The Indie Diarist

You know I always love talking to a fellow writer! In this episode, I spent some time with Amber Scott, head storyteller and lead writer for Only By Midnight – a Canadian indie studio about to release its dystopian darling, Ctrl. Alt. Deal. The episode touches on a lot of great topics, from burnout in the industry to inspiring players with your stories, and it's definitely worth a listen. Enjoy!...

I don't get to say this often, but an exciting episode awaits! In this one, I spent some time with Alex, one of the very first members in The Indie Diarist's Discord server, who's working on both a vampire-themed visual novel and an RPG in his Harrowed World universe. We had the chance to discuss the meaning of horror, switching engines, vampires, and a lot more – for a packed episode with loads t...

In this episode, I spent some time with Fiveamp Co-Founder Kevin Messenhimer, who's working with his team on a delightful survival roguelite shooter called NIMRODS. From validating your game ideas to finding a unique hook for your game, this episode is packed with little soundbites! Enjoy! - F.Godmom (DOS game Kevin mentions on the episode):  ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.Godmom⁠ ------ Support...

In this episode, I spent some time with Dave Sims, a solo dev working on his chaotic multiplayer card game Bullcrap! and a longstanding member of The Indie Diarist's Discord! From making character eyes larger to discussing the passion of game development, this was a much cosy and warm episode to both record and re-listen to. Hope you enjoy! ------------ Support Dave 🎒💛 - Play Bullcrap! : https:/...

In this episode, I spent some time with Sheldon "CyrusTheVirus Studios" to talk about his metroidvania Cold Lazarus and his path into game dev – which was all but conventional! Starting from a self-taught basis, Sheldon managed to get a degree in software development and is now working on his own game on the side. Enjoy! --------- Support Sheldon 🎒💛 Wishlist Cold Lazarus: https://store.steampowe...

In this episode, I spent some time with Simon Trümpler, a German indie dev currently based in France and developing a top-down shooter called Cozy Space Survivors. Simon's journey into development started when he began exploring QBasic on his dad's computer, and he's never looked back since. Enjoy! ---------- Support Simon 🎒💛 Wishlist Cozy Space Survivors: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2657...

In this third and last episode in the collaboration with Indieverse , I spent some time with indie dev and content creator Figerox, who's currently working on a couple of horror projects to help bring his vision to life. Figerox is a super energetic dev, and I hope his story will inspire you! Enjoy! ----------- Support Figerox 🎒💛 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Figerox Itch: https://figerox.i...

In this last episode of the Women-Led Games mini-series, I spent some time with Stumbling Cat creative director Renee Gittins, a passionate advocate and connector for devs in the indie games community! Renee is developing her own game about overcoming challenges with her studio, and her background was incredibly interesting to discover. Enjoy! -------- Support Renee: Wishlist Potions: https://stor...

Finding a publisher is as much about you finding them as them finding you – and in this episode, I discussed this and more with Mark Drew and Valentina Chrysostomou from Villainous Games, a wonderful indie studio making "unusual" horror games. From Amnesia to Resident Evil, the namedropping of great horror examples was real for this one. Enjoy! 🎒💛 ------ Support Mark & Valentina: - Wishlist...

In this last episode of my collaboration with the Indieverse community, I spent some time with Isa Hellström, a game developer based in Sweden who's currently working on a cosy/magical farming sim called Magical Harvest. Together we explored the meaning of chasing your dreams, moving from a decade-old career into games, soulmates, and why game development is so powerful. Enjoy! 🎒💛 ----- Wishlist...

Trying to market your games for a Korean audience? Or are you simply curious about the Korean gaming market? In this episode, I spent some time with George Jeong from Korea-based game management platform Minimap, to discuss the Big Three Ns and a lot of other incredibly interesting topics on gaming in the region – including the rise of new and talented indie studios! 🎒💛 ------- Find George / Min...

In this episode I spent some time with Dorian "Doot", one half of a couple of developers who created the beautiful cosy masterpiece Minami Lane, where you manage a single town's street. As expected, this chat was incredibly cosy through and through, and we covered anything from the beauty of developing for the cosy niche, to creating games with your partner. Enjoy! ---- Wishlist Minami Lane: https...

