Indie Game Genres & Subtractive Design

🏥 support IGC on Patreon to join our closed Discord, get early access to new videos, exclusive scripts and show-notes, and access to our regular members-only playtests:   / indiegameclinic   Games shown & mentioned: Coffee Talk / HYPER DEMON / Blue Prince / Papers, Please / The Exit 8 / FADE / VA-11 Hall-A / Dredge / Backpack Hero / Pacific Drive / Portal / The Talos Principle / Assassin's Creed Unity / Elden Ring / Gone Home / 80 Days / Reigns / Unpacking / Hypnospace Outlaw / Cyberpunk 2077 / Dead Letter Department / Time Crisis / Overcooked / Kingdom Rush / Related Videos: Level Design for Solo Devs:    • Level Design Approaches for Solo Devs   Design By Constraint:    • Develop Better Games, Faster, with "Design...   Common Problems with Beginner Games:    • I Played 150 of Your Games; Common Problem...   Credits Music:    • Bare Maximum   Key Moments: 00:00 introduction 01:30 three subtractive design strategies 02:38 1. games with fewer characters 06:43 2. games with smaller worlds 12:20 3. games with less mechanics 15:14 final thoughts

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Game Mechanics & Systems Thinking
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Game Mechanics & Systems Thinking

Game Genres - a Design Perspective
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Game Genres - a Design Perspective

i gave 14,000 people 7 days to make a game
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i gave 14,000 people 7 days to make a game

The Secret to GOOD Game Ideas đź’ˇ [Practical Ideation Methods Explained]
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The Secret to GOOD Game Ideas đź’ˇ [Practical Ideation Methods Explained]

The Horror Mechanic That Was Banned for 20 Years
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The Horror Mechanic That Was Banned for 20 Years

Stop Looking For Game Dev "Advice"
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Stop Looking For Game Dev "Advice"

Wolfenstein: The New Colossus Critique - Business is Good
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Wolfenstein: The New Colossus Critique - Business is Good

I Played 150 of Your Games; Common Problems (and Solutions!)
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I Played 150 of Your Games; Common Problems (and Solutions!)

How (and Why) to Design for "Repetition With Variety"
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How (and Why) to Design for "Repetition With Variety"

Roguelikes Are Getting Weird
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Roguelikes Are Getting Weird

What Makes a Game Feel Mysterious?
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What Makes a Game Feel Mysterious?

The Game Dev Advice That Took 10 Years to Discover
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The Game Dev Advice That Took 10 Years to Discover

Roasting Steam Pages with a Marketing Expert
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Roasting Steam Pages with a Marketing Expert

The Design Principle That Separates Good Games From Great Ones
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The Design Principle That Separates Good Games From Great Ones

Reviewing a Bunch of RPG Maker Games
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Reviewing a Bunch of RPG Maker Games

Develop Better Games, Faster, with "Design by Constraint"
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Develop Better Games, Faster, with "Design by Constraint"

What is Fun? A Game Design Introduction
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What is Fun? A Game Design Introduction

Gameplay Loops Are Out, Chains Are In
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Gameplay Loops Are Out, Chains Are In

Modern Games NEED Style
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Modern Games NEED Style

$5,976,843 Taken, 3 Years Developed, Zero Game Delivered, Lawsuits Filed, Creators Missing
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$5,976,843 Taken, 3 Years Developed, Zero Game Delivered, Lawsuits Filed, Creators Missing