GameMakersToolkit

Playlist (March 2020)

Hey everybody. Time for this month's Playlist - that's three mini reviews of games I've been playing recently. You can watch it as a video, above, or read it as an article, below. Up to you! 

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

2020-03-31 13:26:06 +0000 UTC View Post

School of Stealth, Episode 1

Hello! 

After finishing my Gloo gun video, I decided I wanted to finally make a GMTK episode about stealth games.

So I wrote a script called "What Makes a Good Stealth Game", recorded it, and then... threw it all away. 

I realised that there was no way I could sum up an entire genre - one that enca...

Reading List (March 2020)

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing okay during this scary Coronavirus pandemic. 

I wanted to get the reading list out to you a bit earlier this month, as I’m sure many of you will be stuck inside, either self-isolating or social distancing. I know I am: I have a heart condition, which means it’s probably ...

Hey, you! What makes a good stealth game?

So, the next video I'm going to be working on is something I've been meaning to do for ages: "what makes a good stealth game?". What's so awesome about zipping across the rooftops in Dishonored, shooting out candles in Thief, storming bases in MGS V, and peeking under doors in Chaos Theory?

I've got plenty of ideas, but...

Out now - The Genius of Prey's Gloo Cannon

Hello!

So I've been doing lots of really big, in-depth videos lately. Time for something a bit lighter: a quick-fire ode to Prey's amazing immersive sim weapon: the Gloo cannon. Lemme know what you think! Available to the world tomorrow!

Two months into 2020 - a few GMTK updates

Hey all! So we’re two months through 2020, and I thought it was time to check in and let you know what’s been happening.

The channel

So the first video of 2020, The Two Types of Random, was a tremendous success...

Playlist (February 2020)

Hello! Time for your new Playlist video, with three reviews of games I've played recently. This month we've got simulated pixels, magic signage, and fancy foxes.

Noita

So, Noita is an interesting game. It...

How Level Design Can Tell a Story?

Hello everyone! New video - finally! Been a crazy month but glad to get this one out. That's three 20-ish minute videos in 2020, so gonna try something a bit shorter next time I think! 

Cheers, 

Mark

24 hour exclusive - How Level Design Can Tell a Story

Hello! Gosh this took far longer than I wanted it to. But glad to finally have it out. This one is about how to tell stories in level design, but going beyond just skeletons and messages written in blood! Hope you like it, and any feedback or errors you notice before its full launch tomorrow would be wonderful

Working o...

Reading List (February 2020)

Hello! Sorry for the radio silence for much of this month. It’s been a busy one.

I took a brief Valentine’s holiday, spent a couple days at a studio to consult on an upcoming game I can’t name, and hopped the train to London to be a judge for a prestigious award that I, uh, also can’t name! 

That was ...

Making Shovel Knight's Signature Moves | Game Maker's Toolkit

Hello!

So my second episode of 2020 is about the four characters in Shovel Knight. And it's available now, on YouTube. 

I had been wanting to make an episode about Shovel Knight's design for a while, but had been waiting for the arrival of t...

Early Video and Thumbnail Poll - Making Shovel Knight's Signature Moves

Hello!

So, the new video is about the four heroes of the finally-finished Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. Specifically: their signature moves, and how developer Yacht Club Games designed them. From Shovel Knight's downward thrust to King Knight's bash-and-spin combo. 

2020-01-31 14:24:56 +0000 UTC View Post

February's Game Club - Free 2 Multiplay

Hey everyone. So if you haven't already seen, the GMTK GameClub has come back from the dead over on the Discord channel. It's now being run by our lovely mods - Slam, Adam, and Sandra - and is all about playing a bunch of games around a common theme and then chatting about them.

For February, we're going to "explore suc...

Reading List (January 2020)

Hi everyone! Welcome to the first Reading List for the new year. 

Starting with this one, I’m going to reduce the number of videos and articles from 30 to 25. To be perfectly honest, I would get to making the reading list each month and check how many things I’d saved… to find about 25 pieces. Then I’d have...

Playlist (January 2020)

What do you get if you combine a king, a robot, and a baby? It's this month's playlist! That's three mini reviews of the games I've played, for your viewing pleasure. And if you don't feel like watching, you can read the whole thing below...

