GameMakersToolkit posts
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The GMTK Game Jam results video!
Hello everyoneSorry I've been very quiet - the Game Jam has been taking up all my time! If you missed it, it was another record breaking jam with over 21,000 entrants and more than 5,800 games.But it's almost over - the results will be given out later this evening - Premiere link above. Apologies, no early access to this one - otherwise the results would surely leak!I'll be back here with a full run-down of everything Game Jam soon. Just need a bit of time to decompress!
Lecture: How to convey complex information
Hello!So, I often give lectures at universities and game studios around the world. And I thought I could offer you lovely Patrons some more value for supporting me by sharing those lectures as videos!This was a lecture I gave online for Breda University of Applied Sciences earlier in June. This was a practice run of the talk to make sure it fit within the hour-long slot.It's about how I convey information in my videos, from abstract structural decisions to specific teaching techniques. All w...
Can We Make Better Tutorials for Complex Games?
Hello Patron people! New episode out very soon - it's about making better tutorials for games in genres like grand strategy and simulation. Hope you dig it!My recommendation this time is Narita Boy - a trippy, retro-tinged brawler with a killer pixel art aesthetic. It's a minor Metroidvania with a bigger focus on fight scenes: which reminds me of Guacamelee. And the strange, esoteric plot makes me think of Sword & Sworcery.The game's not without its problems - including a floaty jump...
Playlist (May 2021)
Hello Patreon people. It's time for the playlist, where I talk about some of the games I've been playing lately. You can watch it as a video or read it as an article.Resident Evil VIII: VillageOkay, let's start with May's biggest new game: Resident Evil 8. This is a first-person horror game, that follows the storyline and characters of Resident Evil 7.This time we're in a ramshackle European village, and instead of fighting the traditional zombies that the franchise is known ...
Patron Preview - Can We Make Better Tutorials for Complex Games?
Hello again!A new episode is here - it's all about the troublesome tutorials of complex games (such as city builders and grand strategy games), and ways to make them better. What can they learn from other genres, in order to make learning easier and more fun?If you caught the $5 preview for the UI episode you might recognise some stuff about Mini Metro and Animal Crossing. I actually removed that from the final video because it didn't fit super well, and I realised it might be a better f...
Reading List (May 2021)
Hello everyone! Here's your reading list for the month of May. Let's start out with some Mass Effect-themed stuff to mark the release of the Legendary Edition remake. And then, onto a bunch more articles and videos I reckon you'll enjoy.Commanding Shepard[Watch | CC | 19 mins] Dynamic Level Design in Mass Effect 3’s "Cure the Genophage" Mission - Story Mode explores the many paths and outcomes of Mass Effect 3's best mission.[Read] Mass Effect 2: Overlord Should Have St...
Thoughts on Returnal (No spoilers)
Hey everyone. I just finished Returnal, and wanted to give some thoughts about the game's design.This is the latest game from Housemarque. Until now, the studio has made indie-level arcade games like Nex Machina and Super Stardust HD. But with Returnal, the studio has gone full on "Triple A", with a blockbuster new PlayStation 5 exclusive.It's got big Metroid Prime vibes, with a female protagonist, a mysterious alien planet, ancient ruins, and a story that unfolds through scannin...
New Video - Level Designer Breaks Down Ori's Awesome Sand Level
Hi everyone!Today I'm revealing a new video series for GMTK. It's called "On the Level"* and is all about playing great video game levels alongside the designer(s) who made them. And then turning that interview into a video for y'all!The concept is very similar to the Last of Us 2 video I made last year, where I walk through the museum level, alongside its designer, Evan Hill. I realised that I really dig this format - a mix of live stream, director's commentary, intervie...
$5 Patron preview - Level Designer Breaks Down Ori's Awesome Sand Level
Hello!So, I'm starting a new video series on GMTK. It's called Level With Me, and in each episode I play an excellent video game level, alongside the designer(s) who made it.The concept is very similar to the Last of Us 2 video I made last year, where I walk through the museum level, alongside its designer, Evan Hill. I realised that I really dig this format - a mix of live stream, director's commentary, interview, and anatomy-of-a-level - and so decided to make it a bit more permane...
Behind the scenes - The Power of Video Game HUDs
Hello everyone!I had a wonderful response to the animation and visual style of my most recent video - on user interfaces and HUDs. So I thought I'd talk about how this episode was made and give you some tips on making similar stuff in your own project!The ideaSo, I've been working on a small game prototype in Unity - a platformer where you have a magnet that can draw you towards objects and whatnot. And I was struggling with a problem: how can I effectively explain to the player when and...
