Mingling monster parts and exploring a "world full of surprises" -- the art process for creating good-looking, kid-friendly characters and populating a world full of them. ...

This week, our partnership with game criticism site Critical Distance brings us picks from Eric Swain on topics ranging from the legend of Polybius to a response to Blake Reynolds on the contemporary reception of pixel art. ...

Unknown Worlds' Hugh Jeremy explains how and why building a real-time sentiment feedback system into its open-world undersea exploration game Subnautica helped the studio make a better game. ...

"After overcoming all the challenges that the design exposed, Val felt like an already member of the Kerbal Universe. She become, as stated at the beginning of the post, more than polygons and textures." ...

"You might be seriously worried that the game simply won't be deep enough to meet your design goals without the added complexity. That's a valid concern. Not once have I ended up adding the complexity back in." ...

Tale of Tales' Michael Saymn writes about capturing the style of a decade through reference material -- not just visual, but political and cultural -- in Sunset. ...

"I will specifically highlight my insecurities while writing about people of color who lived in the age of colonialism. An honest and realistic answer to the question: Who am I to tell their story?" ...

"I cannot remember when in the past I learned so much in just one month. We proved we are capable of doing a 3D and VR game in this young technology." ...

A tough task: Representing mental illness with respect and relevance. "Vanishing Point lacked the laser-precise direction to unite its constituent parts into something thematic, relevant, and positive." ...

"Create something new nobody has seen before that ultimately fits your game! Seriously! I'd like to encourage that! There should be more adventure games with innovative and new interfaces." ...