Art & Craft

Gorogoa is the kind of brilliant game that's almost hard to believe exists even as you're experiencing it. A densely layered puzzle journey that takes place inside a hand-illustrated fantasy world. Join us as we sit down with its creator Jason Roberts, and peel back some of those layers. Together, we discuss the seven year journey to bring Gorogoa to life, the ebb & flow of creative motivation, and the secret feelings we all harbour to find and solve the puzzles all around us.

"Cultivate what matters. Cut away the rest." This is the slogan for developer Joel McDonald's breakout mobile game Prune, a title about carefully cutting away at trees to help them flourish. It's also the philosophy at the heart of Joel's own journey, from making big blockbuster titles to striking out on his own in search of something more personally fulfilling. Join us as we discuss making that leap, the need for more diversity in the industry, and the challenge of listening to the game you're making.

Before the term "indie" had the cachet it does now, Nick Suttner was one of the voices shining a light on small, artful games as a writer for EGM and 1UP. That passion led him into developer relations, where he worked for years helping creators bring their work to PlayStation & Oculus platforms. Join us as we talk with Nick about the art of the release strategy, the shifting landscape of games writing, and the allure of the mysterious.

You can learn so much from how someone younger responds - or in some case doesn’t respond - to what they’re seeing, playing, or reading. Sago Mini, makers of digital & physical toys for children, are constantly thinking about how to craft better experiences for this audience. Join us as we talk with Sago CEO Jason Krogh about play testing games with kids, extending digital play into the real world, and making things you feel good about.

With so many digital tools used to create them, the term "hand-crafted" has become a marketing buzzword in the games industry. It's meant stir up nostalgia, and bring to mind images of tinkerers toiling away in a workshop. For Luke Whittaker and State of Play Games, though, there couldn't be a more fitting descriptor. Join us as we talk with him about bringing digital experiences to life with physical materials, and the exhilarating uncertainty of making art.