Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

Your nice hosts are joined by another nice guest! Jonathan Jennings is a games and XR engineer out of California. In this episode, the Clubhouse hears from Jonathan on the state of VR—programming and design challenges, industry updates, and what we might expect from VR experiences in the near future. Also, we discuss how VR fighting games make us tired, our favorite Ninja Turtles, and who really invented the internet. Programming VR Games Programming VR / AR / XR Here's a full list of topics and relevant links from this week's episode. Additional articles and such are below. Enjoy! Magic Leap Galactic Bar Fight (in development, by our nice guest) Locomotion options in VR (for players, for devs)  Weapons systems and physics in GORN (probably NSFW because it’s a “ludicrously violent VR gladiator simulator”) Oculus Connect 4 - Accessibility in Games conference session VR development on macOS ADB for macOS Matt Gravelle episode (137) GearVR/Daydream end of life Pokemon Go VR Chat Facebook Horizon GORN - No Weapons Run (again, probably NSFW) Tumble VR on PlayStation VR Drunken Bar Fight (Steam, PlayStation, Oculus) PS5 DualSense controller haptics The Thrill of the Fight (boxing simulation game) Lessons Learned from Five Years of VR Locomotion Experiments - Paul White, Game Developer Google is discontinuing the Daydream View VR headset, and the Pixel 4 won’t sup… - Adi Robertson, The Verge Samsung is killing its VR applications now that Gear VR is dead - Mariella Moon, Engadget Mark mentioned an earlier episode with Unity development expert Matt Gravelle. Running An Indie Studio Jonathan Jennings Guest Jonathan Jennings is a software engineer located in southern California, USA. He has over 7 years of experience in professional software development, 4.5 years in games and 3 years in VR / AR / MR space. "Jonny J" has been a part of the development and release of over a dozen published titles. As of September 2020, he’s working on his debut as a solo gamedev with Galactic Bar Fight, a VR shoot-em-up game “coming soon to a cantina near you.” You can find him all over the Web on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Behance, and Quora.

Evil Games Club is back! Dale, Adia and Dylan have returned from outer space to be mean and make trouble in their 5th somewhat-less-than-hostile takeover of the program. Working From Home 0:04:47 Dale LaCroix IRL Your Nice Hosts also talked about working from home in "The new normal." Small Projects 0:45:46 Adia Alderson Game Design Narrative Play Adia's small stories! Adia spoke at a recent igdatc meetup about her Electron+Ink work - IGDA TC, YouTube Narrascope Escapist Games 0:45:46 Dylan Skerbitz Gaming BLASEBALL Dale and Mark have been playing 8-bit versions of "Jeopardy!" Grounded Early Access Review - Jon Ryan, IGN

In this episode, Mark and Stephen are joined by guest host Adia Alderson for a thoughtful conversation with Glen Henry, an indie developer out of Jamaica. Glen runs Spritewrench Studios and has released multiple creative titles like M@ge (pronounced "Mage") and Grimm and Tonic. The club talks about Glen’s current projects, as well as creative processes, maintaining community during COVID-19, and re-imagining the visual novel. Also, Adia defines a game genre with food-like products, Mark brings up cozy bunkers, and everyone’s a crusty old developer.  Meta GIG - Games Industry Gathering University of West Indies GGJ site Indiedev During the Pandemic Game Design IRL Check out Glen's games on Itch.io and Steam!  We talked about most of these titles during the episode: Grimm and Tonic Questlike Hail SHLD FLNG M@ge Shiny Gauntlet Questlike Pocket (coming soon) Find Glen's art on his ArtStation page (NSFW) and watch him speed paint on his YouTube channel. Additional links and resources Ren.js - "a new videogame engine for making Visual Novels that run directly in the web browser. Based on Ren'Py and powered by PhaserJS, it's easy to use and easy to extend." Winter Wolves Games - Developer of visual novels, dating sims, and RPGs. Narrascope Conference - Conference, Discord chat, game jam, and more. Zach Gage's wise tweet about making small games - Twitter Grimm & Tonic Webcomic - Spritewrench The Kindaichi Case Files (Manga) - Wikipedia Kinetic Novel - TV Tropes Isekai - Wikipedia Glen Henry Guest Glen Henry runs Spritewrench, a one-man powerhouse micro-studio out of Kingston, Jamaica. He specializes in small titles with unique ideas and strong narrative elements. Find him at https://spritewrench.com/ and on Twitter @SpriteWrench. You can get his games on Itch.io and Steam. 

