & PSYCHOLOGY 17:33 engines of experience20:30 events and anticipation23:09 emotion and human values27:50 an interesting take on "flow"INTERESTING AREAS/CHAPTERS30:30 challenge & mastery34:12 flexible meanings of "narrative"40:34 decisions types & intensities 47:05 strategy design & balance50:18 predicting your opponent ("yomi")55:38 game theory & griefing01:01:40 some other chapters/topicsPRODUCTION / PROCESSES01:03:20 the market and the specificity of game appeal01:02:45 processes and planning01:07:40 knowledge, research, and evaluating ideas01:09:00 the dependency stack01:13:00 collaboration, sensitivity and the Rimworld controversy01:31:05 what we're reading next timeThe theme song was produced by show host Joe Baxter-Webb.The Ludonarrative Dissonance jingle was "Carvings" by Blood of Geruda, licensed from Epidemic Sound. RELATED TOPICS:Misattribution of Arousal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misattribution_of_arousalGame Theory & (ir)rationality: https://larspsyll.wordpress.com/2025/02/15/what-is-wrong-with-game-theory/Swagless Games: https://www.polygon.com/code-vein-2-swagless-game/Jeff Vogel GDC talk about serving a market gap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stxVBJem3Rs&t=1746sTynan Sylvester GDC talk on the idea reservoir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdqhHKjepiE&t=3113s Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we attempt to verbally describe a comic book. But not just any comic book. Scott McCloud's 1993 "Understanding Comics" is a comic about comics; not necessarily how to make them, but how they "work" for readers. Your librarians Tom and Joe jump about the book in no particular order, picking apart what they personally got from the book, and highlighting areas where we think there's something interesting in there for an indie dev. TOPICS INCLUDE:> how videogames are interactive cartoons> semiotics and the psychology of images> how "gaps" and "holes" in stories create engagement> nonlinear narrative in different media> starting projects with "ideas" vs starting with craftTIMESTAMPS:00:00 intro 01:45 why this book06:15 overview11:35 indie games and cartoon aesthetics14:02 two mediums with the same status issue16:22 iconic representation and identification18:55 history and definition of comics23:02 the semiotics of comics30:12 the three types of image41:00 gamers love a ruined city44:48 time is weird in comics49:45 "closure" in media psychology52:33 non-linear moments in comics57:29 the meaning of lines and colours59:20 showing & telling / multimodality65:35 self-referentiality as a sign of a mature medium68:50 McClouds 6 Steps of Creativity73:20 finishing projects vs starting new ones68:13 what's next?OTHER REFERENCES:Juniper Dev on Little White Guys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=banRsciq1wwIan Bogost's 2023 essay on Gone Home: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/perpetual-adolescence-the-fullbright-companys-gone-home/"Storyteller" Comicbook-Interface Puzzle Game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1624540/Storyteller/"Her Story" Narrative Puzzle Game https://store.steampowered.com/app/368370/Her_Story/"The Beginner's Guide" (example of a "reflexive"/self-referential game) https://store.steampowered.com/app/303210/The_Beginners_Guide/wiki page of Pierre Bourdieu's "Distinction" (sociology of taste) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinction_(book)The original game design "MDA Theory" paper: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdfMcCloud's 6 Steps of Creativity explained using SoundCloud Rappers: https://rudycraiglcgr.blogspot.com/2016/08/this-for-lcgn-class-we-had-to-read.htmlDerek Yu on finishing games: https://makegames.tumblr.com/post/1136623767/finishing-a-game Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Other Sources DiscussedFailing to Fail: The Spiderweb Software Way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stxVBJem3Rs&t=2794sRadical Candor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_Candor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.