José Pérez

Inside the Magic Circle: Understanding Why We Play A reflection on space, rules, joy, challenge, and the invisible boundaries of play

As a kid I turned a bedroom into my playground, I was the king of pirates.

Years later, I learned there was a concept for that feeling: The Magic Circle.

My new post dives into what happens when imagination, space, and rules turn into play.

#gamedesign #playfulthinking #gamedev

A Masterpiece Lost in Its Own Dimension, The Making Of Fez - Masters of Indiedev The beauty of Fez and the fury of its creator

Ever played a game that made you want to make games?

For me, that was Fez.

This week I explored its art, gameplay and development process

Bonus: Fez reimagined on Pico-8 Palette 🎨

#gamedev #indiedev #Fez #pixelart

What I Learned After Failing, Restarting, and Building Games Again How I turned frustration into progress through discipline, limitations, and small wins

Learning game development isn’t about finding the perfect engine or watching endless tutorials

it’s about small wins, patience, and discipline. Because it is a complex area.

I’ve gathered a few lessons and reflections that might help you stay on track too.

#gamedev #indiedev #learning

game design is such an embarrassingly human endeavor. you stumble through iterations, lost in the woods like 20 times even tho this happened on your last game. The real magical games somehow feel like… the result of that process. Something was FOUND after the SEARCHING. So cool. Let’s keep doing it

Design Starts in Your Hands: How Input Shapes Play Understanding the silent dialogue between player and controller

We don’t just remember the games — we remember how they felt in our hands.

My new post dives into how controllers shaped our connection with games.

Read more here 👇

#gamedev #gamefeel

Skate Story on Steam Ollie, kickflip, and grind your way through the ash and smoke of the Underworld as you take on a seemingly impossible quest. Skate fast to destroy demons and save other tortured souls on your journey ...

I really like videogames demos, they are just a tiny version of a whole experience but with a really thoughtful approach, they want you as future player.

I’ve been waiting news about Skate Story and demo is available now!

The aesthetics and abstract essence is selling the game by itself 🤓

Every Great Game Starts with Words, Not Code Turning ideas into structure through documentation and pre-production, our secret handcrafted Game Dev Framework

Most unfinished games don’t fail because of code — they fail because there’s no structure behind the ideas.

Before art, before code, comes documentation — the invisible bridge between creativity and completion.

My management skills at your service, for free. 👇

#gamedev #indiedev #methodology

Save 85% on RPG Maker MV on Steam POWERFUL enough for a developer SIMPLE enough for a child VERSATILE enough for any platform!RPG MAKER MV allows you to make the RPG of your dreams! This latest version includes a host of new featuresa...

RPG Maker MV released on 2015 is still a really decent tool and it is at 85% discount store.steampowered.com/app/363890/R... (3/3)

Enjoy!

#indiedev #gamedev #rpg

Save 20% on Aseprite on Steam Aseprite is a pixel-art tool to create 2D animations, sprites, and any kind of graphics for games.

Aseprite. It is a must have for 2D pixel artist and hobbyist store.steampowered.com/app/431730/A... (2/3)

I use it on a daily basis as my default editor not only for game assets but for UIs and other material

Tons of videos and documentation to learn

#pixelart #indiedev

Save 40% on picoCAD on Steam A tiny modeler for tiny models! Unleash your creativity in retro 3D and find a fun, easy, and accessible way into 3D modelling by focusing on the bare essentials.

Before Steam sales are over (Oct 6th)

I would like to highlight some interesting tools for those willing to do some #gamedev and #art 🧵(1/3)

PicoCAD created by @johanpeitz.com is a tiny tool to create low-poly assets, developed with Pico-8 limitations is a really good creativity playground.

This Hit Viral Game From The Early 2000s Is Making A Comeback Next Year This article has been curated by Reconnect, the games writing discovery platform.

Reconnect Recommends:

This Hit Viral Game From The Early 2000s Is Making A Comeback Next Year

#gaming #videogames

Videogames Industry Snapshot - September 2025 From releases trends to pricing — the state of the industry before GTA VI’s release.

September by the numbers.

Top Releases, Trending Games, and a few ouch price changes.

Dive into the full Game Dev Pills Industry Snapshot

#gamedev #gamingnews #indiedev #steam

The True Horror Lurking in the Industry: Rising Costs From Game Pass math to Nintendo’s $90 cartridges, here’s why pricing feels more frightening than ever.

Sadly, most conversations about the games industry these days feel negative — layoffs, uncertainty, broken launches.

Now add $80 releases and subscription hikes on top.

I wrote about why pricing became the scariest part of 2025.