This week, Mark hires quack calendar scientists, Ellen proposes a glossary, and everyone contradicts Stephen... including Stephen. The next "Twin Cities Playtest" is August 19th on Twitch! Parsec Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards - Yu-kai Chou Prototyping 0:13:50 Ellen Burns-Johnson Game Design Tools Mark cited a "Nice Games Jam" episode as a good example of a paper prototype for a digitial game: Blob Ball D.I.C.E. Summit 2002 - Mark Cerny, YouTube BLARP! on Steam - Isaac Cohen Adobe XD Design Pillars 0:49:22 Mark LaCroix Game Design Production

Your nice hosts are joined by nice guest Alanna Linayre, founder of the indie studio Team Toadhouse. Alanna (rhymes with "banana") guides the gaming world towards healthier work practices and personal habits. We asked her a lot of questions about best practices in mental health, and about Team Toadhouse's upcoming game Call Me Cera. Also, Mark has a mission for artists, Ellen names a canary, and Stephen learns about "hustle culture." Mental Health IRL Production Alanna’s guidelines on depicting mental illness in games: Ask yourself why you’re putting mental health issues in your game. Make sure to have correct definitions, and not promote stigmas. Try not to use triggering content for the audience you’re serving. Avoid harmful tropes. Mental Illness: The Bio-Psycho-Social Spheres of Influence - Allan Schwartz, MentalHelp.Net I’m a “Spoonie.” Here’s What I Wish More People Knew About Chronic Illness - Kirsten Schultz, Healthline Stoicism - Wikiwand Radio calisthenics - Wikiwand Daylio mood tracker and micro-diary You can get an hourglass similar to Alanna's Alanna Linayre Guest Alanna (she/her) is very passionate about self care, healthy mental habits, and video games. She's a public speaker on healthy mental habits and discusses her experiences with PTSD, anxiety, and bipolar disorder in an effort to end the stigma surrounding mental illness. Alanna focuses on sustainable practices to avoid crunch and encourages a healthy attitude about mistakes being a necessary and unavoidable part of improving. External link https://twitter.com/Tybawai https://twitter.com/TeamToadhouse https://twitter.com/CallMeCera Alanna's "Cozy Streams" on Twitch Team Toadhouse Discord server All the places Team Toadhouse hangs out online!

Your nice hosts are tired, then get energized. Stephen is thinking about it, Mark brought a few unlikely examples, and Ellen is also thinking about it. Here's a fun new thing: We've recently started a Discord channel for listeners to discuss the show with each other. It's part of the Twin Cities Gamedev Discord server, but you don't need to be a Twin Cities gamedev to partisipate! Get directly to the Nice Games Club discussion channel via https://nicegames.club/discord Burnout 0:06:43 Stephen McGregor IRL Burn-out, an "occupational phenomenon" - World Health Organization Teacher Burnout: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How You Can Prevent End-Of-Yea… - Waterford Toxic management cost an award-winning game studio its best developers - Megan Farokhmanesh, The Verge Asynchronous and Asymmetric Gameplay 0:46:39 Mark LaCroix Game Design Asynchronous Multiplay: Futures for Casual Multiplayer Experience - Ian Bogost, Georgia Institute of Technology Relaxed Hardcore: Why Asynchronous is the Next Big Thing in Core Gaming - Ian Hardingham, GDC Why an Asymmetric Board Game Pissed Off Me and My Friends - Kyle Rogacion, Goomba Stomp Are Asymmetrical Multiplayer Games Becoming a Major Trend? - Micah Shapiro, GameRant

