Hey everyone
I always want to make the Patreon as excellent as possible for all of you who so generously support me to make my videos (and games!).
I've put together a big survey over on Google Forms, here, where you can answer questions a...
2021-12-03 16:27:53 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! It's time for the penultimate Playlist video for 2021. Next month, it's Game of the Year time. As ever, you can watch this as a video by clicking above, or read it as an article by scrolling down. Whatever you prefer.
Before Your Eyes
Hoo boy. Okay, Before Your Eyes is a beautiful, heartfelt story game. It's about a soul who is about to meet the gatekeeper to the a...
2021-11-27 10:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
The nights are getting in and the temperature’s dropping - it’s time to stay inside with a cup of cocoa and a list of great articles and videos. Unless you’re Australian, in which case you’re probably chucking snags on the barbie or something. Absolute bizarro world. Makes no sense.
Anyway! Reading list!
The Design of Games
Hey! This time on Developing, I try to turn my prototype into an actual game - but get hung up on indecision. How will I solve this problem?
Hope you dig it!
Just wanted to thank you for the feedback on the last Patreon post - your thoughts on why some of you don't watch OTL were valuable and will help me as I shape the future of that series.
Mark
2021-11-20 18:51:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey folks!
So I just finished up my new instalment of Developing. This time, I try to turn my prototype into a proper game... only to get completely stumped by genres. Puzzle... or platformer? You can watch an early version here.
Hope you dig it! Speak soon
Mark
2021-11-19 12:50:49 +0000 UTC View PostHello everybody. Hope you’re doing well.
So it’s been four months since I dropped this update video on y’all. In it, I talked about feeling burned out by GMTK, and my plans to fix that. Namely: continuing my interview series On the Level, documenting the process of making a game, and creating a podcast series for Design Icons.
So, I wanted to check in, let you know what’s been happening, and tell you what...
2021-11-16 08:24:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone, welcome back to the playlist. Here’s three short reviews of games I’ve been checking out lately. You can watch it as a video, above. Or read it as an article, below.
Metroid Dread
Metroid Dread is, of course, the latest game in the Metroid franchise. This one is a side-scrolling 2D platformer, akin to games like Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. And it...
2021-10-31 12:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone! Here’s a chunky reading list, filled with fascinating things to watch and read. Have a fabulous weekend.
The Design of Games
[Read] Can Games Stop Using Insane As A Difficulty Description Already? - “If you take a look through the difficulty options in many games there’s a good chance you’ll see it somewhere...
2021-10-30 11:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
My new video is available now - it’s the new episode of Boss Keys, and a breakdown of Metroid Dread’s world design. Specifically, focusing on the tricks and techniques that the game uses to guide you through planet ZDR.
Go watch it, and then come back to this post when you're done.
I'll wait.
Okay, thanks for checking it out. Hope you enjoyed it. Now, you may be disappointed to see that the...
2021-10-28 18:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
My new video is out now for $5 Patrons. It's a Boss Keys breakdown of the latest Metroid game, Metroid Dread. You can watch it here.
While the video doesn't contain any major spoilers for Dread, these Boss Keys videos are still intended to be watched after you finish the game. So if you haven't picked up the game yet... hold off on this one!
Also, if you were anxiously awaiting the all importan...
2021-10-27 15:27:26 +0000 UTC View PostHi!
There seems to be something iffy going on with Patreon at the moment - I've heard reports that emails are ending up in spam. And the most recent post doesn't seem to have been emailed at all.
Will this post reach your inbox? I don't know!
Either way, you may have missed that Episode 2 of Developing is now available to you, early, right here - https://www.patreon.com/posts/57404034
I've r...
2021-10-15 10:29:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! I'm back with part two of my game development series, Developing. This time, I want to turn my game idea into reality - but where do I start? And what can I learn from past failures to make games?
Hope you dig it - out for everyone tomorrow.
Mark
2021-10-14 17:45:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey, welcome back to the playlist. Here’s three short reviews of games I’ve been checking out lately! Starting with…
Myst
Okay, so I had somehow never played Myst before. I myst it. Despite being obsessed with adventure games in the mid 90s - I never made the leap from Monkey Island to the island of Myst.
So, if you don’t know - Myst was a mysteriou...
2021-09-30 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everyone! So, as I took August off work, you didn’t get a reading list. And I feel bad about that! So, to make up for it, here’s an absolutely bumper list of interesting stuff from both August and September 2021. Over 50 links in total!
The Design of Games
[Read] Insert Coin to Continue - “After all those years, is ‘Game Over’ still...
2021-09-29 07:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
A couple weeks ago, I announced a new avenue for this channel - a series in which I document my journey into the world of game development. Well, I'm excited to unveil the first episode.
This one's all about how I picked my game engine and learned how to use it. I hope you enjoy it! It will be out for the rest of the world in a few hours.
I also wanted to say: this is exactly what I was looking for. ...
2021-09-28 16:30:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
A couple weeks ago, I announced a new avenue for this channel - a series in which I document my journey into the world of game development. Well, I'm excited to unveil the first episode.
This one's all about how I picked my game engine and learned how to use it. I hope you enjoy it!