In this second episode of the mini-series in collaboration with Indieverse, I spent some time with writer, game dev, trailer editor (and more) Lilliana Kendra, an amazing and restless member of the indie game dev community with a passion for... having countless passions! As a tireless multipotential myself, I could really relate with her struggles. We discussed anything from the wonders of time ma...

In this episode, I spent some time with Mycelium Heaven developer Lorena Cáceres Arias, a game development and math student with a burning passion for developing engaging puzzle games that people will love to play. Lorena started playing all the way back in the Flash era, and her passion hasn't gone out since then. This is also a slightly shorter episode than usual, which will be a breath of fresh...

In this first episode of a mini-series in collaboration with Indieverse, I spent some time with Falinere, a game dev / content creator who's developing interactive RPGs in a very specific niche: live-streaming chat games. We discussed the beauty of finding your own path, among other things. Enjoy! ------------ Find Falinere online: - https://www.falinere.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/falinere - h...

It's International Women's Day week, and for this bonus Footnote, I wanted to get together with a very special guest from the indie game development community: Charmaine Duff, founder of Women-Led Games! In this episode, Char and I discussed the core challenges to diversity and inclusion in the industry, explored the ways in which we can all do better, and fortunately, named a few female developer...

In this episode, I spent some time with Tanja Lind Tankred, co-founder of Other Tales Interactive and currently working on a beautiful narrative-led game anthology called Miniatures! Tanja tuned in all the way from Denmark, and together we discussed anything from the value of creativity to the power of meaningful game experiences. Enjoy! ----------- Find Other Tales Interactive online: Twitter: ht...

In this episode, I had a chat with Ashley 'Aemixx', developer of episodic CYOA game Gods of the Twilight, as part of a collaboration with Gentleland.net and Jacky Martin. Together we discussed all things narrative, as we dove into the details of her love for Sonic and beautifully written interactive stories. Hope you enjoy! ------- Wishlist Gods of the Twilight : https://store.steampowered.com/app...

In this second episode in collaboration with Women-led Games, I spent some time with Andrea Saravia Pérez, a narrative designer from Colombia, to talk about her AAA experience and the struggles of developers from underrepresented backgrounds who reach for success in the industry. Enjoy! ––––––––– Find Andrea online: - Twitter: https://x.com/asaraviapt - Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/asaraviapt/commissi...

In this episode, I'm proud to kick off a mini-series in collaboration with Women-Led Games! Over the next month or so, I will feature some female developers from the WLG community – with the ambition to host even more in the future. The first one in the series is German narrative designer Kay Anderson, a former aspiring biologist turned game dev, who brings her empathy and passion for stories in e...

In this episode, I spent some time with Jake Kordus, Director and Founder of Nibble & Byte Games – working on The Fall of Aether Station . When he's not busy managing a team of developers in aerospace software, Jake dedicates most of his free time to a burning passion for game dev – one that clearly shines through this beautiful episode here. Hope you enjoy! 🎒💛 -------- - Wishlist The Fall o...

In this episode, I spent some time with Polygon Treehouse co-founder Alex Kanaris-Sotiriu, an ex-Sony developer turned creative director of his own Scotland-based studio. Alex has discovered a lot about the joy of "finding your own balance" in life, and this episode explores these themes and more. Enjoy! ---------- - Wishlist Mythwrecked: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2000210/Mythwrecked_Ambr...

New year, new Indie Diary – with a new podcast theme made by video game and film composer Yuri Gore! 🎒💛 In this very special episode, I spent some time with Rob Madden, creative director of Hyperluminal Games and the mind behind the beautiful upcoming puzzle-adventure Pine Hearts. Rob has an incredibly personal connection to his game, and I feel incredibly grateful to him for having wanted to sh...

Many indie developers "fall" into game dev, but for Ant Workshop's Tony Gowland, it was more a case of falling "out" of triple-A development. In this 30th Indie Diary and last episode of 2023, I spent some time with a former Rockstar veteran turned indie, to discuss the value of familiar experiences, laughter, and creativity under constraints. What a beautiful way to end the first year of the show...

Remember the good old days when playing games wasn't a game dev exercise? 👀 In this episode, I spent some time with Tom Curtis, a US-based developer who's been thinking about games differently since he was 11. Tom has recently delisted his HopDodge to make it the best version of itself it can be. Get ready for a journey, folks – this one feels very intimate! Hope you enjoy! ---- Find Tom online:...