2D Animation for Games - A Primer
Explore essential 2D character animation skills for game development, covering principles, techniques, and industry insights to enhance your animation prowess and create engaging game visuals.
One More Run - The Making of 'Spelunky 2'
Derek Yu shares insights on creating Spelunky 2, exploring game design challenges, development processes, and the evolution of roguelike games while reflecting on sequel-making in the indie game industry.
Lessons from Duolingo - How to Make Learning Hard Things Easy
Discover strategies for making complex learning engaging and accessible, drawing insights from Duolingo's approach to balancing educational challenges with user retention.
What Cats Can Teach You About Empathic Game Design
Explore how designing games for cats can enhance empathic game design for humans, offering unique insights into user engagement and interaction principles.
Age of Empires II - Definitive Edition - How Forgotten Empire Revived a Classic
Explore the revival of a classic RTS with lead developer Bert Beeckman, discussing updates, new content, and the challenges of modernizing a beloved game while preserving its essence.
The Gamer's Brain - UX of Onboarding and Player Engagement
Explore UX strategies for effective game onboarding and player engagement, focusing on discovery, active learning, and immersion to enhance the gaming experience.
Solving an Invisible Problem - Designing for Color-Blindness in Games
Explore best practices for making games accessible to color-blind players, covering types, impacts, and practical solutions for UI, palette design, and information conveyance.
Kingdoms and Castles Postmortem
Discover how Lion Shield LLC tested audience interest for their hit city-builder Kingdoms and Castles, exploring market fit, art style, player fantasy, and strategic decision-making without crunch.
Designing Two Tasty Cores Three Times Over - The Case of Brawl Stars
Explore Brawl Stars' evolution through control schemes and progression systems, offering insights into game design decisions and community impact in mobile game development.
Dead Cells - What the F*n!
Explore how Dead Cells' innovative design choices made it a challenging yet accessible game, balancing hardcore elements with player-friendly features to reduce frustration.
Making Games That Stand Out and Survive
Discover strategies to make your game stand out and thrive in a competitive market, with insights from Monomi Park founder Nick Popovich on game development and marketing.
Honoring the Blade - Lethality and Combat Balance in Ghost of Tsushima
Explore the design challenges of balancing lethality and combat in 'Ghost of Tsushima'. Learn how Sucker Punch Productions crafted an engaging samurai fantasy while maintaining gameplay integrity.
Red Pill Blue Pill - Narrative AI for Deep Emotions
Explore AI's potential in narrative design beyond traditional methods, unpacking stage mechanics from popular media to create deeper emotional experiences and conflicts.
Swiping on the Six Strings - Crafting an Interactive Guitar in The Last of Us - Part II
Explore the design process behind the interactive guitar mechanic in The Last of Us: Part II, from initial concept to final implementation, including challenges and lessons learned.
Tackling Audience Experiences in Games
Explore UI and game mechanics design for live and streamed gaming experiences, focusing on spectator engagement, community building, and strategies for viewer retention.
Environmental Narrative - Telling Stories in Spaces Without Saying Anything Aloud
Explore immersive game design techniques for creating engaging environments and narratives without dialogue, focusing on physical storytelling, worldbuilding, and player experience.
The Schema is Still Mightier than the Sword - How Cognition Predicts Player Spatial Coding Systems
Explore how players navigate game environments through spatial mapping schemas, mental rotation, and feature detection, impacting game design and player experience.
Can You Make a Good Game Without Good Play Mechanics?
Explore game design beyond mechanics with Square Enix's Prasertvithyakarn, using Final Fantasy XV as a case study to illustrate the importance of a broader vision in creating engaging experiences.
AMA - Brian Horton on Insomniac Games' Marvel's Spider-Man - Miles Morales
Insomniac Games' creative director discusses Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales development, covering character differences, diversity, technical aspects, and balancing gameplay with cinematic experiences.
The Lighting Technology of Detroit - Become Human
Explore Quantic Dream's transition to photometric lighting in Detroit: Become Human, covering PBR, material calibration, volumetric lighting, and irradiance techniques for enhanced realism.
Designing for Multiple Minds - Crafting the Craft of Player Dynamics
Explore player dynamics design, focusing on enhancing interactions and motivations in games. Learn strategies for cohesion, cognitive biases, and creating positive player experiences.