Lightmap - Conversations with video game creators

Len's Island is a game where you can build a new life for yourself using only the tools in your backpack, once you're done grab your weapons and explore the dark dungeons below. Julian Ball from Flow Studio joined us to talk about the creation of his dream game as well as funding through Kickstarter and balancing game development with a successful YouTube channel. ‍Pixel Sift is produced b...

A new study from New Zealand’s Massey University found that in many cases there is no reason to believe violent video games cause violent behaviour. Senior lecturer at Massey University and lead author of the study Aaron Drummond said there has been a rise in exposure to violent video games, and that in the highest quality studies, the effect is so small that it is indistinguishable from zero. You...

Shooty Skies Overdrive is the virtual reality sequel to the popular mobile hit Shooty Skies, and Mighty Games CEO Matt Ditton shares why it made sense to convert the Shmup experience to full body 3D bullet hell. Matt started his career in game development in Queensland, working on games like Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, before moving to Victoria to become a producer and CEO. Pixel Sift is produced by M...

Daniel Hindes is the Lead at Sneaky Bastards and over the last six years this team has built Wildfire a stealth platformer built upon systemic gameplay . Wildfire is a game where  you're only really limited by your imagination and experimentation as you control different elements to win. Before Daniel was a game developer he was a games journalist and editor, and it was conversations with game...

Well you probably have heard the news by now, PAX Australia won't be going ahead in October this year , joining PAX West which has also been cancelled for 2020. In its place is PAX Online , a new digital festival that runs over 9 days between September 12 and 21, streaming content 24 hours a day. Luke Lancaster of ReedPop Australia shared what it was like when he realised that physical convent...

Ben Chandler joins us on the show this week to talk about the upcoming roleplaying game Nighthawks , where you play as a fledgling vampire in a modern world where their existence is no longer a secret. Ben is an artist and animator in the games industry and has worked on titles such as Blackwell Epiphany, Unavowed and Shardlight. Ben shares with us how he got started working as an artist in the ga...

How do you shape a competitive League of Legends player into an esports star? Chris Lee is a coach at the Chiefs Esports Club Academy, his job is to find the up and coming talent and shape them into professionals.  He’ll be working with the Australian winner of the Red Bull Solo Q tournament , a unique format of the League of Legends game where two players face each other one on one, as they take...

Brimstone Brawlers is a couch multiplayer game that features a collection of unlikely heroes from hired hunters to measly shop keepers fighting their way through Victorian-inspired 3D battlegrounds. Christopher Galea , a developer from Ategig the studio behind Brimstone Brawlers joined us to talk about how he brought his skills from another industry to the game development scene. How do you feel a...

Fledgling Heroes is a side scrolling flap 'em up game where you play as collection of brave birds taking on the world. Brendan Watts is the Director at Queensland's Subtle Boom the studio behind Fledgling Heroes join us to tell us about how the game was made. Fledgling Heroes is available on Apple Arcade and the Nintendo eShop . We all have games that we just can't access anymore, but...

Game designer Max Myers wanted to make an experience that played out in real time. Each time you visit Glenn Island in [soon, only the ocean] time moves forward and you bear witness to the slow ecological collapse as it sinks into the sea. Adam Christou speaks with Max about the inspiration behind the game, and you can head to pixelsift.com.au to read an essay about what it was like to visit Glenn...

Robin Arnott from Andromeda Entertainment thinks he might just have the "Trojan Horse" that'll get video gamers into meditation and mindfulness. It's called Soundself: A Technodelic , and it's virtual reality experience that some users have compared to the effects of taking psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient found in some mushrooms. You can read a written version of this...

Moving Out is cooperative chaotic local multiplayer game where you fling, chuck and heft household items into a moving truck with hilarious results. Ash Ringrose founder of SMG Studios shares how Moving Out was made and the challenges and benefits of working with an international team, including Worms developer and publisher Team17. Keeping players engaged and playing your games is one of the bigg...

Esports casters Jordan Mays " Elfishguy " & Brandon Langiano " Raven " star in a new season of Red Bull Response where they give their tips to level up your competitive skills. They shared their experience on getting into professional gaming, whether esports has hit that mainstream moment yet, and what the future looks like. Thanks to Harris Heller for use of the track " Tr...

