Arcade classics were all about high scores and personal bests - but can scores still be relevant when mixed with more modern game design? Let’s find out!
2018-06-08 19:30:22 +0000 UTC View PostHey! In my last video, on melee combat, I briefly touched on scoring systems. I decided to go a bit deeper into that subject, and look at how scores can be used in modern game design, for all sorts of interesting advantages.
Cheers! Things are getting back to normal so hoping to get two videos out...
2018-06-07 14:32:53 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everyone! Here's your Playlist for May, with three interesting games you might have missed this month.
2018-05-30 14:37:47 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone! Hope you’ve had a fab May. Before the month closes out, I’m here with a bunch of articles and videos I think you might enjoy.
As always, never hesitate to send me cool content over Twitter or email or wherever. I can’t find everything myself!
Top pick 2018-05-29 10:06:26 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everybody!
So this month, I spent a fair amount of time on an episode that I just… threw away. Basically. I did the research, wrote the script, and was about to record it when I decided that it wasn’t right for the channel and so I tossed it.
The episode was about this concept of a...
2018-05-26 17:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Following on from my videos on "what makes a good..." detective game, puzzle, and AI, is a ne...
2018-05-25 07:39:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello team!
So, I went to the London College of Communications today to do a talk for some game design students. The talk was about the way I analyse games, and how I think about existing games from a critical perspective.
I'm going to paste my "script" (I adlib a lot, but this is the jist o...
2018-05-10 18:33:45 +0000 UTC View PostIt's a lovely day, I'm almost done preparing a talk I'm going to give in London tomorrow, and I thought I'd take a moment to show you how the GMTK office is coming along in my new place.
So this is the ma...
2018-05-09 08:56:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone! First things first, thank you for your lovely comments on the newsletter earlier this week. You’re all so supportive and brilliant!
Now - let's finish off April with a big bunch of things to watch and read, eh?
Behind the Scenes
[Read] ...
2018-04-27 19:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
A bit of a different video for April. Instead of reviewing 3 or 4 games, I'm looking at how two recently released games - The Swords of Ditto and Minit - tackled the same basic idea in very different ways.
Normal service shall resume in May!
2018-04-26 11:02:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everybody!
I’m going to start this newsletter with more of a personal update. And then we’ll get to the video stuff.
So, Game Maker’s Toolkit is one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’m so immensely proud of what I’ve achieved, and have enjoyed almost every minute working...
2018-04-25 16:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
Long time no see. My life continues to be a bit crazy (now in my new house, awesome girl I was dating is now my girlfriend, etc). But I've been working on this in every spare minute I've had.
It takes the analytical concepts of my Zelda dungeon work, and applies it to the world of Dar...
2018-04-24 13:26:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! Here's your new episode, on different ways games can keep your attention and engagement until the credits roll.
Next up is either the co-op video or the return of Boss Keys.
Sorry about the delay on this one. I've ma...
2018-04-06 17:53:43 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! Here's your new episode, on different ways games can keep your attention and engagement until the credits roll.
Next up is either the co-op video or the return of Boss Keys.
Sorry about the delay on this one. I've ma...
2018-04-05 13:49:37 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone. Hope everything’s going well.
Looks like March will be a one episode month. Sorry about that - next video is underway but taking a bit longer than I wanted for lots of boring personal reasons. Luckily, the episode I did this month was a big one:
What makes a goo...
2018-03-28 09:46:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everybody! Hope you're having a wonderful March. Here's a whole bunch of articles to read and videos to watch.
In the trenches
[Read] How One Man Made the Indie Vide...
2018-03-22 10:28:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Puzzles can be one of the most complex things in game design. In this video, I break down some great conundrums from favourite games, and share some knowledge from sharp puzzle designers, to find out what makes a good puzzle.
Also - I hit 400,000 subscribers!
2018-03-14 16:43:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! Long time no see. I've been working hard on this video, which is all about puzzle design.
You know, this is a subject that doesn't have a lot of specific info out there. A lot of the stuff I found about puzzles was pretty vague, or unhelpful. (Though there were some good resources, too, whi...
2018-03-13 13:07:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! I’m Mark, and this is what I’ve been doing in February.
I had been thinking about this video for quite some time. I’ve spoken about systemic...
2018-02-28 09:23:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Developer intention can often come at the expense of accessibility and player preference. In this video, I look at some recent games that have found a middle ground.
2018-02-21 21:26:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Second video for February, is a look at assist modes, safe modes, cheat options, and communication. It's a semi follow up to my Dark Souls video, where I work through some thoughts on designer intent and player preference.
Lemme know what you think!
Mark
2018-02-20 20:08:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! Welcome to your Reading List for February 2018.
This is a collection of links to stuff I enjoyed in the past few weeks. Sometimes it’s a video. Sometimes it’s an article! Whatever the case, it’s always interesting.
Lemme know if you hate this new format. I just didn’t fe...
2018-02-17 15:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everybody. Here's your new episode of the show.
With games like Breath of the Wild, MGS V, and Watch Dogs 2, we're seeing a real boom in the idea of a "systemic game". In this video I want to explain what that is and talk about some of the pros and (potential) cons of this sort of desi...
2018-02-14 16:53:09 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
So, I was revisiting Red Dead Redemption and something struck me. The game felt kinda dead compared to more recent open world games I've been playing.
And I realised that maybe it's something to do with the fact that a lot of modern open world games have been investing ...
2018-02-13 16:49:42 +0000 UTC View PostHello!
Something you may not know about me is that I am a big fan of film. If I’m not playing a video game, chances are I’m watching a movie.
I recently totted up my Letterboxd profile and realised ...
2018-02-07 22:45:37 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! It's only January but there are already some great indie games worth checking out. So take a gander at this month's playlist and see if anything takes your fancy!
Mark
2018-01-31 15:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everybody! Welcome to the first insider article for 2018. I kicked the year off right with lots of happenings, so let’s get right to it.
Videos
I released three videos...
2018-01-30 22:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
Decided to make a short-and-sweet third video for January.
This one's about how Rayman explores a mechanic throughout an entire world - instead of throwing it away at the end of a level like Mario and Donkey Kong. Wanted to offer a different perspective on platformer level desig...
2018-01-29 17:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
