Ridiculous Fishing: The Game that Nearly Ended Vlambeer 10
by Mike Rose [03.08.13]
The story of how the Dutch indie developer (Super Crate Box) almost lost its way entirely after its game was cloned, and that clone became a big hit on the App Store -- and how it found its way to work again with the help of some notable collaborators.
Business/Marketing, Design, Interview, Indie, Smartphone/Tablet

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Untold Riches: The Intricate Platforming of Tomb Raider 13
by Hamish Todd [03.01.13]
What game design gems lurk in the unexplored nooks and crannies of the original 1996 Tomb Raider? With the franchise now rebooted, designer Hamish Todd takes a close look at the series' first game, and the possibilities its constrained platforming allowed.
Design

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Postmortem: Unknown Worlds Entertainment's Natural Selection 2 20
by Charlie Cleveland [02.26.13]
The six year story of an indie Steam hit -- this is the story of how the team behind the popular shooter was formed, worked, and what they very much wish they could have changed about the company and project if they could.
Business/Marketing, Design, Postmortem, Production, Indie

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Let's Talk About Touching: Making Great Touchscreen Controls 34
by Tim Rogers [02.22.13]
Is it possible to make a touchscreen control interface that is device-native and as responsive and finely-tuned as one for a controller? In this Game Developer magazine reprint, Tim Rogers, developer of ZiGGURAT and TNNS, explores the possibility space.
Design, Indie, Smartphone/Tablet

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Defender's Quest: By the Numbers, Part 2 22
by Lars Doucet [02.20.13]
Indie developer Lars Doucet takes us back for another look at how his game has performed now that it's received a massive update and, in the process, landed on stores like Steam and GOG, detailing both his gross revenue and what, on the developer's end, goes into generating those numbers.
Business/Marketing, Design, Indie

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Proteus: A Trio of Artisanal Game Reviews 30
by Ian Bogost [02.15.13]
What is Proteus? How can it be appreciated? Setting aside the ongoing debate on whether or not it's a game, Noted academic and developer Ian Bogost here presents three reviews as three lenses through which to approach and appreciate it.
Design

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The Rise of the Mobile Collectible Card Game 14
by Christian Nutt [02.14.13]
Rage of Bahamut was a surprise smash hit -- and brought the collectible card game to prominence on mobile. But is it just a fad, or does it have sticking power? DeNA, Ngmoco, Gree, Konami, and Cygames weigh in.
Design, Interview, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet

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Storyboarding for Games User Research 6
by Lennart Nacke, Pejman Mirza-Babaei [02.13.13]
You can do user testing, and that can generate massive volumes of data -- but how can you feed that data back down to the team in a helpful way? Game user researchers Mirza-Babaei and Nacke discuss a useful storyboarding technique.
Design

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The Writer's Job: If Breaking Bad Became a Game... 24
by Susan O'Connor [02.12.13]
In this article, experienced game writer Susan O'Connor explores what a writer brings to the creative process, by analyzing hit TV series Breaking Bad -- as though she were in the kick-off meeting for its game adaptation.
Design

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Postmortem: zGames' Pong World 5
by Tanya Aulachynskaya, Chris Howard, Artyom Vorobyov [02.11.13]
What does it take to build a winning mobile game -- literally? This postmortem details the development of Pong World, the game that won Atari's Pong Indie Developer Challenge contest, with a focus on practical solutions in mobile game development.
Business/Marketing, Design, Postmortem, Production, Indie, Smartphone/Tablet

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