What does it mean to manage a community of players? How do you do it well? Is it just about social media, or is community engagement part of game creation? In this episode, community manager and MageQuit player Christine "Birb" Marten gives your nice hosts a primer on using data, dealing with trolls, and getting input from gamers. Also, Mark sends out an invite, Stephen doesn't like horror games, and Ellen gets the giggles.  Community Development Game Design Marketing Production Games Industry Gathering ArcGIS PaxSouth: MageQuit (Review) - Christine Marten, Gaming Access Weekly Grandia HD Collection Christine mentioned these tools: Sprout Agora Pulse Buffer Hootsuite Mailchimp ...and these community managers: Victoria Tran with KitFox Games Harris Foster with Finji Christine Marten Guest Christine "Birb" Marten is a community & social media manager. She's done community management for BowlCut Studios, GungHo Online Entertainment America, and Lucid Sight. Prior to that, she was a writer for Gaming Access Weekly. Christine has a Masters in Writing, and she streams horror games and MageQuit matches on Twitch. We think she's pretty cool.  Take a look at her stuff! External link Follow Christine on Twitter! Watch Christine play horror games (and MageQuit) on Twitch! Check out her website!

It's another week of brotherly love/war as Stephen's bro Charles McGregor re-enters the clubhouse to talk about his experience designing and building the level editor for his game HyperDot. Charles also joins your nice hosts in a discussion about their favorite level editors, and Ellen reveals the origin of her game design journey! In the middle of the show, Ellen mentioned a kind tweet from Pheonix Simms, who recently reviewed Widget Satchel. Level Editors Game Design Programming Tools UI / UX Hypersonic.Xtreme Custom editor (Track 4) - Rwaaaaar, YouTube Starcraft 2 Map Editor - Getting Started - scfoxcode, YouTube ModNation Racers - Wikipedia Mega Man Powered Up (1D): Creating a Stage [Construction] - Bean1227, YouTube Charles McGregor Guest Charles McGregor is Stephen McGregor's brother. He is co-founder of Tribe Games. He released his first commercial game, HyperDot, in 2020. He is also working on Fingeance with Stephen. Sometimes he does other stuff. External link https://twitter.com/DarkaysTG https://twitter.com/TribeGames HyperDot website

Guest host Charles McGregor starts the episode by getting REVENGE. The group talks a bit about the state of the growing "serious games" industry and what it's like to work alongside family members. Also, Stephen does a good transition, and... no one mentions Star Trek?! In his intro speech, Charles references episode #37: "Ugly and hard to use." The last days of Mixer - Mikhail Klimentov, The Washington Post Twitch Reckons with Sexual Assault as it Begins Permanently Suspending Streamers - Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge Twitch bans popular streamer Dr Disrespect - Michael McWhertor, Polygon Twitch temporarily bans President Trump - Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge Serious Play Conference 2020 0:16:00 Ellen Burns-Johnson Events Serious Play Conference Home Page Serious Play Conference Schedule New Metaari Forecast for Worldwide 2020-2025 Game-Based Learning Market Shows N… - Serious Play Wire Stop & Think: Teaching Players About Media Manipulation in Headliner - GDC, YouTube MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research (PDF) - Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek, Northwestern University MDA Framework  - Wikipedia 5 Reasons Why Game-Based Learning Should Matter to Organizations - Karl Kapp, Allen Interactions Gamification vs Games-Based Learning: What’s the Difference? - Halden Ingwersen, Capterra Blog Working with Family 0:42:09 Stephen McGregor IRL Mark mentioned the Nice Games Jam episode that started Reravel (#157): Reravel: A Backwards Storytelling Game Ellen and Eric took blacksmithing at the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center

