"The player's need to examine the text for gameplay clues wrecks the emotional effects the author works to build." That's just one problem for writing for games -- but here are some solutions. ...

Submissions are now open for Sense of Wonder Night, that annual showcase of interesting and innovative games that takes place as part of the Tokyo Game Show's indie game exhibition. ...

"Do you want to make a Unity game with retro graphics? This article is for you! It is separated into two parts: 2D and 3D games. I'll mention the techniques used in 64 Pixels of Cute and Forest At Night." ...

"It's the only time I've ever felt scared looking at a puzzle," says Bennett Foddy of QWOP and Super Pole Riders. "And it's nothing more than an artful arrangement of sausages." ...

"By deliberately not participating in the 'culture of sales', at least for a while, you risk losing out on revenue and visibility that those sales could have generated. To offset that risk you could draw attention to your 'no sale' promise." ...

A recent Polygon report sheds light on how some developers are banding together to try and make their own things instead of chasing after outsourced work from offshore publishers. ...

"In the end, to create a true co-op experience we believe you need to consider the narrative, mechanics and progression and make your players equally important throughout your experience." ...

"Game performance is one of the most important aspects of game development (apart from reducing build size). While working on serious projects, the price of the code must be considered as well." ...

Our partnership with game criticism site Critical Distance brings us picks from Zoya Street on how game designers can think about user experience. ...

"How do you take your game to the next level of visual appeal and make it more engaging and delightful? Creating a custom shader could be extremely helpful here." ...