Level Edit: Recent Episodes
Nida Ahmad, Daniel Carter and Glynn Taylor
Ever wondered what goes into making great video games?
We discuss all things game development including the details of game design, getting into the business side of things and the industry as a whole. Joined by indies and industry pros, we'll give you an insight into the world of making games.
Hosted by a developer, a game designer and a games UX-er who all have very strong opinions!
Simulator games In our final episode of our first season we chat about the weird and wonderful world of simulator games! Topics we explored include:
๐Defining simulator games and the design considerations involved
๐Parallels to cosy games design
๐How important is realism?
๐Strengths of simulators that other genres can learn from and things to work on.
We obviously spent some time talking about the Sims, it couldn't of been an episode on simulators without it!
As always let us know your thoughts and ideas on the topic, we'd love to hear from you!
--
We just wanted to say thank you for joining us on this journey so far. We're so grateful for the love and support we have recieved and also inspiring us to learn too! We have some great ideas for season 2 which will be out early next year and we hope to see you then. As always if you have any topics you want us to discuss or want to drop us your thoughts on anything #gamedev then DM or leave us a comment us on twitter (@leveledit) with the hashtag #leveledit!
-
References:
- Mitu Khandaker-Kokoris GDC talk on designing social simulation games
- Job Simulator GDC talk by Devin Reimer and Alex Schwartz
- Sims related research paper
- Nerdwriter talk on dialogue
- Jason Vandenberghe GDC talk on drives and satisfaction
- Research paper on cosy games
- Jamie Madigan
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
Narrative Writing On episode 9 we chat about writing narratives and great characters in games! We cover: how to find work as a narrative games writer,the parallels between film and books writing vs games writing, the process of writing, what writers wish devs knew and our favourite narrative games!
As always, drop us a message on our Twitter (@leveledit) with your thoughts, we'd love to have a discussion! Feedback is also appreciated!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LevelEdit
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
This week we are joined by Jupiter Hadley who loves and reviews indie games and game jam submissions! We cover tips that'll help you get the most out of game jams, if trophies are a good idea, how to set up your own game jam and unusual themes we have come across!
Do drop us a comment with your thoughts on our Twitter: https://twitter.com/LevelEdit?lang=en
Thanks for listening!
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
We chat about the importance of self - development when making your way in the games industry including: Online validation, bad habits, building a diverse support network, putting health over the #hustle, being the best version of yourself & picking your battles. Plus tools to improve confidence & motivation!
Do drop us a comment with your thoughts on our Twitter: https://twitter.com/LevelEdit?lang=en
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
We chat project planning with different team sizes, what makes a great producer, why you should test early and our favourite planning tools.
This week we cover what the early access model entails alongside: success stories, how it changes the relationship between the developers and players as well as how to communicate expectations of the game well.
Do drop us a comment with your thoughts on our Twitter or Youtube channel.
FIND US
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LevelEdit?lang=en
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7hZuFstgxf1QyIAXADsLsw/videos
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
Getting into the halloween spirit, this week we chat about horror games and what makes them so popular! We're joined by Chris Wilson, the design lead at Cardboard sword and was previously at Frontier Developments and Playground Games.
We discuss: what our favourite horror games are, why designing for them is so different compared to other genres, why creating an emotional impact is more important than mechanics and if a good AAA title is possible!
Do drop us a comment with your thoughts on our Twitter or Youtube channel.
FIND US
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LevelEdit?lang=en
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7hZuFstgxf1QyIAXADsLsw/videos
Find Chris on Twitter : @Crwilso
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
We chat why we have NPCs in games alongside: how to bring them to life and the amount of detail needed, common design mistakes, the use of tropes and sterotypes and how sophisticated their AI needs to be. A short mention of our favourite NPCs too!
Do drop us a comment with your thoughts on our Twitter or Youtube channel.
FIND US
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LevelEdit?lang=en
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7hZuFstgxf1QyIAXADsLsw/videos
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
We decipher what makes violence a common design choice and also chat about: Does it draw in or alienate audiences? Can it have a real life impact? Are there alternative models to show conflict and consequences? What about non-violent games?
Do drop us a comment with your thoughts on our Twitter or Youtube channel.
FIND US
โ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LevelEdit?lang=en
โ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7hZuFstgxf1QyIAXADsLsw/featured
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
This week we discuss what goes into designing a game tutorial and also chat about:
๐ Features of a good tutorial and what makes them fun
๐ Should you front load or gradually introduce mechanics and lessons?
๐ Balancing teaching vs player exploration
๐ Psychology of tutorial design
๐ Are tutorials bigger than just teaching gameplay?
Sit down with a hot drink and tune in to us chatting about tutorial development, thanks for listening! Do drop us a comment with your thoughts on our Twitter or Youtube channel.
LINKS
โ GDC Talk: How to make great game tutorials by Asher Vollmer
FIND US
โ Twitter
โ Youtube
We're sorry about the audio issues this time around and are working on fixing them for the next episode.
This podcast is powered by Pinecast.