Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

This week on Nice Games Club we rack up a ridiculous number of points while discussing scoring systems, lives and continues! We debate whether these systems are relics from the arcade past or are still relevant game mechanics. Martha makes up numbers, Mark quantifies the Star Trek Universe and Stephen gets the high score. Mega Minne Multi Indie Mini Arcade The Greatest Discovery podcast  -  Podcas...

It's another dispatch of the Nice Games Bulletin! Your nice hosts talk E3, Star Trek, and weaponized nostalgia, then eventually get around to discussing the latest news and releases in video games, including important developments in workers rights, console certification mishaps, and the live-action debut of more than one ugly rodent. The Deep Space Nine Anniversary Documentary Is Hitting Theaters...

This week on the program is another Nice Games Jam , where we are given a prompt from Martha’s boyfriend (and Evil Games Club co-host) Dylan, which we have to use to create a playable game prototype by the end of the episode. The prompt was to create a paper prototype of a game that combines "hilarious movement" like in games like Gang Beasts or Octodad with a card game. You can play the prototype...

This week, Martha fills the clubhouse with tales of her trip to the League of Legends Spring Split event in St. Louis, Mark gets to talk about another of his wonky "nonsense topics," and Stephen can't quite explain what he doesn't like about a thing. “Long Lost ‘Zork’ Source Code Uploaded to GitHub, But Few People Understand It”  -  Nicole Carpenter ,  Motherboard The Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Gal...

This week on Nice Games Club we talk all about Resource Management in Games and Boss Battles! Join us as we discuss mana, cooldowns, super meters and how to make boss battles unique but not frustrating. Martha takes the train, Stephen takes a test and Mark wonders what the appeal is. 0:07:58 Resource Management in Games 0:35:12 Boss Battles Shadow of the Colossus speed run Games Done Quick YouTube...

Join us in the Nice Games Clubhouse/Newsroom to hear the latest and greatest news from the video game world. Mortho makes a return (and another and another), Stephen doesn't want to say "git gud," (but...), Mark wants to press all the buttons, and (STOP THE PRESSES!) Martha likes board games now. Bulletin topic (Recent releases) Timecode 0:01:15 “Needle Felting Gives Us All the Feels”  -  Ashley L...

Mark and Dale are at GDC so Ellen Burns-Johnson joins us to talk all about Team Building and Game Identities! Join us for this chill evening recording session and discuss the more existential side of game development. If you change a game completely is it still the same game you started with? Stephen builds a house, Ellen is a game feedback therapist and Martha gets lost in the waveform. Mark and...

Mark (and special guest Dale!) got back from GDC on a red-eye flight, took a quick nap, then immediately joined Martha and Stephen in the clubhouse to recap the year's largest gathering of game creators. Nindies (Nintendo Indies) Showcase Spring 2019  -  Nintendo ,  YouTube "Developer Is Making an Official Zelda Game"  -  Tom Marks ,  IGN Music from Eric Fullerton  -  Eric Fullerton MUSIC ,  YouTu...

In this episode your Nice Hosts talk all about two important aspects of game design that can help more people play your games- Localization Systems and Accessibility! Stephen drives in the snow, Martha gets her nails done and Mark tries to get the baby to go to sleep. NOTE: The CVAA law that Martha talks a lot about in this episode applies -only- to chat systems in games not to game play. She didn...

This week, August Brown (senior producer for Kongregate Publishing) enters the clubhouse to reveal the secrets of successful developer/publisher relationships! Your nice hosts learn what publishers expect from a pitch, how forming a relationship with a publisher isn't always strictly business, and that publishers also think you're not charging enough money for your game. Developer/Publisher Relati...

Your nice hosts are big fans of video games, video game makers, and podcasts. So in this episode we talk all about both sides of the creator-fan relationship and how to create perfect balance in both communicating with fans and telling them to go away so you can work on balancing your game design- our second topic. Stephen shows us how balancing multiplayer and single player games are the same thi...

In this episode, your nice hosts make sure you know that Treasure Stack, the game Stephen "is paid to work on," is coming out Friday, March 1st! Mark then gives a primer on some audio basics that will help you understand how sound works, and works in your game. Even if you're bored by that, be sure to stick around for a discussion Stephen leads about representation in games. "Treasure Stack Reveal...

Extra Extra! Hear all about it! All the news that's fit to podcast! Join us in the Nice Games Clubhouse/Newsroom to hear all about the latest and greatest news from the video game world- at least latest and greatest from our vantage point in the past. Mark takes Valve to task, Martha makes a case for golf being interesting and Stephen is only here for the mechanics not the entertainment. It's an e...

