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Games combine the interactivity of a toy with art. Approaching them the same way as movies or books to tell stories is fundamentally wrong, because those media are non-interactive. For a game to be good, gameplay has to be fun, even if the game's meaning is more profound.

I found this "fun vs. engaging" debate fascinating because I have never seen it in 25 years of gaming and 16 years of making games. People try so hard to avoid admitting an elementary truth: Developers always designed games, balanced them, and juiced them to make them more fun.

The rainbow extremists will eventually approach every creator with enough reach, so I encourage everyone to prepare and decide where they wish to draw the line. If things escalate, keep the receipts and let everyone know. People will help counter any cancellation attempts.

Many indiedevs work against their best interests by joining the industry. The most blatant example was when people migrated to bluesky because of Elon. It's pointless to cater to the press, activists, experts, and publishers. When you prioritize players, the rest will come.

Discarding the anti-fun activists, the fun and engaging aspects of gaming are two separate concepts. The simplest example is AAA's "find 20 hidden thingies" objectives to extend playtime. Such content keeps players engaged, but it's considered tedious, not fun. It's bad design.

Fun in gaming is both objective and subjective. Designers balance and polish games to make them objectively more fun. Players have personal preferences for mechanics and themes that they typically find more enjoyable. A good game design maximizes fun for its target audience.

Gamers have a better grasp of what makes games great than many designers. Some people who rely on formal education get too arrogant from theory, but lack practical understanding. The best way to improve design skills is to play more games, then discuss what worked and why.

We innovate in games to combat the genre and theme fatigue. AAA has mostly stopped doing that, instead trying to attract demographics outside its core fanbase, while taking fans for granted. Most new genres and fresh ideas come from mods and indies, while AA refines them.

Some indies have this wild misconception that they can rely on a publisher to take care of the business side of indiedev. In reality, it's the opposite. You have to know everything about your business not to get screwed by a bigger business.

Happy International Children's Day! "Pride Month" should never overshadow this important day. Have fun with your kids, visit family with kids, and make sure children know they are loved and cared for by responsible adults who will leave them a better world.

While I was still developing Soulash 1, I remember reading on my timeline: "Keep your scope small, you won't build another Dwarf Fortress". Generic indiedev advice, but I took that personally. 😁 The first step towards success is daring to dream beyond what others will.

Gameplay is much harder to market, because "looks fun" and "plays fun" are very different. That's why most trailers don't show how games play. However, gameplay drives word-of-mouth marketing because everyone wants a fun game. Gameplay should always come first.

"As an artist, you shouldn't use AI". I see myself as a craftsman rather than an artist, even though I often share my thoughts on creative expression. Too many artists today are very impractical and narcissistic in their expression, and I find it embarrassing. I see AI as a

Permadeath can be fun. Even if the character dies in Soulash 2, its effect on the continuously simulated world lasts for further playthroughs. Death brings an opportunity for a new adventure, possibly as the previous character's heir.

Some people want to keep painting pictures, writing code, or rigging models, but I want to develop worlds. No matter what anyone thinks AI tools will deliver, I'm confident they won't do enough during my lifetime. My dreams are infinite, my time is limited.

Many artists look at AI tools and see meaningless, soulless pieces. I look at AI tools and see it too:

I still receive so many love letters from random woke girls. Alas, I hope each one will find a younger "far-right jerk" to express their affection. This one is already happily married to a lovely green-haired lady for 17 years and counting.

Indie marketing. 😂