IT'S HERE! Order Keep the Faith, @gregisonthego.bsky.social's storytelling game about a religion in transition with art by @goblinprincete.bsky.social and
@momatoes.com. Available at cmichpress.com and some retailers. Ask your local game store! #keepthefaithgame #KTFShareTheLore
Give us a listen!
This conversation with Liz was, as always, a delight!
I know now this is about moderation features, but I stared at this for about 10 seconds thinking it was about typing up a post, sending it into the ether by clicking "Post," and then never looking at it again.
New Multiple Win Conditions! Today I’m talking about “Find the Fun”. One of the most common bits of advice I got as a new designer
youtu.be/vPTe9PlGAP8?...
What's the point of making things if we're not the ones making things?
I see some designers trying to ingrain the genai stuff into their process from the beginning and the games are just flat out worse or missing charm. Especially newer designers. Put your own voice into your games y'all!
Totally! I didn't have that context from the initial post. Appreciate the clarification.
I generally agree with all of this but I do think success means different things for different peeps. Sometimes folks make a great game for a very small audience (or maybe they are their own audience) and that's a W for them, and that smaller group of folks is easily or even automatically reached.
We are really excited about publishing Color Jam, designed by @stickydoodler.bsky.social and Joe Kell. It's a cozy, print-and-puzzle coloring game for one or for you and some friends. It's perfect for lazy summer evenings or for when you want a whisper of strategy in your coloring. 🏖️🖍️
Just a reminder that The Bonsai Diary print-and-play is 50% off to celebrate its Origins Award nomination. That's a whopping $2.50 off!
(And if you truly can't afford it, there are still 27 free community copies available of the ashcan/prototype)
stickydoodler.itch.io/the-bonsai-d...
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how so much game design advice that’s available is really just business/product advice. It’s got a lot of survivorship bias and as a result, it’s homogenising and dissuading a lot of what’s possible.
So…I’m making a little vlog series about it!
I haven't done nearly as much game design work recently, because I have been working on becoming a game publisher! Starting with a co-design of mine that I really believe in, but hoping to move beyond that if it goes well 😀
Please come along on this journey with me - we all need good diversions!
Unpub was a great experience! I’m never more creatively invigorated than after a convention full of games, especially one with lots of playtesting new, cool ideas. Unfortunately, I’m also never more exhausted snd unable to think. Here’s a short thread about some of the cool stuff I got to see!
While I have worked on games I'd love to see big hits I've also worked on games that I made with very different intentions and goals, such as making a statement or exploring a subject matter. I'm not making those to be at the top, I'm making those because I want to do something interesting.
I'm not so sure all those 5,000 games and their creators are trying to make the next biggest hits.
Making a big hit often involves sacrificing a lot of the rough and often more interesting edges of a game. There's also small print runs, part-timer participation, etc.
Was so great playing this today! Thanks for sharing. What an important and powerful game experience.
If you love games, come to Unpub, even if you don't design games yourself. I get so much joy from playtesting events from seeing the essence of a game before it's coated in a glossy finish.
If, like me, you believe games are art, playing prototypes lets you see the fingerprint of the artist.
Unpub is this weekend! We're exciting to play your games and share some of ours with you. Our publishing studio focuses on games where any number of players can win or lose OR games where there are no winers and losers, just various outcomes players reach. Here's what we're bringing:
But are you ready for Unpub?
A while back, I posted about my move to the Netherlands later this year. As part of that move, my family is also venturing into the world of tabletop game publishing through Hawk and Dove. I'd be honored if you would check us out and follow along on our journey!
Golden Eye 64 Big Head Mode Gecko
Toby Fox Undertale Dog: Fire Edition
Angry Bird but it's made outta Leaves
Da three new pokeymans.
In what ways can board games improve society? Xoe talks with @gregisonthego.bsky.social about the social lessons games can teach us and how they can start important conversations, often through the lens of his design Keep the Faith, and his codesign Bloc by Bloc!
youtu.be/xDzYgaBJ11Y
Dialogue at Dusk thumbnail with the text: Social shifting The night is for progress
Tonight at 9pm EST, @xoe.gay will be having a chat with @gregisonthego.bsky.social about his design Keeping the Faith, as well as encouraging social change through game design!
You can come join the chat and ask us questions over on discord:
discord.gg/7SQXuB4M?eve...
AEG would not exist without the creativity and hard work of designers.
Also, hilariously, I wouldn't be surprised if this was written or heavily edited by gen ai. "X isn't Y. It's Z," is a common written-by-AI tell.
Comparing this to a machine playing chess is so off-the-mark and such a major reason why metaphor-as-argument is almost always an escape from reality.
For those getting into or already in this world reading this stuff, don't let this nonsense distract you from making and sharing your games.
Stuff like this downplays and ignores the significant reality of what it takes to design a game. It's not just making ideas, but testing them, refining them, demonstrating them, proving them, iterating on them, and doing it all over and over and over again to push forward the vision you made.
How can folks get involved?
There's a lot of online playtesters over at Break My Game who might be interested in testing something like this.
Yeah basically.
