Vicky B 🔜 Interactive Futures (Fri)

Cool ok, let me know if they have been recorded, I would like to see your panel discussion too.

I don't know I'm afraid, I'll ask the organiser for you shortly and let you know.

Interactive Futures - Uncover the future of games - Interactive Futures TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW For tickets or to sign up to hear the latest about speaking, exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities follow the links below Tickets Sign up May 29, 2025 Speaker session tickets ...

Anyway, if you can, you should definitely head to Interactive Futures tomorrow if you're a student or someone who wants to chat to some local game devs.

It's free! And there'll be so many friendly people to talk to.

👉 interactive-futures.com

5/5

Early on in my career, I had thought about freelancing, but always thought I didn't have the skills for it to be financially viable for me. I certainly didn't have the confidence in myself to sell my abilities or capabilities. And if I'm honest, I still struggle with this today. 😅

4/5

Would I recommend working as a co-dev? 🤔

Yes, if you think it's the right fit for you. You may not get to work on the types of games you love most/all of the going, but you'll gain so much insight and experience from working on a variety of games with so many clients and other developers.

3/5

For me, I've certainly learnt a lot and have expanded my skillset and range as a designer in a co-dev due to the variety and quantity of titles I've worked on.

But it's certainly been difficult and frustrating at times. Your resilience and ability to adjust and react is heavily tested.

2/5

The Interactive Futures event is happening today and tomorrow, and earlier I was in a panel discussing the future of outsourcing, giving my perspective as a co-dev. 🎮

It was a great discussion talking about the benefits and challenges within the outsourcing area of the industry. ☺️

1/5

Game boxes for Halo Combat Evolved and Panzer Dragoon Orta on the Xbox.

The game boxes for PC: Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, and The Orange Box featuring Half Life 2 Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal.

Also found these bad boys. No good nowadays but can't bear to part with them.

#xbox #pcgames

Game box for The Secret World. On the cover are the characters, on the left a man wearing a black leather suit and gas mask brandishing a rifle, in the middle a blonde short-haired woman wearing a red suit emblazoned with white cross emblems and holding pistols, and on the right a man wearing a green suit with oriental detailing and metal gauntlets, wielding a samurai sword. The words "The Secret World" is displayed in white over the top.

Found this in a box while tidying up the loft, I've not touched it since it launched in 2012, and didn't realise it was still running. I wonder what it, and the legends remake, is like?

YouTube video by TamingGaming Ludocene Version 0.1 Tutorial

In case you missed it with EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON. We recently launched version 0.1 of our deck-builder game-finding (dating?) app. Shares appreciated.

- What's new: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujrv...
- Back on Kickstarter to get early access: www.kickstarter.com/projects/lud...

Designing is a collaborative effort. The more we work together, share our knowledge and objects, be open with our thoughts and reasonings, the better our designs and our games will become.

7/7

#gamedesign

I've also accepted that it's ok to ask other designers who do play more recent and larger games for their insights and analyses, and I can still learn from watching playthroughs too.

It's impossible to play everything and to gain all that knowledge completely on your own.

6/7

I would say so, casual games are still games that are enjoyed by millions of players, and I've learnt a lot of things from them too.

Maybe I've shot myself in the foot with this confession, but I'll let my work and skills show others what I'm good at and capable of.

5/7

I've accepted that I just don't have the mental energy or capacity nowadays for larger games or titles. And others could probably say the same, especially parents or those who are not able to.

But I do play a lot more casual and mobile games in my spare time instead. Does that count?

4/7

Sure I play and watch relevant and recent games as part of research for whatever I'm working on. But is that enough?

If you had asked me that 10-15 years ago, I would have argued the benefits of playing games outside of work to better yourself as a designer.

But now...

3/7

I was starting to worry that I was falling out of love with games, and whether that makes me a bad designer.

How can I offer creative insights and comparisons if I've not played anything recently to take inspiration or evidence from?

2/7

Before going on holiday, we were discussing whether to bring our Switches or other handhelds for the trip. Then I realised - I've not played a recent game in my spare time in months, probably a year!

I frantically looked through the switch store for something, but very little took my interest.🧵1/7

A woven bracelet with flowers with purple petals and a yellow centre, with black square knots in-between, resting on a beige foam board with black lines and the text "mini macrame board".

A purple macrame heart with a silver clip and purple tassels, resting on a beige foam board with black lines and the text "mini macrame board".

Last Sunday's craftiness #macrame

Difficulty = capability Vs barrier. Disability = mismatched interaction between capability and barrier. Accessibility = avoiding unnecessary mismatch between capability and barrier.

Timely reminder
(for full explanation see youtu.be/sPehhHZvKE8)
#gamedev #indiedev #accessibility

A photo of two macrame-woven handbags. The left bag is dark green with a long black strap and black clasp. The right back is khaki green with a long tan-brown strap and clasp.

Dancing and crafting - more specifically Macrame at the moment.

Being creative outside of games has so many benefits to our mental health.

3 illustrations showing the difference between WCAG, European Accessibility Act and EN 301 549 with the following text. WCAG: a cookbook: with recipes (guidelines) for preparing accessible digital content. It’s a global reference, but following it is voluntary. Illustration of a cook holding a WCAG cookbook European Accessibility Act. The food safety law: it makes serving accessible content mandatory in the EU. Enforced by EU member states, with penalties for non-compliance. Illustration of the scale of justice, with a contract named EAA EN 301 549: A detailed inspection checklist: not mandatory on its own, but, used to show the “recipes” were followed correctly. It’s based on WCAG. Illustration of a checklist, being checked by a pen, titled EN 301 549.

What’s the Difference Between WCAG, the EAA, and EN 301 549? Complex topic indeed.
I love a good food metaphor, so here we go:
- WCAG is the cookbook that tells you how to prepare accessible digital content.
- The EAA is the food safety law: it makes serving accessible content mandatory in the EU.

A tip on how to ensure projects stay on track by using timeboxing

I made a bunch of one page tips on #gamedev with stuff that I learned over the years. It leans towards the direction + production side.

This is stuff that worked for me, maybe it can be of use for you.

Here is a thread of tips, starting with keeping your project on track with timeboxing

🧵 1/20

Yes absolutely! Thanks for adding ☺️

@cgoodyear.bsky.social Thanks for the nudge!

10) Use headings appropriately and in the correct order. Don't swap them about or skip the ordering just to make your document look good. You can always edit the heading formatting and make that the default if you really need to.

9) Good grammar and punctuation is important. If you miss full stops or forget capitals, screen readers are going to have a bad time.

8) Add a section in your design docs dedicated to how your feature/level/game/idea/whatever is accessible, or how it can be made accessible.

For example, if it requires a setting to switch between toggle or hold input, if there are specific colour or size requirements, etc.

7) When adding tables, don’t make it too big or overwhelming - consider having the info in multiple tables if possible.

Also consider colouring or shading every-other row to make it easier to read, and adding a numbered column if you need to refer to anything in it later.

6) Avoid a whole page of block texts or a whole page of bullet points.

Consider a mix of the two to make it easier to read.

5) Use simple, commonly used words instead of difficult or advanced words.

If you are using words that can be confusing or could mean different things, consider adding a glossary so the reader can get a clear understanding of what those words mean in the context of your design.