Lightmap - Conversations with video game creators

We’ve reached our fortieth episode this week, and like every week before it we’re exploring the world around gaming. Have you ever seen another player gloat about winning a match or display less than sporting behaviour?  We’re looking at when other players aren’t “good sports,” the sore losers and the arrogant winners. Is it just part of online culture, or should we be working together to encourag...

This week we tackle cultural appropriation in video games. It's no secret that video game developers tend to borrow heavily from historical events and cultural tradition, but is this changing the way we approach history and culture for better or worse? We also got a chance to talk to Ari Gibson, William Pellen and Dave Kazi of Adelaide's Team Cherry . They talked us through the ins and out...

This week we return to the Counter-Strike Global Offensive gambling scandal with news that prominent YouTubers Trevor 'TmarTn' Martin and Tom 'ProSyndicate' Cassell were revealed to be the owners of Counter-Strike skin gambling site CSGO Lotto. CSGO Lotto and sites like it have been accused of specifically targeting children and minors who wouldn't normally be able to gamble, b...

Its federal election time here in Australia and with less than 48 hours until voting begins. We were fortunate enough to have a chat with Western Australian Greens senator Scott Ludlum . The Greens have just announced a policy to not improve funding for game development in Australia, but broaden incentives for foreign companies making games in Aus based on feedback provided by the industry . With...

This week on the show we were joined by two of the fantastic team at Giant Margarita , based in Tasmania, and making the cracker new game Party Golf . Dr Ian Lewis and Adam Zulkifly joined us today to talk about their "seconds to shouting" metric, designing a game perfect for parties and securing state government funding. You can check out their game at www.partygolfgame.com , and pick up...

This week we speak to a master of animated gifs, Jacob Janerka . He’s a talent artist and designer and he’s working on his first game Paradigm , inspired by the weird and wonderful point and click adventure games made by Lucasarts and Sierra. We spoke about the challenges of making a game by yourself and the freedoms a one person dev team can bring. You can find more information about Paradigm ove...

We’re back from our two-week break and we’re hitting the ground running, Gianni has returned from the land of pineapples and beaches to host once again . First off this week we’re talking justice for cheaters in online games. With player vs player elements in pretty much every title these days, the temptation to cheat can be too much for some people. But the creators of Overwatch, Blizzard have fo...

This week on Pixel Sift we had to do without our fearless leader Gianni. In his absence Mitch took the helm along with guest presenter Brad Power . A long-time friend of Pixel Sift, Brad is a lecturer in Games Art and Design at Murdoch University .  We started off on a grimmer tone, with a discussion on how the Australian Government has recently cut funding to the arts , which may see many of the...

There are many games that are so tough you feel like you can't win , but some games can be designed to be completed but at the end you aren't "victorious. " We explore the different types of narratives, and compare stories in games to films, where the protagonist isn't always better off at the end. We spoke to Michael Cann , he's a Perth based developer from Epic Shrimp , a...

This week developers have been throwing digital punches on social media, with Battlefield developers throwing shade at the latest trailer for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare . An online spat can not only damage individual reputations, but also the companies that they represent . As the dust settles it leaves everyone wondering, was it really necessary? We glanced northward this week with the story...

This week we look at video game rumours reported by the mainstream media outlets,  and when popular news sites fall into the trap of reporting on speculation without fact checking. Reddit user el2mador confessed this week to tricking some of the biggest video game sites on the web with their glitch in “The Division.” Is the 24-hour news cycle causing journalists to skimp on fact checking and verif...

On this week’s show Colton Onderwater, from Perth’s Bear-Tooth Studios , joins us in the studio and we talk all about his new game Super Salmon Migration , and his previous game Arbalest 3035 . We explored the finer points of designing stimulating gameplay for games with simple mechanics, and even simpler user inputs. Colton also shared his personal attitude toward game feel and how the specific d...

