News

JikGuard
How Marvel Avengers Academy’s writer creates smart, subversive dialogue for an F2P game
I chatted with TinyCo's Allen Warner about how he snuck some sly, subversive, and even thoughtful moments into Marvel's Avengers Academy.
Sept. 9, 2016
JikGuard
Time Manipulation in Unity - Rewinding Time
While developing and playtesting our game we noticed that it required a lot of memorizing and players often forget what they did wrong while playing the level. And so we thought why not use our trusty old timeline again, but this time not just for us...
Sept. 9, 2016
JikGuard
Publishers for indies – are they useful anymore?
As the role of publishers changes, how useful are they really, for indies? And which publishers can actually do effective marketing these days?
Sept. 8, 2016
JikGuard
just games writing things: "BY ZOMBIES"
The particular perils of the passive voice in game prose. And moon language.
Sept. 8, 2016
JikGuard
What I Teach Game Dev Managers (1/3)
Most leaders I encounter in game dev (myself included) were thrust into their first leadership role with no preparation. I help reverse that trend by training managers. Here's the most comprehensive curriculum I've ever created. Part 1 of 3
Sept. 8, 2016
JikGuard
Expectation management and hype: This Week in Videogames Blogging
This week, our partnership with games blogging curation site Critical Distance brings us picks from their Senior Curator Zoyander Street on the institutional structures that lead to disappointment and frustration.
Sept. 8, 2016
JikGuard
Notes from an indie cross-platform launch
Butterscotch Shenanigans launched Crashlands on Steam, the App Store, and Google Play simultaneously. Here's their reasoning on why cross-platform is a great studio strategy, and how their own launch turned out.
Sept. 8, 2016
JikGuard
Why The Game Industry is Still Pushing Pre-Orders
Pre-ordering continues to be a major part of AAA marketing, but it's utility and purpose is being questioned by consumers today and leaves many wondering: Is Pre-ordering still worth it?
Sept. 8, 2016
JikGuard
The 4 Types of People at a Conference That Are A Waste of Time
Let’s be honest. Talking to the guy cosplaying as Agent 47 isn’t going to level up your experience in the game industry. When you're spending thousands of dollars to attend a con, you want to leave with great connections. Avoid these 4 types of people.
Sept. 8, 2016
JikGuard
Optimizing Games for Low-End Devices
Developing mobile games to run great on a low-end device without compromising the experience on a high-end one can be a big challenge. Here are some tips to help you optimize your game for low-end devices.
Sept. 7, 2016
JikGuard
Designing for Intentional Play
How can we create games that are as intellectually and emotionally challenging as they are entertaining? I interviewed Jamin Warren, Katherine Isbister, and John Krajewski to get their thoughts.
Sept. 7, 2016
JikGuard
Why Making Multiplayer Games is Hard: Lag Compensating Weapons in MechWarrior Online
This article delves into one of the challenges facing multiplayer games: lag. Using MechWarrior Online's weapon system as a case study, this article describes a strategy for dealing with weapons and lag in a server authoritative environment.
Sept. 6, 2016