The Flipside of Gaming
Each indie showcase highlights the many indie games we play here on the channel. If you would like to submit a game for a future showcase, please reach out.
0:00 Intro
00:14 Astral Ascent
2:52 The Last Sunshine Rekindled
5:49 Lila’s Sky Ark
8:30 LootRiver
11:31 Beneath Oresa
14:53 Riftbound
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
Each indie showcase highlights the many indie games we play here on the channel, if you would like to submit a game for a future one please reach out. All games shown were either press keys or demos.
0:00 Water Logged
00:59 Dungeon Deathball
2:40 Abriss
4:41 Cat Cafe Manager
6:08 Map of Materials
7:36 Catie in Meowmeowland
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
The weekly indie showcase highlights the many games we play here on the channel, if you would like to submit a title please reach out.
0:00 Intro
00:14 Sephonie
3:38 Dopemine Arena
5:12 Backpack Hero
8:08 Astro Ace
9:07 Quijote: Quest for Glory
11:10 Princess Farmer
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
The final part of my best of next fest February 2023 showcase.
0:00 Intro
00:24 Meet Your Maker
4:24 Rin the Last Child
6:43 Xenonauts 2
9:04 Wantless
11:49 Dark Envoy
14:34 Takara Cards
15:58 Ogu and the Secret Forest
17:55 Enenra
19:23 Pizza Kidd
20:50 CursedSword
22:03 The Last Starship
23:56 Black & White
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
Part 4 of my favorite games of Next Fest 2023 showcase.
0:00 Intro
00:18 Monster Crawl
1:42 Cavern of Dreams
3:32 Witch Guild Survivor
4:37 Extreme Evolution Drive to Divinity
6:52 MistRogue
8:08 Shattered Heaven
9:54 Baldy Bounce
12:07 Horde Hunters
13:45 A Sister’s Journey
15:37 Roots of Yggdrasil
18:34 Gods of Defense
19:40 Trinity Fusion
21:33 Wall World
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
This is part 3 of my favorite games of next fest February 2023 showcase.
0:00 Intro
00:18 Bleak Sword DS
1:27 Yog-Sothoth’s Yard
3:38 Full Void
5:30 Striving for Light Survival
7:04 Teslagrad 2
8:38 Desynced
10:48 Afterimage
12:41 Mika and the Witch’s Mountain
14:30 Gamma 19
15:46 Shumi Come Home
17:24 Dragon Bell Xi
18:53 Death or Treat
20:23 Darkest Dungeon 2
22:38 Highwater
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
This is part 2 of my favorite games of next fest Feburary 2023 showcase.
0:00 Intro
00:15 Astra Fading Stars
1:49 Corsair’s Madness
2:57 Plan B Terraform
4:37 Rallygator
5:35 Crystarise
7:37 Saga of Sins
9:23 Swarm Grinder
10:48 Dad By the Sword
12:31 Worldless
15:18 Greedventory
17:16 Super Raft Boat Together
19:09 The Ramsey
20:49 Bionic Bay
22:36 Anomaly Collapse
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
The first of several videos looking at my favorite game demos from next fest 2023.
0:00 Intro
00:25 Meat Grinder
1:45 Yet Another Zombie Survivors
3:05 Radio the Universe
4:53 Protodroid Delta
6:12 Creeping Deck Pharoah’s Curse
7:39 Dungeons of Aether
9:16 Valfaris Mecha Therion
11:25 Sushi For Robots
12:48 Ninja or Die
14:56 Grim Guardians
16:55 Nocturnal
18:45 Elypse
20:22 The Last Case of Benedict Fox
22:34 Planet of Lana
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
You might have notices the videos of Josh Bycer in these electronic pages. He does us all a wonderful service by seeking out interesting indie games and presenting them to us, often several to a video, as well as interviews with their developers and sometimes other topics too.
What you might not know is that Josh has a number of books in print on game design, out through Routledge! If you have some spare cash, you might want to check these out! Sure, it is blatant pimping, but Josh is a deserving subject, and he graciously lets use a lot of his work, it seems like the least I could do, plus some of you may find these very interesting!
20 Essential Games to Study: “The purpose of this book is to look over the past 35 years of games to discuss titles whose design deserves to be studied by anyone with an interest in game design. While there are plenty of books that focus on the technical side of Game Development, there are few that study the nature of game design itself. Featuring a mix of console and PC offerings, I purposely left off some of the easy choices (Mario, Starcraft, Call of Duty, Overwatch) to focus on games that stood out thanks to their designs.”
Game Design Deep Dive: Horror: “The Game Design Deep Dive series examines a specific game system or mechanic over the course of the history of the industry. This entry will examine the history and design of the horror genre and elements in video games. The author analyzes early video game examples, including the differences between survival, action-horror, and psychological horror. Thanks to recent hits like Five Night’s at Freddy’s, Bendy and the Ink Machine, and recent Resident Evil titles, the horror genre has seen a strong resurgence. For this book […], Joshua Bycer will go over the evolution of horror in video games and game design, and what it means to create a terrifying and chilling experience.”
Game Design Deep Dive: Roguelikes: “[…] examines the history and rise of the often-confusing roguelike genre. Despite being more than 30 years old, the roguelike genre remains a mystery to a lot of consumers and developers. Procedural generation, or having the game generate content, has been a cornerstone and point of complexity since its inception. The 2010s saw an explosion of new designs and examples, along with a debate about what a roguelike is. The genre found its way back to mainstream audiences with the award-winning Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls. Since then, roguelikes have revolutionized the way we see and design games. Author and game design critic Joshua Bycer explains the differences between the various roguelike designs and give a detailed blueprint showing what makes the best ones work.”
Game Design Deep Dive: Free-to-Play: “Game Design Deep Dive: Free-to-Play continues the series’ focus on examining genres with a look at the history and methodology behind free-to-play and mobile games. The genre is one of the most lucrative and controversial in the industry. Josh Bycer lays out not only the potential and pitfalls of this design but also explores the ethics behind good and bad monetization.”
Game Design Deep Dive: Platformers: “This book examines the history of jumping – one of the oldest mechanics in the industry – and how it has evolved and changed over the years. The author looks at the transition from 2D to 3D and multiple elements that make jumping more complicated than it looks from a design perspective.”
The massive showcase highlighting all my favorites from the turn-based festival on steam. Games played were either demos or developer submissions.
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
The indie showcases highlight the many indie games we play on the channel, all games shown are either press keys or demos. If you would like to submit a game for a future stream and video please reach out.
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
The weekly indie showcase spotlights the many indie games we play here on the channel. If you would like to submit a game for a future stream and video, please reach out.
Owner of Game Wisdom with more than a decade of experience writing and talking about game design and the industry. I’m also the author of the “Game Design Deep Dive” series and “20 Essential Games to Study”