No, your nice hosts aren't pitching an adaptation of the 1974 film of the same name, but returning guest host Sarah Seember Huisken counts it as an inspiration for the solo-play tabletop RPG we workshopped in this episode. Immerse yourself a galaxy of corporate factions, fluid allegiances, and space pirates! Scum and Villainy The 5 best solo board games - Rafael Cordero, PC Gamer Prompt Workshop existing solo-play TTRPG concept. Game type Tabletop game Player count 1 -? Materials Player dossier (player character/ship sheet, notes) Dice (how many? which type? we didn't figure that out!) Module booklet (includes blank pages for journaling/recordkeeping) Setup Sarah's draft ship systems sheet: Rules Each adventure module is an "assignment," which consists of a multi-page booklet. Page 1 - Summary: Provides the “goal” for the player as defined by “quest-giver.”   Page 2 - Assignment parameters: Player reward (and possible advance payment) Assignment type (Cargo, Escort, Espionage, Assassination, etc.) Constraints (time budget, stealth requirement, equipment restrictions, etc) Supplies (mission-specific resources such as maps, documentation, etc) Risks and Opportunities: These are facts about the assignment's setting and characters that will impact the player differently depending on their alignment, ship condition, and other stats.   Pages 3+ - Story Acts Generally, each act should fit on one booklet page, providing all the narrative and mechanical information required to play though it. Acts may have alternate versions, each with its own page. Act I: A introduction/setup to the story, giving the player hints they can use to make preparations for the assignment. The player can spend actions in this act to tune their ship / Equip thier character / recruit NPC pals/crew, etc. Story events may include NPC conversations, skill checks, or other light gameplay. This act may be wholly different depending on which "class" the player is aligned with. Act II: A conflict or mechanical gameplay sequence, usually related to ship functions. Examples include ship battles, navigational challenges, serious malfunctions, etc. The outcome of the sequence changes the narrative ending of this act, expanding or limiting the player's options. The outcome of this act will also frequently alter ship stats, player inventory, etc. Act IIIa, Act IIIb (c, d?): The player character must make a choice in the narrative, which determines which scene will end the story. The outcome of Act II may inform or limit this choice. Each scene plays differently, one might be a daring escape, while the other might be a diplomatic resolution.   Final Page - "To Be Continued In...": A list of other modules/assignments for the player to choose from in order to continue their character's story. Options may be limited depending on the version of Act III selected, the player's stats, Act II outcomes, class alignment, or other factors. Example Assignment: “The Asset” Summary: Email from corporation: “Take this large crate from planet Kittytail to planet Puppydog in time for the big corporate gala. Don't be late, and don't look in the crate!"   Parameters Reward: Standard rate, no advance! Assignment type: Cargo Constraints Time limit: Must reach destination without taking too many actions. NDA: can't run with other players or NPCs, can't stop for supplies. Supplies “Papers” needed to pass planetary customs. Fuel stipend (whatever you don’t use, you can keep) Risks: Planet Puppydog is not friendly to scruffy types. Certain player stats might cause issues/delays at customs. Opportunities: Access to future assignments on planet Puppydog (only available to “good dogs”).   Act I: "Pick up the cargo" Learn a bit, experience some glitches, spend/waste some time Some random events, die roll checks   Act II: "Oh no, it's pirates!" Battle type: targeted attack, pirates intend to board your ship, not destroy it Pirates attack random(?) stat, over a certain number of turns (5?). Player can react with actions, depending on stats and prep actions. Actions spend the player's time budget. Can attack, evade, etc. Can call for help, but if your comm stat is low, your general distress call might violate your NDA. On battle failure (some stat threshold): Pirates board your ship Player can choose to hide, reveal, or protect cargo, costing actions. If pirates discover the cargo, they open the box! If they are fended off, player can get curious, and open the box! The cargo: “It’s clearly important…” but you don’t have any idea. It’s some kind of mysterious artifact maybe?   Act III-A: "Deliver the cargo" Did you arrive on time? No? Corp docks your pay Gotta get though customs. Conversation/diplomacy mechanic. Audited for inspection? If you don’t have a lot of time, you can make risky moves to speed things along. Once you get though, you deliver the cargo to secret folks in bio-suits. Oooo, mystery vibes that will pay off in a future module, no doubt! Story ends at the gala! Enjoy a cocktail at the expense of the corp!   Act III-B: "Steal the cargo!" Escape the system with the mysterious cargo! Stealth check! Get caught? It's time for a second battle! Make it out of the system? Story ends with a tease: what is this thing and what do I do with it? Get caught by the corp? Go to corporate jail. Do not pass GO.   Possible "To Be Continued" modules: Check out the Puppydog job board! Investigate the artifact by following your mysterious client to a hidden lab on planet Puppydog. Escape with the artifact and take it to this crackpot scientist you met once. Corporate jail break!

