Hey, Good Game explores the stories behind your favorite brainy games. Each week, we interview game creators and dig into what it takes to build a successful indie game, how to monetize, and how to get traction.
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From Side Project to 35,000 Monthly Users: The MathHeads Story
Épisode 44
mardi 15 octobre 2024 • Durée 36:10
Aman Rawal and Ben Hollier, the minds behind MathHeads, a game designed to make mental math enjoyable. The conversation spans the development journey and multiplayer features of MathHeads, elaborating on backend challenges, user experience, and the game’s reception. It further explores strategies in managing a mix of game modes and user engagement through platforms like Discord. The discussion highlights marketing strategies leveraging Reddit and Google Ads, tackles the intricacies of monetization and infrastructure, and showcases unexpected collaboration opportunities, such as with the World Mental Calculation League.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Community Engagement: The importance of engaging with users through platforms like Discord. MathHeads utilized user feedback extensively to improve their site and gather data on user behavior.
Iterative Development: The value of releasing basic versions of the game to get early feedback and iterating based on user responses.
Monetization Challenges: The journey to monetizing the platform, including failed attempts with Google AdSense and deciding to build a larger user base before focusing heavily on monetization.
Backend Challenges: The complexities of developing real-time, head-to-head multiplayer functionalities and managing cross-platform issues (iOS vs. Android).
Partnerships and Accountability: Highlighting the importance of having a team or partners to stay accountable and motivated, which can be crucial for maintaining momentum in developmental projects.
User Personalization: Offering different game modes and difficulty levels to appeal to a wide range of users.
Networking and Exposure: Through community and organic growth, they came across various partnerships and opportunities, albeit some didn’t align perfectly with their current capabilities or goals.
Regular Updates and Communication: Ensuring to keep the user base informed about updates through regular communication on platforms like Discord.
Quizwise: From Hobby Project to 140k Monthly Quiz Takers
Épisode 43
mardi 8 octobre 2024 • Durée 50:33
Andrew Bartle, the creator of the quiz game, QuizWise. With over 25 years of experience as a software developer, Andrew shares his journey from developing games as a child to founding a successful quiz platform. He discusses the importance of passion in game development, the influence of his late collaborator Barry Lakeman, and how A/B testing played a pivotal role in the site's evolution. Andrew talks about his experience with various ad providers, the impact of AI, and the dedication to maintaining the educational value of QuizWise.
In this episode, you'll learn:
QuizWise Origins: QuizWise was conceptualized as a SEO experiment and as a site with broad content appeal.
Content Creation Process: The questions are created thoughtfully, focusing on enduring relevance rather than transient details.
User Engagement and Feedback: Feedback from users, both positive and corrective, is highly encouraged and valued to maintain the site's quality.
AI Utilization: While the questions at QuizWise are not generated by AI, ChatGPT's API is used for quality control to check for accuracy, correctness, and typographical issues.
Ad Revenue and Challenges: The platform supports itself through ad revenue, attempting to balance the user experience without intrusive advertisements.
Changing ad providers can be challenging due to initial disruption but can also lead to significant revenue shifts.
Future Plans and Aspirations: There's interest in potentially developing new games and leveraging current user engagement.
Community and Legacy: Andrew’s bond with his quiz-making colleagues and the legacy of Barry Lakeman play an integral part in the story of QuizWise.
Building Word Games Without Frameworks With Cassidy Williams
Épisode 34
mardi 6 août 2024 • Durée 47:13
Cassidy Williams is a prolific content creator, developer advocate, and builder. Aaron Kardell and Joseph Rueter discuss Jumblie—a word game inspired by a coding challenge—and Cassidy's previous games.
Cassidy shares her journey, the influence of her time in Spain, SEO, her love for board games like Agricola and Civ 6, and her stint as a mascot at Iowa State University.
How to Build a Successful Art Career by Embracing Creative Selfishness
Épisode 33
mardi 30 juillet 2024 • Durée 54:47
Peter Mohrbacher, creator of Angelarium, emphasizes the importance of creating art for yourself rather than trying to please others or meet market expectations. He argues that the best art comes from a place of "creative selfishness" - following your own obsessions and interests without worrying about external validation. This approach has allowed him to maintain a unique artistic voice while building a successful business around his personal project. However, he acknowledges that this path isn't for everyone, as many artists struggle with the business side of self-publishing and marketing their work.
Greg Karber is the creator of the hit murder mystery puzzle game Murdle. Greg shares the fascinating journey of Murdle's creation, from a simple puzzle made for a friend to a bestselling book series and popular daily online game.
We dive into Greg's influences, how he monetizes Murdle, and the balance between game mechanics and storytelling.
Cole Medeiros' career in game design is driven by passion and authenticity. He started creating games as a child (GUBS in fourth grade) and has successfully transitioned this early interest into a professional career.
His approach emphasizes the importance of genuine enthusiasm for the project, close collaboration with partners (as seen in his work with ConcernedApe), and the ability to balance the creative and business aspects of game development.
Cole's journey showcases how personal passion can lead to successful game creation, from indie board games to working on major titles like Stardew Valley.
Episode 29: Jim Horne is the creator of Microsoft FreeCell and xwordinfo.com. Jim shares his journey from early programming to joining Microsoft in 1988, where he secretly added FreeCell to Windows.
His passion for crosswords led to writing for the New York Times and developing xwordinfo.com. Jim discusses his time at Microsoft, including sharing an office wall with Steve Ballmer, and the serendipitous nature of his career. He touches on the "unsolvable" FreeCell game and his recent collaboration on "I'm Squeezy." Throughout, Jim highlights the intersection of music and programming, offering insights into early computing, casual games, and the crossword community, demonstrating how pursuing interests can lead to unexpected opportunities.
Say Yes to Creativity: Tracy Fullerton's 10-Year Project
Épisode 28
mardi 18 juin 2024 • Durée 58:30
Episode 28: Tracy Fullerton is a pioneering game designer, educator, and USC Games Program Director emeritus. The conversation covers Tracy's extensive career in game design, her creation of the game 'Walden,' and her unique approach to blending philosophy with gameplay.
Tracy opens up about the decade-long development of 'Walden,' the challenges and joys of translating Thoreau's philosophies into an immersive experience, and her experiences mentoring the next generation of game designers.
We talk about why you shouldn't say "No," the intricacies of player emotional experience goals, and the importance of being a passionate and generous designer.
(30:09) - International Reach and Localization Challenges
(31:47) - Player Feedback and Diverse Audience
(32:22) - Teaching First-Person Game Mechanics
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Sega’s Downfall Was… Sega?
Épisode 27
mardi 11 juin 2024 • Durée 01:04:20
Episode 27: Blake Harris is the acclaimed author of "Console Wars" and "The History of the Future." Blake shares his journey from a struggling screenwriter to a successful author, diving into the intense rivalry between Sega and Nintendo that defined a generation of gaming.
He reveals insights into the internal conflicts at Sega that contributed to their downfall and discusses the revolutionary impact of Oculus and virtual reality on the tech landscape.
Blake also offers a sneak peek into his upcoming book about comedy legend Larry David, creator of "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," complete with humorous anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories. From the challenges of getting in touch with industry giants like Seth Rogen to the joys and struggles of writing about beloved cultural icons, this episode is packed with compelling stories and valuable lessons on persistence, research, and the art of storytelling.
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