This week on the program we attempt another Nice Games Jam , where we are given a prompt from Martha's boyfriend (and Evil Games Club co-host) Dylan, which we have to use to create a playable game by the end of the episode. The prompt was "Cold," owing to the extreme winter temperatures we were facing in Minnesota at the time of this recording. We're hoping to do even more of these going forward,...

Your Nice Hosts are back from PodCon 2 and fresh off the Global Game Jam where Martha wrote a game for the first time! We talk all about that experience as well as celebrate Public Domain Day for the first time in 20 years. Mark guides us through the history of copyright, Stephen jams in 3D and Martha is a totally normal McElroy Fan (tmtmtmtm) Photo by GLITCH Living Computer Museum Global Game Jam...

Ellen Burns-Johnson joins us once again in the club house to discuss our work on Widget Satchel (a platformer staring an adorable ferret!) We talk all about what went well, what was challenging and what is still left to do. Widget Satchel: Our goal is to release in April 2019. Wishlist Widget Satchel now on Steam! Code Comment episode about Widget Satchel Code Comment: "Widget Satchel" Ludum Dare...

We're back with new episodes for the new year! Friend of the show Ellen Burns-Johnson joins us in the clubhouse for the annual Nice Games Club Nicest of 2018 where we talk about some games we liked that came out in 2018 - or at least that we played in 2018. Stephen is on brand with his signature fighting moves, Ellen has Unity in her sights for 2019, Martha has to think of new titles for herself,...

#51 "Right the dang now." Roundtable 2017.10.07 Stephen will be speaking at the November IGDA Twin Cities meeting! Details will be posted at igdatc.org soon. In this episode, Stephen fights his demons, Martha likes sports now, and Mark learns a lot about both. Scope Creep 0:02:41 Stephen McGregor Production Martha took a blacksmithing class! Also, her instructor told her this was a perfect forge w...

#105 Ha-Ha! Nice Games Jam 2018.09.25 This week on Nice Games Club we are trying out a new type of episode: Nice Games Jam! We get a topic from Martha’s boyfriend Dylan and then attempt to create a playable game by the end of the episode. We then include the rules here in the show notes for you to play at home! Let us know what you think of this episode format on the feedback from! Prompt a realti...

#63 "I have so much feelings..." Roundtable 2018.01.02 This week, your nice hosts get into it. Stephen is split on everything, Mark is the bad guy, and it's all Martha's fault. Stephen and Mark talked about their Ludum Dare 40 game, Widget Satchel , which Martha played on last week’s Nice Plays episode ! Loot Systems 0:03:58 Stephen McGregor Game Design Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Players Are Tricki...

#15 "We are artists and we should be artists." Roundtable 2017.03.13 A day late but worth the wait! In this high signal-to-noise roundtable episode, each member of the club picks a topic that they are particularly passionate about: Stephen shares his wisdom and guidance about playtesting your work early and often, Martha helps you get your act together in a practical discussion about project manag...

#42 "You can see the cabbage in it." Roundtable 2017.08.30 It's a slightly experimental show this week, as we try to see what a two-topic episode looks like. Also, Martha defends her love of coleslaw, Stephen still doesn't really like VR, and Mark has almost completely lost his voice. Discuss this week's episode on Reddit in r/gamedev here . Video Game Immersion 0:05:54 Stephen McGregor Gaming Our...

#88 The Gaming Press Interview 2018.05.29 Stephen is away showing off his games at the Anime Central convention , so we're also joined this week by our new permanent guest host and self-proclaimed "mean old lady," Holly Harrison, who was a guest on a previous episode ! For an episode 18 months in the making, Ben Hanson, video producer for Game Informer and host of the excellent gaming podcast The...

#10 "Try it once." Roundtable 2017.01.30 Our 10th(!!!) episode has your nice hosts teetering on the edge of not-so-niceness as they each describe something they just don't get (or don't quite like) in gaming, and hope the other two can bring them around. Watching Games 0:01:28 Mark LaCroix Gaming IRL EVO Fighting Game Tournament The Controversial Dichotomy Between Sports and eSports  -  Jesse Aaro...

#8 "Will you be the best with me?" Roundtable 2017.01.23 Some firsts in this episode: Our first iTunes review (thanks, Abdiwak!), our first episode of interconnected topics, and our first big ideological disagreement (ooo, drama!). Gaming Mastery 0:01:33 Gamer Motivation Profile quiz  -  Quantic Foundry Strategy Guides and Wikis 0:20:45 Martha Megarry Gaming Tools (Martha) Pokemon Crystal guide  -...