エピソード

  • Nice Thinking: "Who That Pocket Monster?"

    Nice Thinking: "Who That Pocket Monster?"
    2026/07/09
    In this week's episode, the Nice Hosts want to make this year's IDGATC summer picnic the very best, like no picnic ever was. Lydia brings to the table a game that relies on knowing nothing about Pokémon, Mark accuses her of knowing too much about Pokémon, and Stephen does his best as their acting Person-Who-Knows-Pokémon (nicegames.club/feedback). Will they make a game in time to play that weekend? Stay tuned as the journey continues.Strange Finds (demo) - SteamPinfinityNot-Game-of-Thrones Puzzle Room - Trapped Puzzle RoomsPuzzle Works Escape Co.PromptTurn the Pokemon guessing game Lydia plays with her husband into a party game in time for the IDGATC summer picnic.Game typeTabletop gamePlayer count6+MaterialsElectronic device (laptop or phone)Random Pokémon Generator (we use randompokemonpicker.com)Grid of possible Pokémon pictures and namesSetupDivide into two teams of at least 3 people. The two Team Captains stand in front facing both teams.Distribute the list of the possible Pokémon to the players, either physically or digitally.Team Captains pull up the random generator on their device. If you'd like to play at home, here is the graphic Lydia made for the IDGATC picnic, complete with rules and round order:RulesGen 1, Kanto region, Unevolved, Default version Pokémon onlyTwo teams, 3+ people each, not including Team CaptainsBoth team are trying to guess the same, randomly selected PokémonOnly Team Captains can see the selected PokémonTeam Captains must know as little about Pokémon as possibleTeam Captains may not reveal obvious physical characteristics in their initial description1 correctly guessed Pokémon = 1 pointFirst team to 2 points wins!Round Order:Team A asks their Captain "Who that Pocket Monster?"Team A's Captain describes the Pokémon in a humerous, vibes-based wayTeam A may ask 1 obvious yes/no question about the Pokémon and it's appearance. If the Captain can't answer the question, they will say so and the team may ask a different one.Team A guesses which Pokémon their Captain is describingIf correct, Team A gets a point and a new Pokémon is chose. If incorrect, the process repeats for Team BRepeat steps 1-4 until a Team guesses the Pokémon correctly.If the rounds are dragging on, the Team Captains may reveal the Pokémon and take a point (bragging rights) for themselves
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  • "That’s basically numbers." Discussing Scope; Inspiration Though Research

    "That’s basically numbers." Discussing Scope; Inspiration Though Research
    2026/07/02

    In addition to the topics of this episode, we also revisit Lydia's bachelorette party game made in a previous episode! Listen to find out how it went, as well as the fascinating conversations your hosts talk through.

    • We talked through Lydia's bachelorette party game in this Nice Thinking episode.Bachelorette Weekend Dinner Quest
    0:12:23Discussing Scope0:32:06Inspiration Though ResearchValetWikipediaThe examples Lydia brings up in the show. More examples in the link below!1980-1989Karina ReddyFashion History Timeline
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  • The Job Market (with Amir Satvat)

    The Job Market (with Amir Satvat)
    2026/06/25

    This week's guest has good advice, harsh truths, hard numbers, and a big smile. Amir Satvat, tireless advocate and resource-provider for game developers looking for work via his organization ASGC (Always Supporting the Games Community), enters the clubhouse to help your nice hosts wrap their minds around a difficult job market.

    The Job MarketIRLAlways Supporting the Games Community homepageASGC Discord serverAmir Satvat - LinkedInGame Industry Coffee Chat Discord server
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  • Nice Thinking: "Bachelorette Weekend Dinner Quest"

    Nice Thinking: "Bachelorette Weekend Dinner Quest"
    2026/06/18

    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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  • Vehicle Design (with Kris Roberts)

    Vehicle Design (with Kris Roberts)
    2026/06/11

    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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  • "I need less squidgy." Part-time Work; Hint

    "I need less squidgy." Part-time Work; Hint
    2026/06/04

    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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  • Dark Patterns (with Sam Liberty)

    Dark Patterns (with Sam Liberty)
    2026/05/28
    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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  • Working with Voice Actors (with Yuri Lowenthal)

    Working with Voice Actors (with Yuri Lowenthal)
    2026/05/21

    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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