Let's talk YouTube ads
Hello Patreon people! I wanted to check in and talk to you about YouTube ads. There's a TL;DR at the bottom if you're in a hurry.GMTK has historically never had YouTube ads enabled, almost exclusively because I don't like how adverts disrupt the viewing experience. I'm sure we've all watched a video where it cuts to an annoying unskippable advert just one minute into the vid. It's so annoying! I pride myself on not having that stuff, and appreciate that many Patrons suppo...
Playlist (April 2021)
Hello! It's Playlist time. Here's the video and scroll down for the article version.Ghost of TsushimaGhost of Tsushima is an open world samurai game from Sucker Punch - the people behind the inFamous games. It came out last year, but I finally played it properly in April because it just got a very snazzy PS5 patch that boosts the frame rate and whatnot.You play as one of the last remaining samurai warriors on Tsushima island, after it got conquered by mongol invaders. Now you need to do ...
New episode - The Power of Video Game HUDs
Hello everyone!After a quick break from GMTK, I'm back with a stonking great big video. This one's on the heads-up display, or HUD - and how they can change how a game works, feels, looks, and is made. I hope you dig the style - it's supposed to look like Adobe Photoshop!If you caught the $5 early access video, you might notice that one small section (talking about Mini Metro and Animal Crossing) has disappeared. This is for two reasons: 1) it didn't quite fit the rest of the vid...
Reading List (April 2021)
Hey all! Bit of a leaner list this month (that's what happens when the games industry slows to a crawl, I guess!) but still got some fab stuff to read and watch. As always, recommendations in the comments, on Twitter, and on Discord are always welcome.Designer Notes[Read] What role does game difficulty play? - Accessibility awareness site Can I Play That? tackles difficulty and developer vision.[Read] The Man Who Invented Majora's Mask Reflects on 30 Years at Nintendo - Takaya Imamura ju...
Patreon Preview - The Power of Video Game UI
Hello! Here's your early access look at the new episode of GMTK. We're all about heads-up displays in this one: how do they change the way games look, work, feel, and are made?Thanks!Mark
The GMTK Game Jam returns for 2021!
Hello!I'm excited to announce that the GMTK Game Jam will be returning, once again, for 2021. Here's the announcement video. This is our fifth jam, which is a nice little milestone.The jam kicks off on June 11th, so pop that in your calendar now. You can join here, see more in-depth rules here, and see previous winners here.Not sure if there will be as many people as last year (over 18,00 sign-ups and over 5,000 games!) but we'll see!Cheers!Mark
Playlist (March 2021)
Hey all! It's your Playlist , which is three quick-fire reviews of games I've been playing in the last month. Let's jump right in. Watch it as a video or read it as an article, up to you.Little Nightmares IILittle Nightmares II is best described as a Limbo-like. It's one of those side-scrolling cinematic platformers with puzzles and insta-kill traps.Now, there's loads about Little Nightmares II that I really liked. It's got some genuinely creepy monsters. The story is evo...
Reading List (March 2021)
Hello!This month, the UK marked the one-year anniversary of its Covid-19 lockdown (I almost wrote "celebrated"). But hope is on the horizon, light is at the end of the tunnel, and other metaphors about good things being visible.Until then, here's a handful of things to watch and read, handpicked by yours truly.Designer Notes[Read] Doom Eternal director says the Marauder is good, actually - Hugo Martin defends Eternal's polarising Souls-esque mini boss. "All he does is steer y...
How to Become a Game Designer
New video!Bit of a different topic this time: instead of talking about game design, let's talk about game designers themselves. How, exactly, do you get a job in the industry?This was one topic where I have absolutely zero experience, so I relied very heavily on my expert interviewees. It was fun to Zoom a whole bunch of people and build up a huge database of shared knowledge - then dump it into a video.Hope you find it interesting, even if you have no interest whatsoever in becoming a game ...
Weekend Exclusive - How to be a Game Designer
Hello super special Patrons. I've got a new video coming out next week, but as I needed to upload it early to get feedback from industry experts, you might as well watch it super early!This is quite a different episode - it's about how to actually get a job as a game designer. I spoke to loads of people (designers, educators, employers, recruiters) to build up a massive knowledge base. And then squeezed it into a 15 min video.Hope you find it interesting, even if you're already in de...
