The Bottom Feeder

MARCH 5, 2024

The video game industry is seeing a big wave of layoffs and game company closures, and it may be that we have begun the long, slow, agonizing bleed of a recession. Lost jobs mean real suffering. I've been writing indie (aka shareware) games as the nearly sole source of my family's income for 30 years. It's painful.

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Indy Writing Games Fighting 103

GamesIndustry.biz

JUNE 15, 2023

As with every June since 1995, the conversation around the games industry has been dominated by the big budget games.

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Indy AAA Games Dev 98

Ask a Game Dev

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

I was the game dev. I worked on famous games that most people had played, or at least heard of. It's a really big ego boost when total strangers you meet know of your work and are impressed with your job. It's very easy to lose your job - the company financials start looking bad and there's layoffs.

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Dev Prototyping Game Developer Game Development 52

PreMortem.Games

MARCH 6, 2024

Photos by Moe the Photographer Like the sturdy belt and shiny buckle Rex Bowden once helped sell as a child, entrepreneurship is woven into the fabric of this co-founder of Africa Games Week (AGW). ” During his pre-teen years, Bowden mastered Tetris on his cousin’s Game Boy.

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Games Studios Racing Development 167

PreMortem.Games

APRIL 10, 2023

There are plenty of city building games around but Fabledom adds a fairytale twist to the genre. Set in a storybook kingdom filled with magical creatures, kings and castles, the game gives players the opportunity to build their own kingdom and find their true love. He never worked on a ‘real’ game either. Making games is hard!”

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PreMortem.Games

APRIL 5, 2023

There are plenty of city building games around but Fabledom adds a fairytale twist to the genre. Set in a storybook kingdom filled with magical creatures, kings and castles, the game gives players the opportunity to build their own kingdom and find their true love. He never worked on a ‘real’ game either. Making games is hard!”

Games 104

Games Build Studios Shaders 104

Ask a Game Dev

MAY 13, 2024

From an individual worker's perspective, I think that most of the people who were let go (~70-75% or so) will find new jobs in the industry within the next year or so. I think some folks (~20%) will churn out of the game industry and quit for greener pastures.

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AAA Dev Studios Indy 57

GamesIndustry.biz

MARCH 23, 2023

Jason Mai landed a job as VP of creative with Big Fish about six months ago, and while his history in casual and mobile games is extensive, he had never actually made a merge game along the lines of his new employer's hit EverMerge. Read more

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Mobile Gaming Game Design Game Designer Games 52

OPM Jobs

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

Let’s chat about job search anxiety. Maybe you’ve been crushing it at a studio for what feels like an eternity, but suddenly, the game loses its sparkle. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the entire process, from updating your CV and portfolio, to navigating the maze of job applications. What is Job Search Anxiety?

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Fighting Balance Studios Games 107

iXie gaming

JULY 12, 2023

Punch your way into the Gaming Industry with a strategy that works exclusively for you! Let’s begin with what it means to market yourself for a job. It essentially implies how you present yourself and interact with a job opportunity. A gaming punch could always help your case, there’s nothing gamers love more than a gaming pun!

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PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Never really comfortable in the education system, she dropped out of college twice before embarking on her debut game, Spilled! Her upcoming game, Spilled! , Making an eco-conscious game just really made sense to me.” Making games is the perfect creative outlet for me. Making games is the perfect creative outlet for me.

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Dev Games Indy Educational 152

Deconstructor of Fun

JULY 11, 2023

This week, I will test this broader industry hypothesis against our very own gaming industry. So without further ado, let's examine how satisfied our industry is with their work and whether remote, hybrid, or on-site plays a significant role in job satisfaction. Over half of the respondents (57%) work directly on game development.

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Games Data Balance Writing 98

Ask a Game Dev

DECEMBER 11, 2023

For brand new games, the best we usually do is in-game comments and maybe some auto-documentation because we're writing a lot of new code as we go and time spent documenting is time not spent writing more code. For established franchises and lifestyle games (e.g. It really depends on the project.