Storyboard artist Sarah Huisken joins the club this week to talk about NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) and the factors that make games as deliciously "replayable" as Mass Effect 2. Also, Stephen sort of gets the final word, Mark does a transition (!), and Ellen is slow to get the joke.  Sarah Huisken's website - Sarah Huisken Sarah's Twitter handle is @BoringHeathen - Sarah Huisken Everything Sony Announced in Today's PS5 Event - Chris Kohler , Kotaku Ways you can help support efforts for racial justice in the U.S. Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality raised $8.1 million! NDAs 0:19:20 Mark LaCroix Marketing A Conspiracy of Silence: How NDAs Are Harming The Games Industry - Rick Lane, Kotaku Replayability 0:47:15 Ellen Burns-Johnson Game Design What Makes a Game Replayable? - Design Doc, YouTube

Two architects of wildly different philosophies share an office space and compete to influence the design of their client's latest project. It's an excellent sitcom premise, but it's also the subject of our latest Nice Games Jam! Photo Credit: Ian Samkov on Pexels News Itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality ends with a stunning $8.1m raise… - Wesley Yin-Poole, Eurogamer For a major Star Trek fan like Mark, this episode is a rather special, if unusual, milestone. When Star Trek: The Next Generation's episode count surpassed the original Star Trek in its 80th episode, it paid homage by including a subtle reference to the 79th (and final) episode of that series. As Star Trek: The Next Generation itself ran for 178 episodes, it felt fitting to make reference to that bit of TV trivia in this episode, our 179th. MURAL - Online Collaboration List of architectural styles - Wikipedia Black Lives Matter Black Game Developers directory The #drawingwhileblack directory - Abelle Hayford Justice for Breonna Taylor - gofundme Prompt "Make a 2D fighter with no combat." Game type Design document Player count 2 Rules

In this extra big, beefy, and somewhat late episode, your nice hosts talk about recent events and share some personal thoughts on anti-black racism, police violence, and white privilege. Also, Mark is a smart animator, Stephen makes us feel the space and the place, and Ellen doesn’t want to live on the planet Zebes. Special: George Floyd, police violence, protests Official George Floyd Memorial Fund We Love Lake Street Black Visions Collective Black Table Arts Reclaim the Block Since we recorded this episode, Itch launched a massive bundle of over 1500 titles (including Widget Satchel and other Minneapolis-made games), whose proceeds will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund. Meta Widget Satchel is out in Japan! Well, technically it's Widget Satchel ~Ferret's Treasure~. Keep an eye on igdatc for upcoming virtual playtesting sessions using Parsec. Animation 0:27:00 Mark LaCroix Art Programming Realtime Procedurally Animated Spiders - YouTube Research: How Virtual Reality Can Help Train Surgeons - Gideon Blumstein, Harvard Business Review The Animator's Survival Kit (Expanded Edition) - Richard E. Williams Establishing a Sense of Place 1:02:00 Stephen McGregor Game Design Narrative Does Russia have McDonald’s? Yes, McD's has been there for 30 years. What Spider-Man PS4 gets right (and wrong) about New York City - Simone de Rochefort, Polygon

This week on the program, Ellen sings along, Mark sings praise, and Stephen sings the gospel of Stephenism. DONATE! Official George Floyd Memorial Fund We Love Lake Street Black Visions Collective Black Table Arts Reclaim the Block Meta notes: PlayDate Why the quirky Playdate portable could succeed where Ouya failed - Kyle Orland, Ars Technica "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" To Be More Optimistic And Episodic, Says Co-Cre… - TrekMovie Leadership 0:24:37 Ellen Burns-Johnson IRL Production Gaming can make a better world - Jane McGonigal, TED Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown review - James Smart, The Guardian Sakurai Battled Through Health Issues With An IV Drip During Smash Ultimate Dev… - Ryan Craddock, Nintendo Life Former Nintendo chief Reggie Fils-Aimé joins new podcast to raise funds for hom… - Gene Park, The Washington Post Godot Engine was awarded an Epic MegaGrant - Juan Linietsky, Godot Train Jam perfectly captures the magic of both traveling and game dev  - Katherine Cross, Game Developer Pricing 0:59:56 Stephen McGregor Gaming Marketing Massively Overthinking: Are modern games too cheap? - Bree Royce, Massively Overpowered Here's the reason most new console video games cost $60 - Michelle Yan and Ben Gilbert, Business Insider Developers Cash In By Selling Their Switch Games For Pennies - Stephen J. Bronner, Kotaku