When is it appropriate to tackle real-world issues in games? How can game designers do so effectively, and respectfully? ...

""You never want to just place a light somewhere [randomly]," says Lake Ridden art director Erik Nilsson. "You want to [say] 'What can we do to make this area interesting with this light?'" ...

Obsidian's Josh Sawyer chats with Gamasutra about how the studio tried to update and refine its new seafaring Pillars of Eternity game without sacrificing what's special about party-based RPGs. ...

The Binding of Isaac creator Edmund McMillen reflects on seven years of The Binding of Isaac and how the game became an early indie darling. ...

"A lot of it is based on having worked on movies for many years," says DreamWorks animator turned game developer Lionel Gallat of the art and world design of his debut game, & #8203;Ghost of a Tale.  ...

Uppercut Games' Ed Orman opens up about how the studio's Arabian Nights-inspired roguelike City of Brass was designed around the BioShock-esque "one-two punch" of a whip and a scimitar. ...

"Brutal achievements [beat entire game without taking a hit] are going to be fun for an extremely small part of your user base," writes ID@Xbox's Chris Charla. "Are you sure you want to do them?" ...

Psyonix's Devin Connors delivers a great GDC 2018 Community Management Summit talk on the design and implementation of the language ban system in the studio's hit car soccer game Rocket League. ...

This week's highlights include a very special mocap video game dog, the making of the creepy The Church In The Darkness, and lots more besides. ...

"Staff will often sacrifice much more than should be required of them," ex-Xbox exec J Allard told Gamasutra. "If the work/life balance isn't healthy, they will naturally grow to resent the dynamic." ...