Episodes

  • Nice Thinking: "Bachelorette Weekend Dinner Quest"

    Nice Thinking: "Bachelorette Weekend Dinner Quest"
    Jun 18 2026

    In this episode Lydia discusses how best to make all her friends hangry by making them do puzzles before releasing food. By which I mean, she got Stephen and Mark to do her work for her.

    So, if you were part of the weekend of puzzles and quests that Lydia was preparing for, please tell us how Stephen and Mark did, at nicegames.club/feedback.

    • Lydia got Mark a present, which the clubhouse audibly reacts to, but never describes. This is it:
    Puzzeling the Bachelorettes

    Rebus

    Rebus generatorfestisiteRebus generatorEduPics

    Puzzle completion
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Vehicle Design (with Kris Roberts)

    Vehicle Design (with Kris Roberts)
    Jun 11 2026

    Seatbelts, everyone! This week the Nice Hosts talk vehicles, which apparently means more than just cars. That's good news because none of them know much about cars (hopefully Nice Guest and vehicle specialist, Kris Roberts doesn't notice). So pile on in and buckle up: we're going to talk about the challenges of capturing the feel of a vehicle with video game inputs, what a solid vehicle system needs at a minimum, and the hobbyist racing scene.

    Vehicle DesignGame DesignProductionProgrammingKris shared a couple photos of his sports car with us.His car, at another angle.Kris Roberts's Website - Kris RobertsSim Racing Streamers
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    Less than 1 minute
  • "I need less squidgy." Part-time Work; Hint

    "I need less squidgy." Part-time Work; Hint
    Jun 4 2026

    After the supersized meta of this episode, your nice hosts discover (or rediscover in some cases) the joy of part-time work, and contemplate the intricacies of hints for games.

    • Lydia gave this card to Stephen for his graduation party!
    • Gabe Korth was mentioned during the meta, recently found in this Nice Games Jam episode!Repair-ent
    0:22:45Part-time WorkSpeculative workWikipediaHintChicory: A Colorful TaleWishes Unlimited Games
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Dark Patterns (with Sam Liberty)

    Dark Patterns (with Sam Liberty)
    May 28 2026
    Your nice hosts have talked a lot over the years about exploitative game design, and this week we brought in an expert on gamification to lay out some of the dark patterns in games that take players' money and time via deceptive framing and UX.https://samliberty.comSam Liberty - MediumSam Liberty - LinkedInDark PatternsGame DesignWhy “Addictive” Gameplay Should Never Be The Goal - Lydia Symchych, ELB LearningHEXAD FrameworkAddiction by Design - Natasha Dow SchüllTiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything - BJ FoggHow to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be - Katy MilkmanHow dating apps weaponized loneliness against their users - Sam Liberty
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Working with Voice Actors (with Yuri Lowenthal)

    Working with Voice Actors (with Yuri Lowenthal)
    May 21 2026

    In this episode, Yuri Lowenthal, prolific actor and Insomniac's Spider-Man, web-crawls into the clubhouse and does whatever a spider can, assuming a spider can talk into a microphone about the art of acting in video games. Mark explores the difference between screen acting and voice acting, Lydia takes comfort in the fact that when you have a team supporting you, you’re not going to mess it up on your own, and Stephen learns that snipping an Achilles tendon is a finishing move.

    Working with Voice Actors AudioYuri Lowenthal on BlueskyYuri Lowenthal on Instagram - Instagram
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Interactive Fiction Communities (with Andrew Plotkin)

    Interactive Fiction Communities (with Andrew Plotkin)
    May 14 2026
    Warm weather is on the way and you need to stay hydrated. As a start, take a sip of water every time you hear the phrase "in the 90's." This week we're learning about Interactive Fiction - its history, communities, and transformations over the years - from living archive of the medium, Andrew Plotkin. As a bonus, Stephen discovers that he isn't the only one who is wrong about things! Credit for this episode's extra-thorough show notes goes to Andrew. Thanks, Andrew!Interactive Fiction CommunitiesEventsIRLNarrativeColossal Cave Adventure - William Crowther and Donald Woods, The Interactive Fiction DatabaseThe Visible Zorker: Zork 1Interactive Fiction Competition (ongoing since 1995!) - Interactive Fiction CompetitionInform IF language launched around 1993 (https://www.inform-fiction.org/). You can find the modern version at https://inform7.com/ This allowed people to create games for Infocom’s original Z-machine, which was invented as a proprietary system in 1979 but is now open-source.The modern version of the IF community's FTP site - Interactive Fiction ArchiveInteractive Fiction Technology FoundationNarrascope ConferenceTwine - Chris Klimas, TwineryRise of the Video Game Zinesters - Anna Anthropy, AmazonThe Cuddled Little Vice (Sandman) - Elizabeth Sandifer, Eruditorum PressAndrew's Interactive Fiction and Game recommendations - IFcomp 2025 winners - Type Help - Roottrees are dead - Return of the Obra Dinn - Murder at the Birch Tree Theater
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    Less than 1 minute
  • "Look who's old now!" Exhibiting Your Game; Design Investigations

    "Look who's old now!" Exhibiting Your Game; Design Investigations
    May 7 2026

    We talk of the old and the new in this episode, where we sort of revisit a long ago discussed topic and bring in a new topic for our (and your) perusal.

    • Lydia, Mark and Dale (not Stephen) finishing Video Game Mayhem...
    • ... and Wizard's Tower in record time!
    • Trapped Puzzle Rooms
    • MPS Community Education
    • Lydia's family sewing machine!
    0:09:39Exhibiting Your Game0:39:39Design InvestigationsReading backwards: Reading against the grainKatherine FirthResearch Degree Insiders
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Healthy Criticism (with August Brown)

    Healthy Criticism (with August Brown)
    Apr 30 2026

    We welcome August Brown back into the clubhouse once more to discuss healthy criticism in the workplace, and how to foster that environment in your spaces.

    Healthy CriticismProductionHotel Infinity - Studio ChyrNo Hard Feelings - Liz Fosslien & Mollie West Duffy, Portfolio
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    Less than 1 minute