Reading List (October 2022)

Hey there!

October's been a busy month - I've released videos on problem solving and Rollerdrome, and I'm close to finishing a video on Elden Ring's world design.

But there's always time for reading and watching! So here's 25-ish hand-picked articles and videos I reckon you might enjoy.

The Design of Games

[Read] Thomas Grip on Twitter - SOMA developer Thomas Grip was inspired by my problem-solving video to make a thread of problems and solutions in his own games.

[Read] Ben Brode on Twitter - If you liked that, you'll probably like this: a thread about a design challenge on card battler, Marvel Snap.

[Watch | 13 mins] An Example Of Fast Travel Done Right - A look at how fast travel worked in Morrowind, and how it fixes the common problems people have with more modern takes on the idea.

[Watch | 13 mins] Why Is It So Hard to Make a Silent Hill Sequel? - Helps explain why Konami's just remaking Silent Hill 2.

The Business of Games

[Read] Stadia's Shutdown: The History of Google's Doomed Project - "Employees and developers help piece together the story of what happened to Google’s promises of the “future of gaming.”"

[Read] An Indie Developer’s Guide to Publishers - Greg Lobanov (Wandersong, Chicory) talks about his experience dealing with the money men.

[Read] Meet the Ukrainians making video games about Russia’s invasion - "Some laugh at their enemy, while others provide documentary accounts of life under occupation, but all help people deal with the trauma"

The Playing of Games

[Read] Hotline Miami’s ultra-violence has influenced games for a decade - Developers behind No More Heroes, Ape Out, and more talk about the impact of indie gem Hotline Miami.

[Read] A busman’s video game? Meet the people who play job sims of their own careers - "From the ex-military air dispatcher who enjoys flight sims over Bournemouth to the train driver who copies his real-life routes".

[Watch | CC | 20 mins] The Uncanny Thrill of Bad Endings - "We will be talking about what makes bad endings so fascinating, why we find ourselves watching them out of curiosity, and how we use a similar cognition in our everyday lives."

[Read] The Tamagotchi Breeder on Her 65th Generation of the Digital Pet - "Alicia Kostoglou wasn't even born when the first Tamagotchi was released, but she's become one of the most prolific collectors since."

The Art of Games

[Watch | CC | 26 mins] The Style of American McGee's Alice Games - Eurothug looks at the iconic art style of the bizarre Alice games. Madness Returns is on Game Pass and, as far as I remember, pretty cool!

[Read] Kevin Regamey on Twitter - Tunic's audio designer talks about the secrets hidden in the game's sound. "One main goal of Tunic’s overall design was to make it feel like this world isn’t *for* you".

[Read] Elden Ring’s Malenia embodies FromSoftware’s problems with women - "The game’s strongest boss betrays the developer’s biggest weakness".

The History of Games

[Read] That Time We Burned Down Players’ Houses in Ultima Online - "A technical teardown of burning down cheaters’ houses after finding a “criminal” ring of illegal item dupers."

[Watch | CC | 9 mins] Super Smash Bros. - Sakurai continues his game-by-game retrospective, this time with the first Smash Bros. The video contains unseen footage of the original prototype.

[Watch | CC | 29 mins] Why has Black & White Been Abandoned? - Noclip talks to Peter Molyneux and pals about this ambitious creature sim, and looks into why it's not on Steam or GOG.

[Watch | CC | 1 hour, 40 mins] RetroAhoy: X-COM - Ahoy's got one of his notoriously massive documentaries, this time looking at the XCOM series, and other Julian Gollop games.

[Read] The Joy of Silly Useless Software - A look back at Desktop Pets, Microsoft Bob, animated cursors, and more.

[Watch | CC | 9 mins] Why Mario's jump feels so satisfying - Thomas Game Docs looks at how Super Mario 64 was changed late into development. (Details on the change itself are sadly a little thin).

Beyond Games

[Watch | 25 mins] How James Cameron Blew a Hole in a Real Bridge - "A story of true, in-camera action filmmaking at its finest."

[Watch | CC | 11 mins] The Tube Map nearly looked very different - An entertaining history of the iconic London map.

[Watch | CC | 49 mins] Fear of Big Things Underwater - Jacob Geller continues his "Fear of" series. Includes a guest voice spot from yours truly!