You get to see the new video so early, it doesn't even have a title yet!
Playing Darkest Dungeon got me thinking about the way indie games are talking about morality in far more interesting ways than red/blue meters, karma systems, and those cheeky choice sequences.
Games like Undertale; Papers, Please; and This War of Mine explore morality in their mechanics, in the rewards they give for different types of behaviour, and in their storytelling.
Thanks for your pat...
2016-02-22 09:12:22 +0000 UTC
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Just a quick warning that I have suddenly come down with the bubonic plague or something and I am seriously out of action for the time being - which is gonna delay an already delayed video!
I'll do my best to get everything out in February but obviously I don't want to rush a second episode just because of an arbitrary schedule. I'm certain you care more more quality than quantity.
And hey - this is exactly why I went per video on Patreon! If I only do one video, you only p...
2016-02-12 18:49:14 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone. Let's have a quick chat about morality in games.
I think we can all agree that that traditional karma system - "do you want to save an orphan from a fire or kick a puppy in the face?" - is a bit lacking. It's binary, reductive, and your choices often take place in isolated sequences, away from the main mechanics.
In my next video I want to talk about some recent(ish) indie games that explore the topic of morality in a far more nuanced way - and embed their "moral c...
2016-02-08 21:53:41 +0000 UTC
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Hello! A quick note to let you know that January's Patreon rewards - the newsletter ($1+), and the second episode of Game Maker's Playlist ($3+) - are now available.
If you're backing at one of those levels and don't see them on your feed, please check your reward settings for my page. If you were backing before I added the rewards you won't be automatically granted them and must opt in.
As always - thank you so much for your support. I'm super excited to get to work on February'...
2016-01-31 16:40:52 +0000 UTC
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Hello! Here's your bonus video for January, featuring games like Darkest Dungeon and Tharsis. Let me know what you think - these videos are made specifically for you guys, so any and all feedback is welcome!
2016-01-31 16:38:03 +0000 UTC
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You guys. You guys! I've been absolutely overwhelmed by your generosity this month - and it couldn't have come at a better time. My Mac died mid-way through January and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make good on my obligations - but here I am, with a working computer and two GMT videos finished and online. Phew!
Post Script
Let's kick things off with a look back at this month's episodes
2016-01-31 16:30:43 +0000 UTC
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Man, Doom really holds up. 23-or-so years later, and this archetypal FPS is still super fun. I wonder why that is?
2016-01-26 16:50:41 +0000 UTC
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Hello super special super supporters!
At one point I didn't think I'd get this out for January - my computer died, for one thing, which was A BIT of a set back - but here I am, with one of my favourite episodes yet.
In this video we take a look at why Doom is awesome - and also why the game still holds lessons for designers 20 years on. And we get to dig into juicy terms like "orthogonal unit differentiation" and "possibility space" through the lens of a shooter practically...
2016-01-25 08:14:05 +0000 UTC
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Thank you for helping me reach 256 Patreons!
2016-01-14 15:34:07 +0000 UTC
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I've been thinking a lot about the way Fallout has changed (as apposed to war. War never changes, after all).
So for the first GMT of 2016 I decided to break down a New Vegas side quest to see how one mission offered so many choices and opportunities for role play.
Let me know what you think - was fun doing something a little different for the channel, and would like to do more "anatomy of a..." type videos if this one is well received!
2016-01-12 17:05:23 +0000 UTC
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Hello super special Gold Tier donors! (Or platinum. Or red. Whatever you want!). Here's your exclusive sneak peek at tomorrow's video.
It's a bit different from my usual stuff. I'm breaking down one side quest from Fallout: New Vegas to show how the game offered multiple choices and, crucially, different opportunities to role-play different character builds.
I had fun making it, so if it does well I'm sure I'll do more "Anatomy of..." type videos down the road (Anatomy of a... ze...
2016-01-11 10:59:02 +0000 UTC
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Hello! Welcome to your Patreon newsletter for December. As always, thanks so much for your support this month!
Post Script
Let's start by talking about this month's episodes.
5 Bits of Good Game Design from 2015
One piece of design that didn't make the cut for this episode was Axiom Verge's randomised secrets. The location of the hidden areas in this game - the weird,...
2015-12-29 09:57:07 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys, Mark here.
I hope you had an awesome Christmas, if you celebrate it. I certainly did! And I'm also enjoying my break from Game Maker's Toolkit.
(Well, I say break. I was just capturing footage for the next episode earlier this week. Whoops!)
So... lots of amazing stuff happened this year. But for me the highlight was of course Game Maker's Toolkit, and Patreon.
Since March you guys have been supporting the show, financing it, and literally making it...
2015-12-29 09:56:22 +0000 UTC
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Hope you're having a great day
2015-12-25 17:28:12 +0000 UTC
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As promised, my final Game Maker's Toolkit of 2015 dives deep into the development and design of my favourite game of the year: Sam Barlow's incredibly inventive police procedural Her Story.
The video contains spoilers for the entirety of Her Story. They start at 2:22 (and this section is clearly marked)
2015-12-22 17:33:36 +0000 UTC
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New episode! Enjoy!