This week we are joined by Jason Imms , he’s the founder of the Tasmanian Game Dev Society , a group that aims to raise awareness on the game development scene in Tasmania. High quality games can be made anywhere in the world, and states like Tasmania and Western Australia may not be as isolated as it seems. Jason talks about building the reputation of Tasmanian game development scene and the futu...

This week we talk game mods and what happens when copyright owners decide that that are not on board with the changes players make to their games. What happens when the corporate world interferes with the artistic creation of mod creators . Forum RaceDepartment had over 30 pages of mods removed at the request of Formula One's rights holders, a move that is technically within their rights but l...

It's our extended LIVE episode from Perth's Oz Comic Con! First up we spoke all about the differences between linear and non-linear story telling, and the constructed narrative. We explore how creating fixed narrative can be a stylistic choice, or could be due to limitations in hardware. We also look at how a recent well articulate argument on the Overwatch beta forums was able to change a...

If you want to play a game from a previous gen, there are many options available for gamers. One these options is emulation, this week we dive into emulation culture and why the technology is so popular for introducing new audiences to old games, and for playing old games in new ways. Though sometimes the games aren't all that old... We also caught up with the one of the creators of Blockpocal...

Digital delivery is becoming the preferred option for more people, but even though we pay real money for these products, are they really ours ? Can we pass these games or digital goods to another person ? We explore this topic off the back of a Twitch Partner losing their account in a division of assets after a divorce . There may be more questions than answers however.  Gianni also had the opport...

This week on the show, we're joined in the studio by Fremantle game developer Oscar Brittain . He's made the new World's Fastest Pizza , a top down pizza delivery game chock full with aussie references. We talked all about making the game, and releasing it out onto the web. You can pick up World's Fastest Pizza on Steam and Itch.io when it releases on March 15th 2016. We're als...

Reviews are a big part of the games industry, love them or loathe them. We don’t review here at Pixel Sift, but there a good review can make a game and a bad one can break it. In some excellent reporting Phil Iwaniuk from PCgamesN discovered that the site Fiverr is being used to solicit cash for positive user reviews. We look at how reviews from both the professionals and players have an impact on...

Today on the show we look at the double standard of annually released games. Why is it that gamers are so quick to criticize franchise A , when franchise B is given a free pass ?  With some of the major franchises moving away from yearly release cycle are we seeing a shift in the way games are sold, and does gamer expectation play a big part? Gianni also had the chance to talk to Sofie Mather and...

First up on Pixel Sift this week, we have a look at some of the recent data gathered by Quantic Foundry on how gamers attitudes toward games change as they get older, with the ESA reporting that the average gamer is now 35 . It would seem that the motivations of gamers change as they progress down life's long road. Where do you think your gaming career will be in thirty years time? Scott sat d...

This week on the show we look at the obsessive nature of collecting games. Do you have a giant steam library? Do you scour the online stores for old cartridges and consoles. We talk about what it is that makes us collect, and sometimes never play. You can check out the value of your steam library, and how little of it you've actually played on Steam Gauge .  I spent many hours playing split-sc...

36,000 people, 93 countries and nearly 6800 games . It's the Global Game Jam , a 48 hour challenge that pits game developers against the relentless march of time. This year game devs were tasked with making a full game based on the theme of "Ritual." Let's Make Games , hosted two events in Perth on the weekend and we dropped in to the ECU site to follow the progress and journey of...

This week we look at the cost of being a gamer. Like all hobbies there is a financial cost as well as a time cost. We break down some of the numbers about the game value proposition. Is it more expensive to be a gamer than ever before? When does gaming become too expensive a hobby? We spoke to Joshua Meadows organiser of Sydney Gaymers , and co-director of the brand new convention for LGBT gamers,...

The s porting world had been rocked by a gambling scandal with tennis players in the UK fixing matches to alter the odds in gambling. eSports players aren't immune to the lure of bribes to manipulate the outcomes of matches. We look at how eSports and betting cross over and how people can be tempted to take a less than honest path We spoke to Lisa Rye and Brendan Ragan from Stirfire Studios ,...