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Code Dev AAA Debug 52

PreMortem.Games

MARCH 13, 2023

Want to get away from the hustle and bustle in the Moscone Centre and just have a good conversation and decent coffee with Dutch games industry professionals? Here you will find game developers, publishers and tool- and tech providers ready to do business. We create games that make you smile”, says CEO Stein Damen. “By

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Development Indy Communications Studios 197

PreMortem.Games

AUGUST 9, 2023

As if developing a game by yourself wasn’t daunting enough, Pat Naoum decided to completely handpaint his debut game The Master’s Pupil. But the end is here, the game is out now on steam. Every man and his dog has made an indie game but no one has painted a game yet. A point of interest in the indie game sea.”

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Dev Art Concepts Film 104

PreMortem.Games

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

When Jonathan Barbosa Dijkstra lost his job, just before the pandemic hit, he decided to give his dream of making a game by himself a proper go. I would love to be part of a small team where you’ve got your peers and still have a big impact on the game.” This whole process was a big learning experience on so many fronts.”

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Dev Puzzle Prototyping Playtesting 104

Ask a Game Dev

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

My very first job in the game industry was working on a game in a genre I had little personal interest in, programming parts of the game I never had any particular interest in. Even if the big picture game isn't in my particular wheelhouse, that doesn't mean I can't do my best to solve the problems I'm tasked with.

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Dev Concepts Games Engine 52

GamesIndustry.biz

JUNE 28, 2023

Generative AI will be a big part of the future of game development, EA chief technology officer Marija Radulovic-Nastic believes, but maybe not at the expense of developers. I personally believe that Gen AI will be a co-pilot to our people, and has the opportunity to scale and enhance human creativity," Radulovic-Nastic said.

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AI Collision Technology Game Developer 84

The Bottom Feeder

MAY 1, 2024

The video game business is in a weird, scary, contracting, almost recessionary place right now. So this is a quick game release post-mortem. How did we fund, develop, and market this game? One, we do often get asked about our games-writing process, as it's solid enough to keep us going for 30 years. One to play.

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Indy Build Writing Pixel 105

Ask a Game Dev

JANUARY 23, 2023

I desperately wanted to work on the next game in the franchises I played and loved growing up. ALT Then I was let go in a big layoff. All of that self-worth I had tied to my job and the project I was working on evaporated in an instant. I had to find another job. I had all these ideas and passion for them.

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Studios Dev Games Internet 52

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

It’s a hard pill to swallow if you’ve worked on your game for five years, only to launch it to a largely indifferent audience. That’s what happened to solo developer Simon Taylor (working under the name Plastic Cow Games ) and his game Smash Dungeon. After that, the game never gained any traction and faded away in obscurity.

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Dev Co-op Games Mobile 115

PreMortem.Games

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

As if developing a game by yourself wasn’t daunting enough, Pat Naoum decided to completely handpaint his debut game The Master’s Pupil. But the end is near, the game will release on steam sometime in the foreseeable future. Every man and his dog has made an indie game but no one has painted a game yet.

Dev 104

Dev Art Concepts Film 104

Harold Serrano

MAY 28, 2023

I have decided to rewrite my game engine. Looking at the codebase, I can pinpoint many issues with my game engine. And more importantly, and this is a big one, the codebase would be a lot cleaner/simpler and less full of clutter. Becoming an expert My third reason for rewriting my game engine is a personal one.

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Game Engine Engine Engineering Games 64

Game Designing

MARCH 1, 2023

Video game engineers are an important part of a game development team who takes care of a range of advanced technical tasks. Due to the skills required, becoming a game engineer can take some time and education, but it can also be a very well-paying job. Game Engineer vs Developer or Designer?