Playlist (February 2021)
Hello everyone! This is the Playlist, where I talk about three of the games I've been playing in the last month. I've been doing well to actually keep up with the new releases - let's see how long that lasts! Let's go. Watch it here, or read it below. Up to you, friendo.Bowser's FuryBowser's Fury is, well, a weird thing. Super Mario 3D World got a Switch remake this month and to entice Wii U owners to shell out for the same game again, it comes with an extra mode. But it&...
24 hour exclusive - How to Turn Movement into a Game Mechanic
Hello!Time for another massive episode. This one is on a topic I've wanted to cover for quite some time: unique movement systems. From wingsuits to web swinging to wall runs. How do developers make movement that feels fun, satisfying, and interesting?It was a tricky question to answer because the answer is very different depending on the game - what makes Mario good is completely different to Titanfall 2. But by looking at the individual elements, and then looking at their commonalities, I t...
Reading List (February 2021)
Hello!Yesterday, the UK prime minister and scarecrow Boris Johnson unveiled the roadmap out of the pandemic. Also, the sun is out. And the new video is coming together for release this week. I'm feeling pretty good!So, let's celebrate with a bunch of videos and articles I found this month.Designer Notes[Read] How IO made the Hitman trilogy, its stealth masterpiece - PC Gamer talks to IO about making Agent 47's swan song.[Read] Hitman 3's Argentina mission marks an important first...
Adventures in Unity
Hey everyone!New video is coming along nicely, but I just wanted to chat about something else I've been doing. And that's learning Unity! It was my new year's resolution for 2021, and I've been doing a little bit every week all year.I started with tutorials. I found Tom Francis's tutorial series to be pretty helpful, and enjoyed following along as we made a top-down stealth shooter with vision cones and spawning enemies. It took weeks and weeks to follow these hour-long episo...
Post-Mortem: How the Nemesis System Creates Stories
Hello! This is a quick behind-the-scenes article, looking at the creation of my most recent video: How the Nemesis System Creates Stories.IdeaThe initial idea for this video was to investigate the idea of games having a memory of the player's actions - and then issuing comment or consequences down the line. Things like the chaos system in Dishonored, cross-game choices in Mass Effect, multiple endings in Silent Hill 2, and the Nemesis System in Shadow of Mordor.Ultimately, I decided that the...
Playlist (January 2021)
Hello everyone! This is the Playlist, where I talk about three of the games I've been playing in the last month. You can watch it as a video, or read it as an article. Have it your way, like Burger King.Call of the SeaCall of the Sea is a first-person adventure, set on a mysterious South Pacific Island in the 1930s. It's a mix of walking simulator - as you piece together the narrative from found documents and diaries. And puzzle game - as you solve Myst-like conundrums in the environment...
Reading List (January 2021)
Hello! Welcome to the first Reading List of the year. It's a big one! It's got all the best stuff I watched and read in January, plus all the delicious content I consumed over Christmas.I'm starting off with some alternative "end of year" lists. Forget the "game of the year" stuff, we're looking at the year in accessibility, animation, blogging, and loss.Looking Back, Looking Forward[Read] A look back at accessibility in 2020 - Accessibility consultant Vivek Gohil...
New GMTK Episode - How the Nemesis System Creates Stories
Hello!This is the first GMTK video of 2021 - a deep dive into the Nemesis System from Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. It will be released to the masses in a couple hours.I said in my 2020 wrap up that I wanted to work on some bigger projects in the new year, and that's exactly how I started. Playing the games, reading through all the published material, and working out the best way to describe all of this was a huge amount of work that essentially took all month.It was a fun video to mak...
Early Access - How The Nemesis System Creates Stories
Hello!So, I've been a busy bee this January - working hard on a huge video about a topic that I've been meaning to cover for quite some time. I'm talking, of course, about the Nemesis System in Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War.This system is able to create brilliant and unique stories using procedural generation, systems, random rolls, and lots of clever storytelling techniques. I try to explain it all in this video.Do let me know what you think! Video link here.Mark
2020 in review
Hi everyone! It's that time of year again where I take a step back, dig into YouTube's analytics page, and figure out what worked (and what didn't) in terms of raw numbers.So the headline news is that GMTK hit a pair of enormous milestones. And hit them back to back. This year the channel achieved one million subscribers and 100 million views. Which is absolutely amazing - thank you so much to everyone who helped make that happen!And… it really shouldn't have happened. Subscrib...