Death Stranding

2020-01-27 15:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post

Reminder: The GMTK Discord exists!

Hello! This is just a quick reminder that the GMTK Discord is a thing that exists and is good. It's a chill, low key, well moderated, and friendly space to talk about games, current events, game jams, game design, and game development. 

There's also Game Club, now hosted by the moderators. It's now about exploring ...

Making Two Types of Random

(Pictured above: an alternative thumbnail design that didn't get used)

Hello!

So this week I released the first episode of 2020. It’s a big investigation into randomness in game design, and looks at input and output rand...

The Two Types of Random | Game Maker's Toolkit

Hello! It's time for the first episode of 2020 - a massive investigation into all things random. In this video I'll explore the various uses of randomness, talk about the two types of random, and explore the pitfalls of using both brands of luck.

I hope you dig it - it was a huge project with lots of research and tonnes...

24 hour exclusive - The Two Types of Random

Hello!

The new episode of GMTK is finally here! After a much needed Xmas break and then a particularly gruelling editing process on the new video, it's finally done. Almost - this version doesn't have the Patreon end screen and some final edits like all the game tags and sources.

Thanks again for your help on the ...

Introducing GMTK Workshop - Help with upcoming episodes

Hello!

So, something I've wanted to do for a while now is create a space on Patreon where willing participants (on $5+ tier) can help me out with upcoming episodes of the show. Especially in the densely packed, example-filled, educational videos.

The idea is that on certain videos I will show you stuff that I've b...

Mark's Game of the Year picks for 2019 | Playlist

Hello! 

So, no playlist this month. To be honest, I'm just playing stuff I've already talked about. I finished up Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and am now back to Disco Elysium.

But that's okay, because it's game of the year time! I went back through every game I played in the last 12 months and tried to choo...

Reading List End-Of-Year Special 2019

Hello!

So, like last year, I wanted to turn the final Reading List of the year into a big recap of 2019's games. So I've gathered together the best writing and videos on the game’s stand out releases. 

There's stuff on the music ...

2019 in review

Hi everyone! Mark here.

So, at the end of each year I like to share with you some thoughts and statistics about my last 12 months’ worth of work.

I think it’s really important to regularly take a step back and see what’s working and what’s not - and use that to help shape the future direction of what I’m...

The most innovative games of the decade

Hello! 

So as you should know by now, every December I dedicate my last video to the most innovative game of that year. I've been doing this since 2015, and just released the video for 2019, celebrating Baba Is You.

B...

48hr exclusive - The Most Innovative Game of 2019 is...

Hello!

So, as usual, my last video of the year is on the most innovative game from the last 12 months. In the past I've done Her Story, Event[0], 2019-12-07 15:00:12 +0000 UTC View Post

Playlist (November 2019)

Busy month (as usual, these days) but found some time to check out two big releases.

Cheers! Mark

Reading List (November 2019)

Hello! How’s it going? 

You’re getting the reading list a few days early as I’m popping to Essen, Germany for a couple days at the end of November to talk at the Next Level Festival. Should be fun! 

Here’s some stuff that I’ve enjoyed this month (or, in some cases, am saving to read on the flig...

Patreon Preview - How Accessible Were This Year's Games?

Hello! 

So, a few weeks back I had this silly idea to make a video looking at the accessibility options in this year's biggest games. I wanted to make a follow up to Designing for Disability, basically, looking at the strides the industry has made in 2019.

It turned into a pretty huge project! I ended up gett...

Analysing 5 Years of YouTube Stats

Hey everyone!

So, with GMTK turning five years old, this seemed like the perfect time to do a big overview of the channel’s numbers to see what worked, what didn’t, and what can be learned for the next five years of GMTK.

This is going to be a big, detailed, nerd-tastic article and so I won’t be offended if ...

Game Maker's Toolkit turns 5

Hello!

Wow, I can't quite believe it. Today marks the 5th anniversary of Game Maker's Toolkit.

On November 6th, 2014, I released my first (proper) video to YouTube: a video essay about adaptive soundtracks. If it did well, I remember thinking, I might be able to make a few more of these things.

It's now half...