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Game Engine Engine Engineering Educational 52

Deconstructor of Fun

JANUARY 31, 2023

Unlike the years before, we decided to really leverage our fantastic community of senior games industry folks to present you with trends that will shape our industry during the year. The k-factor, which measures the virality of a game, is at an all-time low. Is it the artwork in itself that is not selling the game? Exit mobile.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Games 127

PreMortem.Games

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

He started his career in advertising, but the world of video games always held his real interest. Making games was something that seemed very far from reality”, he says. Yet, with help from the internet and some classes in college, he realized that he too could create games. Why did you become a solo developer? “I’ve

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Dev Advertising Internet Development 160

PreMortem.Games

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Because, let’s be honest, creating games is hard. This year we featured over 20 brave game creators in our solo developers-series and we like to share some highlights. It took solo game developer Graham Reid great effort to finish his game. “I Her upcoming game, Spilled! ,

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Development Dev Indy Game Developer 254

Ask a Game Dev

JANUARY 8, 2024

The first big issue to watch out for is [ self-crunching when you start ]. I know how much a new hire will want to prove herself, especially when it's your first job and you're a super passionate, driven youth without a lot of other responsibilities and something to prove. I'll give a quick summary here and link to the previous posts.

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Dev Build Games 52

Grumpy Gamer

MAY 3, 2023

Getting AI to write your game dialog is about the same as getting some C- high school student to do it. At least with the later you be giving a high school student a job. I'm skeptical only because big companies taking advantage of creatives is burnt into their DNA. Thimbleweed Park was the first game I ever saw anything from.

AI 81

AI Indy Writing Games 81

Game Daily

NOVEMBER 9, 2023

David Hunt, CEO of start-up Noodle Cat , wants to remodel the basic form of game development, with a radical departure from industry norms. This template specifically does not include much leeway for gung-ho corporate superstars seeking to rapidly climb the organizational ladder, accruing job title promotions and salary raises.

Game Developer 52

Game Developer Game Development Development Games 52

The Bottom Feeder

AUGUST 9, 2023

Way back in February, I wrote a big article about indie phenomenon Vampire Survivors. It was a fun cheap game that is still fun and cheap. It's also a charming, scruffy take on the classic Twin-Stick Shooter genre, great for mindless gaming, with a price that is effectively zero. And the game looks competently made.

Co-op 76

Co-op Indy Balance Games 76

Brand Game Development

APRIL 19, 2021

Much like how Expedia didn’t eliminate travel agents from the job market, freight marketplaces won’t eliminate freight brokers from the job market either. That is a quote pulled from an article I wrote for the Stonemaier Games blog on behalf of my client Fulfillrite. Enter information about your board games.

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Games Agent Concepts Dev 130

Brand Game Development

MAY 6, 2019

Lately, I’ve been talking about the hard truths of the board game business. You can’t just make the board game you want. You have to make the board game other people want. Need help on your board game? Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators.

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Games Build Mechanics Console 130

Brand Game Development

JANUARY 11, 2021

” They’re big, abstract, complex questions with no clear answer. Need help on your board game? Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators. With a full-time job and a side business, standing at the stove for two hours to make something is a really unattractive prospect.

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Build Writing Internet Dev 130

Brand Game Development

MAY 1, 2017

One of the most jarring experiences for new game developers is the process of getting their game reviewed. Drama aside, it truly is difficult at first because you have to identify reviewers, send prototypes, make sure your game is ready enough, cross your fingers, and hope they like it. Need help on your board game?

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Games Playtesting Prototyping Dev 130

Ask a Game Dev

DECEMBER 7, 2022

ALT Reaching out to a random senior developer via linkedin specifically to inquire about a job opportunity is certainly a gamble. ALT First, game studios are often pretty big. First, you should prepare your submission materials with a strong focus on the job description. I would advise against it for a number of reasons.

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Game Daily

MARCH 23, 2023

Tim Sweeney’s stage presence isn’t likely to attract the attention of the Oscars or Grammys live show organizers, but in yesterday’s State of Unreal presentation at Game Developer Conference, he fairly electrified his audience. The Epic Games boss lacks the flash and manufactured charisma of many tech execs.

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Entertainment Games Asset Retail 108