Reading List (September 2019) (Patreon)

Hello! You know the drill by now - here’s 30 articles and videos I recommend you check out! Thanks for your support in September

Top Pick

[Watch | 9 mins] Why the Guns In Modern Warfare Sound So Incredible - Marshall McGee recreates the sound effect of a Modern Warfare firefight, to show how many distinct layers come together to make that satisfying sound.

Design Corner

[Read | 6 mins] The Small But Important Change 'Celeste' Made to Its Celebrated Assist Mode - Language is important

[Watch | CC | 3 mins] Let's Make a Video Game Together! - Ubisoft designer Stanislav Costiuc is making a game by taking iterative ideas from his YouTube audience. Clever idea!

[Watch | CC | 10 mins] You Need To Play Dicey Dungeons - Snoman goes in depth on Terry Cavanagh’s latest game

[Watch | 16 mins] The History of Magic and Mana in Video Games - HeavyEyed looks at how this DnD trope has made its way into games throughout the years

[Watch | 14 mins] How Dead Cells Exploits Your Indecision - Fascinating psychology of play type stuff

[Read | 29 mins] i don’t think i like prestige games - This piece on prestige games (like prestige TV) might read a bit mean spirited, but it’s still well worth checking out.

[Watch | 7 mins] Monument Valley's Level Design - Another Mix and Jam video, this time about the brain-boggling iOS adventure game Monument Valley.

Sound and Vision

[Watch | CC | 11 mins] How Breath of the Wild's Climbing Animation Works - Dan goes deep on Zelda

[Watch | CC | 8 mins] How to Wield the Master Sword - Dan goes deep on Zelda

[Watch | CC | 9 mins] The Music of Cecil's Redemption - Final Fantasy IV - Mat continues his Warriors of Leitmotif series, which is a game-by-game look at the music in Final Fantasy

[Watch | 6 mins] Gears 5 lacks weight and intensity - It’s the little things that matter

[Watch | CC | 12 mins] The Animation of Hollow Knight - Wouldn’t be a reading list without some Hollow Knight

Dev Speak

[Read | 15 mins] Seaman creator Yoot Saito on the fishy Dreamcast AI that was way ahead of its time - I own this game. I found it in a charity shop in London, despite the fact it never came out in the UK. Haven’t played it, mind….

[Watch | CC | 7 mins] The Story of Celeste's Development - A short and sweet interview with Noel

[Watch | 8 mins] Was my indie game LAUNCH a success? - Game dev YouTuber Blackthornprod made a game recently, called The Dreadful Whispers. His recent videos have been about the success of the game (this one has exact sales numbers) which is fascinating.

[Watch | 7 mins] 5 Marketing Mistakes Indie Devs Make with their Games - Good knowledge from an industry vet

Analyse This

[Watch | 10 mins] The Theology of Dishonored - Games as Lit looks at the religious themes of Dishonored’s Outsider.

[Watch | CC | 18 mins] Solving Zelda's Greatest Mystery: The Secret Messages - What do all those weird hints mean in Zelda 1?

[Watch | 11 mins] The True Treasure in Heavens Vault - Static Canvas talks about the archeological inspirations of Heaven’s Vault

[Watch | 21 mins] Outer Wilds Part 2: Being There - Errant Signal has a spoiler heavy analysis of the themes in Outer Wilds

[Watch | 6 mins] That Sense Of Wonder - What's With Games talks immersion and simulation boundaries

[Read | 8 mins] 'Gears 5' Is Playing Catch-Up With Ideas That Are Already Outdated - I mean, yeah

Making Lists

[Read | 19 mins] The 50 best video games of the 21st century - Some iffy picks and sad omissions, but a pretty good look at the last 20 years of games

[Read | 15 mins] The 20 best games of the past 20 years (that never get into top 20 lists) - If the above list was too mainstream for you, check this out

[Watch | 15 mins] The Best Video Game Logos - RelaxAlax proves that you can’t be a wacky gaming ‘Tuber without a logo or box art episode

Beyond Bytes

[Watch | 21 mins] Japanese City Pop and the Rise of Future Funk - I’ve never heard of this!

[Watch | CC | 13 mins] A Review of The Actual Odyssey, Using Assassin's Creed Odyssey, in the Style of The Odyssey - Super Bunnyhop releases the most Super Bunnyhop video imaginable

[Watch | CC | 25 mins] Stranger Things and the Dangers of Nostalgia - Mining vintage media for ideas can be good, but it can also lead to revisiting retrograde views on society. Important video.

[Watch | CC | 4 mins] How Sound Works (In Rooms) - As someone who cares about recording audio, this was very interesting!

[Watch | 12 mins] Can I make "It's Everyday Bro" a Good Song? - I got slightly addicted to this channel which (among other things) uses audio production techniques to improve some historically awful songs. Turns out, even a Jake Paul rap can become a bumpin’ earworm.