Make That Game! A Game Design Podcast

Isaac pitches a game idea about a zombie monkey and Claire pitches a game where you can build "I Spy" games for your friends! Claire talks about Escape Rooms and we discuss how escape room design can apply to video game designs/how they are similar! This is Make That Game, the podcast where we talk about the latest and greatest new video games... that aren't ever going to get made. W...

Claire pitches a relaxing wedding cake baking game. Isaac tries to make that Goron spinny thing from Majora's Mask a whole game. Can he avoid making it a Sonic game??? We recap our first live stream of 2024 and semi-honk and bonk ANGRY BIRDS! Whoa, is it really 2024? Seems a little late to be having Angry Birds discourse... This is Make That Game, the podcast where we talk about the latest and...

Isaac's idea for this week is bringing the doldrums of the office to your video game console... with minigames! Can he make office busywork... fun!? Claire gives us an idea for a party game (but really she just wants to outsource pro/con lists to her friends)! Then we talk about a potential new Nintendo console?? There's rumors of it? Idle Speculation? The... Switch 2??? This is Make That...

Hey hey hey, we're here to pitch game ideas and Isaac's pitch is: Glitch Hunters! A Spot-the-difference puzzle game. And Claire pitches "9 Month Cruise", a game about managing *and surviving* a 9 month cruise! Hm, that sounds topical!? And for our discussion, Isaac mopes about Twitter/X. How... how is that game design related? Guess you gotta listen to find out. This is Make That...

Claire, who has NOT been reading and watching and listening to a podcast about Percy Jackson at all, visits Olympus and brings us an idea for a game where you play as Atlas! What genre of game could it be?? Isaac's game idea is an RTS (Real Time Strategy) game with no resource collectors - no, you have to raid your enemies for supplies! For today's discussion topic we discuss gaming resolu...

We're back to our normal scheduling! Claire pitches a game idea which borrows the gameplay of beloved SkiFree, and gives it a story and cute kitty characters! Isaac says his pitch is 'tetris interior design' but a) what does that mean? And b) is that even true? Is there really interior design going on? Our discussion is using the mechanics of a game to tell or enforce the story/narrati...

We're back from a Health and Holiday Hiatus! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, your gift from us to you is that Isaac let's Claire do most of the talking this episode! There's a little changeup from the usual dynamic this week. Isaac pitches a game idea that was inspired by his bout of coughing fits but somehow transformed into a game about spear-fishing on a raft! What a journey for...

Today's episode has a SECRET MYSTERY! Throughout the episode we drop 3 total hints. Listen carefully, and see if you can solve the mystery yourself! Claire's idea this episode is a game idea about a guy with ideas! An idea guy game idea. Isaac's game idea puts you in charge of a cute li'l space explorin' rover, like the Mars Curiosity Rover, but for alien planets! For a discuss...

Isaac goes solo! That's right, freed from the shackles of Claire he gets to ramble, uninterrupted, for 5 whole game ideas (counting the rapid fire round!). Just absolute stream of consciousness stuff going on here, may as well be Finnegan's Wake. That's right, Isaac talking is equivalent to a James Joyce novel! Anyways, he pitches a TACTICAL BATTLE SIMULATOR (who would ever predict tha...

You're finally awake. Not even last night's storm could wake you... or could it not??? Ignoring the confusing double (triple?) negatives there, Isaac's game idea takes inspo from that famous line from Elder Scrolls: Morrowind and has you play as a storm trying to wake up a fated hero! Claire pitches a game idea about designing houses. Like, really hardcore simulation style, not Sims/An...

It's an episode for HALLOWEEN! How spooky are our game ideas? Isaac pitches "S.S.S." a game about exploding skeleton armies, and Claire pitches a fixed camera horror game about exploring a museeeeeum. Then we talk about those apps that help you build habits. Gamified chore lists, you might call them. This is Make That Game, the podcast where we talk about the latest and greatest new...

This week Claire's embracing the season with a game idea named... Skeleton Hands!? So spooky! Isaac thinks about VR for the first time in his life and pitches a game about untangling cords and cables. Claire isn't so sure if it's a game that actually makes sense for VR though... You know those unhinged mobile game ads? That's what we chat about this episode. This is Make That Game,...