Ben Chevalier is the Art Director at Mighty Bear Games in Singapore the studio behind Butter Royale . Butter Royale is a food fight battle royale for all ages for iOS devices, with a top down isometric experience that is designed to be as accessible as possible. The stereotype of the lone gamer has been touted by mainstream media for the longest time, but with much of the world forced to distance...

Theo Kipen from Not Dead Design is the Lead Developer of Kana Quest , a puzzle game that aims to challenge players problem-solving skill wild also teaching the basics of Japanese Kana, and describes it like "the very best primary school teacher you ever had" With many game franchises coming back from the dead including the long awaited Half Life series , we take a look at why they even wan...

If you’ve played any of the recent Bethesda Softworks games, while you’ve been blasting demons, fighting nazis or exploring space stations you’ve been listening to music of Australian composer Mick Gordon . Hear how the soundtrack to iD Software's DOOM Eternal came together including the pumping tracks to the quiet ambience, how genre doesn't define Mick's work and why putting together...

Ron Curry , CEO of Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA) joins us to discuss its merger with the Game Developers Association of Australia (GDAA) and what that organisation will look like going forward as the one representative body for games in Australia. Nvidia's Geforce Now service allows you to stream games you've already purchased from a virtual computers to any devi...

SUBSCRIBE TO MAINSTREAM This is a bonus episode from our MAINSTREAM another podcast we do that looks at those high profile titles from the biggest publishers. Gianni has been platforming his way to victory in Crossy Road Castle , the follow up to Hipster Whale's smash hit Crossy Road and Sarah has been clicking heads like crazy in Rainbow Six Siege by Ubisoft. NEWS LINKS Kotaku: E3 2020's...

Josh Sacco from Deadleaf Games is the Lead Developer of Nom Nom Apocalypse a game about blasting a food zombie plague with your friends! Josh shared his experiences and a solo developer balancing his work load. The COVID-19 virus has been having a huge health impact on many different countries and their business. We'll take a look at how the virus is affecting the games industry, from the post...

What is chiptune? Let Kristy Dossor and Alex Yabsley of Square Sounds , one of the longest running music festivals dedicated to chiptune music tell you. Head to our website to read a version of this feature story: Chiptune is an instrument not a genre: Square Sounds Festival 2020 Square Sounds is on Friday 21 February 2020 to Sunday 23 February and features musicians from all over the world includ...

Callum Harrington is Community Manager at Steel Sky Productions , who have just released the early access digital boardgame Warhammer Underworlds: Online . It's an adaptation of the popular tabletop game, and Callum tells us what it takes to make the work as a video game and handling player expectations. 2020 is officially the final year of Adobe Flash (formerly Shockwave Flash) and that means...

Kris Antoni of Indonesia's Toge Productions joins us to talk about their newly released game Coffee Talk , a game about having heart-to-heart conversations with customers while you brew them the perfect cup. Kris shares the story of the very real people that inspired the characters of the game, and how the scope of a project can change very drastically once you get stuck into working on it. So...

Michael Wentworth-Bell and Nick Acciarito from Melbourne’s Digital Lode joins us to talk about their VR game Espire 1: VR Operative . It’s a virtual reality single-player game that combines stealth and elements of Metal Gear Solid. Michael and Nick speak about the challenges they faced when combating motion sickness and what it feels like when the game is well received on on platform and slammed o...

Shawn Toh of Singapore's BattleBrew Productions joins us to talk about his mobile game BattleSky Brigade:Harpooner , a brand new title for the Apple Arcade subscription service. It's described as a vertical shooter, that flips into a fishing game featuring cute rabbit characters. Shawn speaks about finding the right balance in difficult and developing his series into a franchise. Speaking...

Dr Dan Golding is a video game composer who has created soundtracks for the smash hit Untitled Goose Game , The Haunted Island: A Frog Detective Game and Push Me Pull You and has studied our relationships with video games. He joins us to speak about his research, the book he wrote with Leena Van Deventer Game Changers: From Minecraft to Misogny , creating the dynamic soundtrack of Untitled Goose G...