Newsletter 96

When you think of modern game design, you immediately think of software and coding.

But this game designer, who worked on trendy game projects in big companies like Oculus and Nike, went old school in conceptualizing his daily game project.

“Starting with paper and pencil, then playing with someone else is great,” said the creator of Couples, who created the game with his special someone.

5 brainy game insights you’ll love!

(Games, links, and resources we've bookmarked for you.)

Funnily, Wordle was also made with a special someone in mind, as Josh Wardle created it for his wife. Who knew his project would spawn all kinds of variants in a short time?

With all these breakout indie daily games coming out, new game developers are racing to create the next big thing. But most of the time, to find success, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel—just make it better!

Hesitant in trying to change something old? Improving on something already existing isn’t plagiarism—it’s innovation. Even 2048’s creator took inspiration from pre-existing games.

Innovation doesn’t have to be linear; look at how Zach Gage made chess more fun and chaotic with Really Bad Chess. There are so many ways to make a good experience great with just the right amount of creativity.

For last week’s trivia, the answer is “It was a puzzle game mainly designed for poor school children”! Congratulations to those who got it! Jigsaw puzzles were made in 18th-century England, when not everyone could get a formal education. The first batches of jigsaw puzzles were made for the children of the wealthy, like nobility and royalty.

Let’s start with this week’s question:

Thank you for reading this week’s issue. We’re cooking up a bunch of new videos and insightful content on our YouTube channel, so if you haven’t, subscribe now!

That’s all for this week. See you next Friday!

The Hey, Good Game Team