I might make a few tweaks before tomorrow, so let me know if you have any feedback I can incorporate.
I als...
2021-09-27 14:59:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
So before I dive head first into Developing full time, I wanted to do another episode of On the Level (my series where I interview a level designer while playing their stage).
This time, it's the absurdly creative co-op romp It Takes Two - which means I got to literally play alongside Hazelight designer Oliver Granlund. We played through Chapter 2, The Tree, and chatted prototyping mechanics, balancing story and gameplay, the team sportiness of game dev, a...
2021-09-23 15:43:34 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
For my new episode of On the Level, I chatted with Oliver Granlund of Hazelight - a designer on the absurdly creative It Takes Two. We chatted prototyping mechanics, balancing story and gameplay, the team sportiness of game dev, and loads more.
The video spoils the events of Chapter 2, The Tree. But other than that, it's pretty spoiler free.
Okay - this will be out for the world tomorrow (along with the full interview for all Patrons). And then it's on to episode one ...
2021-09-22 10:13:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! I'm back after a nice big break. I got married, had a holiday, and played some video games. As promised, Patrons weren't charged for August - part of my guarantee that you'll only pay me when I release content.
I also started production on my new GMTK series: Developing*. And this evening I'm releasing a quick update video to announce it to the world. You can check it out now.
Basically, it's a serie...
2021-09-16 14:36:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
Chris Bratt, who does the excellent People Make Games channel, has a spin-off podcast where he talks to people in the press. And I was very flattered to be his third guest - talking about making videos, what's next for GMTK, and the feelings surrounding reaching a million subs.
You can listen on 2021-08-04 14:02:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone! It’s time for your playlist video for the month of July. Here’s what I’ve been playing recently. You can watch it as a video above, or read it as an article below.
Wildermyth
As someone who is fascinated by the potential for procedurally-generated storytelling in games - Wildermyth ha...
2021-07-28 19:47:42 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everyone! On this month’s reading list we’ve got remakes, level design, speedrunning, TikTok, and Iguanodons. Hope you dig it!
The Design of Games
[Watch | CC | 50 mins] The Making of Spiritfarer - The Escapist talks to Thunder Lotus about its “cozy management game about dying”. Covers art, narrative, design, and more.
[Watch | 13 mins] 2021-07-27 08:44:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
So, I just released the second episode of my interview series On the Level - the show where I play awesome video game levels, alongside the designers who made them. And because this one was such a mammoth undertaking, I wanted to share some behind the scenes info on how it came together.
After the launch of the Ori episode, I started talking to a few developers about future videos. An ...
2021-07-20 12:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everyone!
I'm coming to you from a very hot summer evening in the UK to share some thoughts on GMTK, and some plans for the future.
I outline them in the video above - which, I should warn you, is... not great. My lav mic is popping constantly so the audio is bad. I keep going out of focus. You can see my fiance's dress hanging up behind me. A light stops working halfway though.
You'll understand why the video is so bad when you watch it! I would re-record it but...
2021-07-19 20:21:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
As promised, Patrons get to watch the full interview with Arkane's Dana Nightingale and David Di Giacomo. Part one, where we play through the level together, can be found here. And part two, where we look at behind the scenes content, can be found here.
Just as a heads up: this is not like a normal episode of GMTK! It's long, only l...
2021-07-17 07:23:34 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
My new video is a new episode of On the Level - the series where I play awesome video game levels alongside the designers who made them. This time, I’m sitting down with two designers from Arkane to talk about (one of) Dishonored 2’s most famous levels: the Clockwork Mansion.
We chat about the level’s inception, get to see behind the scenes shots of prototypes and early animations, and hear about how the designers had to work around limitations and budget constraint...
Hi everyone!
I'm excited to share with you an early look at the next episode of On the Level. It goes out to the world tomorrow, but you get to watch it right now.
If you forgot, On the Level is a series where I play excellent video game levels alongside the designers who made them. This time I'm exploring the Clockwork Mansion from Dishonored 2, alongside the level's designer and artist.
It was a mam...
2021-07-15 08:50:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! This month I played, roughly, 260 games. It was, of course, another Game Jam month which meant my life was pretty much consumed by the event for three weeks straight.
But! I managed to sneak in some new indie games here and there. So without further ado, here's some mini reviews of three games I ended up checking out this month. Watch it as a video above, or read it as a blog below - up to you.
Silicon Dreams
2021-06-29 11:00:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hello everyone! Hope the world is treating you right. Here's a handful of articles and and videos to check out this weekend.
Design Notes
[Watch | CC | 24 mins] Loop Hero Developers Reveal the Design Origins of their Breakthrough Hit - Noclip talks to the designers of this new indie darling.
Hello everyone!
So, this month I hosted the fifth annual GMTK Game Jam (an event where people try to make a game in just 48 hours). And I wanted to share some thoughts, some lessons, and some interesting stats with you all.
Last year's jam was, quite frankly, enormous. 2020 received way more entrants and submissions than 2019 - more than double, in fact. It was a special year, though, with almost every ...
2021-06-23 08:19:07 +0000 UTC View Post