Claire's game idea this week is an online social deduction game. Sounds pretty sus to me! Isaac's got an idea for a city builder disguised as a farming game disguised as a Halloween game! Then he rants about being able to move buildings in a city builder he played. And city builders in general. He might lose the plot a bit. This is Make That Game, the podcast where we talk about the latest...

Isaac pitches a game idea where you can't stop moving, ever, for any reason, or else you die! It's sort of an anti-Superhot! Claire pitches an adventure game where your hoop skirt defines your abilities/tools... and where you can fit! Claire asks about arcade games. What ever happened to those? Do people still make new ones, like games specific for arcades? We talk about that a bit. This i...

This week's episode will have you saying "nice"! Isaac's idea his about robbing museums, returning artifacts to the people they belong to, and smashing stuff that doesn't belong at all! Claire pitches an arcade game about jousting. With normal horses, even! What ever happened to Flash, anyways? Is that a game design question? We ask it anyways! This is Make That Game, the pod...

Claire's idea brings us on an adventure to discover pieces of a secret code to find big treasure! Isaac's idea has us scavenging a post-apocalyptic wasteland for... laserdiscs? And VHSes! That's right, an alternate history post-apocalypse game where Blockbuster (don't sue us please) survives the apocalypse and you've gotta keep it going! Claire asks about ending Open World Game...

Isaac pitches us a mini-game idea about emulating the tactile feel of juggling with a video game controller! Also, it turns out Claire knows a lot about juggling. Who knew! Claire's idea this week is a tycoon/business management game about making cereals! Can you top Kellog's? Will your cereal knock Count Chocula off the shelves? We also go off on a wild tangent about Reese's puffs, ra...

Claire's game idea this week is My Wonderful YA Novel, a choose your own adventure game about being the most tropey YA character you can be! Isaac pitches us a game he describes as "Reverse Fishing". Well, that could mean... a lot of things? You'll have to find out what specifically he means by listening! Claire Honks and Bonks Unpacking, by Witch Beam. It's a game about unpa...

Isaac's idea this week is Lil Cart Person, a trading game! Trade a paperclip for a kingdom, or whatever! (there is a LOT of discourse about whether the cart is worth mentioning in the title...)Claire's idea is a point n' click adventure game where you gotta escape the library. Possibly an Arthur (the PBS show) tie in game??? Isaac ask's Claire, and the designer duo discusses... tac...

Claire's game pitch this week is a flamingo breeding game! Can you find the food that gives your flock the prettiest colors? Isaac's game is about jester's insulting each other and then falling from really high towers. It's a turn-based RPG *AND* a Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy clone in one game! We talk about gameplay loops! What are they? How many times should you loop? Let&...

Isaac's game idea this week puts you in control of as many decisions as you want to be! You decide the outcome of any - or EVERY - event, no matter how small or how large! A global war? Decide who wins. A mouse looking for snacks? See if he gets the cheese! It's ALL in your hands! Claire's game idea is a text-based adventure game about skipping rocks. Can you solve her DEVIOUS and ~ESO...

Claire gets ultra-super cozy with Claire Anna's Bananas, an ice cream selling management game where you get to make unique flavors and just ~chill~. No tension, just ~chill~!! Isaac then describes a game idea about digging holes and driving over and in the holes. For money! The Honks and Bonks are back, baby! Claire gives her honks and bonks on the new game Sticky Business, a sticker sales man...

Isaac continues the trend of trying to explain a very complicated game idea in a very clumsy way. There's uh... strings?? webs??? nets??? rooms??? I guess it's about spiders? Or maybe not? Lots of discussion of lines and geometry. And apparently it's like snake? Meanwhile, Claire has a very easy to explain idea. You place water balloon fish, and they roll through obstacle courses. Then...

Claire pitches an idea that she may have possibly pitched before about being a convention tycoon... and Isaac pitches: tabletop wargame, the game for computers, but tabletop. Yea, it's a whole thing. This is also possibly deja vu because wasn't that what he said last week?? Come on. For our deep dive question, we talk about boss design/aesthetic and game tone! Listen to Isaac's theory...

This episode we read a viewer game idea that requires an intimate knowledge of familial references, Isaac spends too much time trying to describe an idea that only he will ever under stand (it's a turn-based real-time strategy game... huh!? okay!!!), and Claire invents a game that you should NOT play if you're afraid of the dark! This is Make That Game, the podcast where we talk about the...