#GameIndustry #gamedev

A Dreamcast memory card unit. On the screen it shows me setting the year to 2025

Don't mind me, just setting up my new Dreamcast memory card in the year (checks notes)...2025.

Visual Unity, Playful Spirit: The Sokpop Collective Way A lens on how Sokpop Collective crafts a recognizable identity across dozens of small games.

Most studios dream of one breakout.

Sokpop just keeps dropping experiments — and they all feel connected.

That’s identity. That’s coherence.

#gamedev #indiedev #Sokpop #GameDesign

What Is The Definition of Play? Exploring the essence of interaction, fun, and meaning in games

Games aren’t just rules and mechanics—they’re freedom and creativity. I explored this question in my latest post

How would you define play?

#gamedev #playful #toys

Reading the Game: The Japanese Spirit Behind Gran Turismo Saga A journey through Japanese design, spirituality, and the birth of The Real Driving Simulator.

Ever noticed how Gran Turismo isn’t called “The Real Racing Simulator”?

It’s “The Real Driving Simulator.”

A small detail — but connected with the way Japanese Culture make things.

www.gamedevpills.com/p/reading-th...

#gamedev #gamedesign #racing

been working on some castle ruins tilesets today. big teslagrad vibes

Why Did You Stop Working on Your Game? Try Gamedev Timeboxing Small habits, big results in your gamedev journey.

You suddenly get the best idea ever.
You sketch the mechanics, dream about the art, maybe even write a GDD.
Fast forward a few weeks… Nothing moves forward.

That’s the reality for most of us. The trick? 30 minutes a day.

Tiny tasks > big abandoned dreams.

#gamedev #indiedev #timemanagement

Holy Imagery, Indie Glory: The Game Kitchen’s Miracle - Masters of Indiedev How a small Sevillian studio transformed Spain’s sacred traditions into one of indie gaming’s most acclaimed sagas.

A small studio in Seville.
A vision shaped by tradition.
A miracle called Blasphemous.

Full story on Gamedev Pills.

#gamedev #Indiedev #Blasphemous

Exactly, is a really cool concept as soon as you understand the meaning and purpose

Finite State Machines: Creating Structure for your Character Control A clean way to manage every action — from standing still to full combat.

Did you ever coded a player that attacks mid-air by mistake? Or your character keeps swinging their sword forever?

That’s what happens without a Finite State Machine.

How FSMs keep your game logic within a solid structure.

#gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign

Probably that’s the reason why we all are here, learning through the process, reading to be where the masters are. Bluesky being one of our enablers :)

Videogames Industry Snapshot (August 2025) From releases trends to layoffs — the state of the industry before GTA VI’s release.

August Snapshot in games: launches, gaps, and lessons.

Data, trends & context for gamers and devs who want the full picture.

If you like this content, every like & share keeps Gamedevpills.com growing 📈 thanks!

#gamedev #indiedev #gamingindustry

Gamedev Pills - Doses of Game Design and Industry Insight | José Pérez | Substack Learning game development and exploring the industry’s shifts — in small doses. Click to read Gamedev Pills - Doses of Game Design and Industry Insight, by José Pérez, a Substack publication. Launched...

It was about time… Freedom to write and explore one of the youngest industries

#gamedev #indiedev #videogames

How a Weekend Jam Can Teach You More Than a Month of Tutorials Where constraints fuel creativity, and failure is part of the lesson.

I know, I know... Today is Hollow Knight: Silksong Day — an extremely well-designed title, hidden rooms, challenging enemies, and power-ups.

But you know what else is a power-up?

A Game Jam. 48 hours, one small game.

Have you tried one? Read more on gamedevpills.com

#gamedev #silksong #indiedev

From Bastion to Hades: How Supergiant Games Became Masters of Indiedev An industry lens on how their gamedev philosophy shaped one of the most consistent indie studios of our time.

Supergiant Games has never missed. Here’s why they’re the indie studio I recommend the most.

#gamingindustry #gamedev #indiedev #hades

The 3Cs Framework: Character, Camera, Controls A small dose of design: how the 3Cs shape every player’s experience. This is the meta-game of emotions

Before art, before story, before music…
You know if a game feels right within seconds.

That’s the 3Cs at work: Character, Camera, Controls.

New post on Gamedev Pills

#gamedev #gamefeel #framework

Denmark Retro Shopping

I love to visit small retro shops around the world to find interesting titles.

This time I’ve been on #denmark at Nintendopusheren (I really recommend this shop)

Something I didn't mention in my story yesterday: one of the reasons that Team Cherry had such an enjoyable time making Silksong is that it's 2D. Nice and flat. Don't have to worry about 3D art pipelines.

In other words, all video games should be 2D