2015-12-14 17:22:03 +0000 UTC
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Hey guys. December is all about looking back. So the two episodes this month will be about rad stuff that happened in 2015.
We'll kick off today with a look at 5 good bits of game design from games released this year. It's like 5 mini episodes of GMT in one! I'll put it out at about 5PM GMT.
And then, towards the end of the month, I'm going to be doing a deep dive into my favourite game of the year. This has been fun to do, but it's also one of the most complicated edits I've eve...
2015-12-14 08:56:33 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone. Hope you enjoy this update for December.
I didn't play much of note in November so I decided to, instead, reveal my game of the year picks!
Lemme know what you think, below.
(Sorry about the audio bug at the beginning. iMovie for iPad is a bit broken).
2015-12-06 08:23:26 +0000 UTC
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Hey. Just wanted to be completely upfront about this. I've turned on "display ads" on YouTube, as an experiment.
These are the ones that show up in the list of related videos on the right sidebar. So, nothing popping over the video. Nothing at the start of the video. No sponsored cards. None of that horrible stuff.
I just wanted to see if they make any cash, without messing up the videos themselves. If you notice any funny business (YT's monetisation stuff is a little trick...
2015-11-30 20:49:35 +0000 UTC
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A wild episode appears!
Feel free to take an early look while I do the description, thumbnail, and captions!
Thank you so much for your support this month. It's getting to the point where I can make some... interesting decisions with my career. Which is awesome. I would LOVE to spend even more time making videos and chatting with you guys.
2015-11-30 16:54:39 +0000 UTC
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I'm still dedicated to doing 2 episodes a month. Cutting it a little fine with November's but it'll be ready for the last day of the month on Monday!
For December, I'll be looking back. One episode will be a deep design dive into my favourite game of the year (No spoilers!)
The other will be about all the little smart bits of game design and the clever innovations that have appeared in 2015. From talking to monsters in Undertale to fighting to regain health in Bloodborne.
...
2015-11-27 21:05:55 +0000 UTC
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Whenever I'm researching and capturing footage for a video, I inevitably end up with a big pile of boxes on my desk. Here's what I'm wrestling with at the moment.
(Yes I know Underworld and Anniversay are in the Tomb Raider Trilogy, but I only got it for Legend :P)
2015-11-23 10:44:49 +0000 UTC
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A quick behind the scenes look at GMT. I had planned to make a video about treasure maps as my second or third episode. I really love these, and wanted to talk about them.
I wrote the script, grabbed the footage, and recorded some vocals. But man, it was just so short and light. It needed more meat. I shelved it, and didn't come back to it for ages...
Until I played the witcher and fallout and started thinking about hand holding in open world games and all that stuff, and decided...
2015-11-17 19:21:39 +0000 UTC
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Well, Patreon supporters saw this one coming!
How do you move through an open world? Well, just follow the little dotted line on your mini map of course!
But maybe that's not always the best idea. Let's look at some alternatives...
2015-11-17 17:21:19 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone! You were so helpful with my question about Tomb Raider footage (I'm going with the PS1 version), that I thought I'd put the call out there for help and suggestions with a couple upcoming videos.
The first is about open world games, and how they're a little overzealous with the helpful hints, map markers, compasses, and GPS lines during quests. Instead of really engaging and exploring a world, you just... follow the bread crumbs.
I'll be looking at some ways that gam...
2015-11-12 08:08:25 +0000 UTC
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Woah! 25,000 subscribers on YouTube. I'm very pleased with that. Thanks for helping me get there :D
New video is in the works
2015-11-05 16:08:11 +0000 UTC
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I can't decide which Tomb Raider to use for Game Maker's Toolkit, and would love your thoughts on the subject.
Do I pick the nostalgic but low-res PS1 version? The high-res PC edition? Or the widescreen iOS edition?
I always go back and forth between making a game look as good as possible, and making it look as authentic as possible (in this case, most people will identify Tomb Raider 1 with PS1 era visuals).
Also - iOS isn't ideal as you can only get Tomb Raider 1 ...
2015-11-01 09:42:56 +0000 UTC
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Hello peoples! Here's your vlog update for the month - shot and edited on an iPad, in a hotel room in Paris. Because why not?
If you don't make it through to the end of the video, the main takeaway is this: the most recent video was a real struggle. It required a huge amount of research, clip gathering, and intense editing. It was just tough.
But it was you guys that kept me going. Knowing that I had all you guys supporting me helped me push on through and get it finished. ...
2015-10-29 06:00:13 +0000 UTC
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We finish off October, with a look at Why Nathan Drake Doesn't Need a Compass (because "structural composition in level design to aid player navigation" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue).
Thank you so much for your support this month!
You'll get a vlog soon, some behind the scenes content, and whatever other cool stuff I can think of. As always, let me know if you have any questions, or suggestions for Patreon stuff!
2015-10-26 16:52:43 +0000 UTC
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Though, I'll probably give to you guys and gals a little early ;)
2015-10-26 10:15:14 +0000 UTC
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