The Secret Lives of Games

The Secret Lives of Games
  • 4.9 (159)
  • VIDEO GAMES
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Candid conversations with game creators that dive deep into the art, craft, and process of making games.

  1. 153: Returning to the Wasteland with Jan Willem Nijman, Joonas Turner, and Jukio Kallio (Nuclear Throne)

    13H AGO

    153: Returning to the Wasteland with Jan Willem Nijman, Joonas Turner, and Jukio Kallio (Nuclear Throne)

    Rob and Zach chat with Joonas Turner (Downwell, Noita, Cult of the Lamb), Jukio Kallio (Fall Guys, Minit, Dave the Diver), and Jan Willem "JW" Nijman (Super Crate Box, Ridiculous Fishing, Minit) about their landmark twin-stick wasteland shooter, Nuclear Throne, and its recent blowout 10th anniversary update. They discuss reopening a project after a decade, balancing through play, the decision to not implement traditional invincibility frames, the shifting culture of what makes a design "engaging," and more! Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Discussed in this episode: Nuclear Throne https://nuclearthrone.com/ Controls You Can Feel: Putting Tactility Back Into Touch Controls https://youtu.be/OIOitNx9RHI?si=vcV3GCcsiy1W4Efr Spelunky https://www.spelunkyworld.com/  Shoot First https://www.indiedb.com/games/shoot-first Crimsonland https://www.crimsonland.com/ Downwell https://downwellgame.com/  Tormentor x Punisher https://tormentorxpunisher.com/ PAPERHEAD https://store.steampowered.com/app/2680280/PAPERHEAD/  Jukio's Bandcamp https://jukiokallio.bandcamp.com/   https://secretlives.games  https://discord.gg/tslog https://www.patreon.com/tslog

    1h 53m
  2. All Systems Brough - Kompendium

    FEB 21

    All Systems Brough - Kompendium

    We're joined by droqen (The End of Gameplay, Starseed Pilgrim), Liz Ryerson (musician, writer, podcaster), and Harry Lee Shang Lun (Earthrise One) for the third title in our year of All Systems Brough, a year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough: Kompendium.  This episode: Kompendium Next Month: Zaga-33 Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Kompendium https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/06/kompendium.html  868-BACK (Next Fest demo on February 23rd, 2026!) https://store.steampowered.com/app/3304110/868BACK/  Michael Brough's Website https://www.smestorp.com/  Liz's talk at boshi's place (Brooklyn, NYC | February 19th, 2026) https://boshis.place/events/26-02-20-boshi-s-lecture-series-presents-liz-ryerson https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2702430653 Harry's work https://hellothisismy.website/work/  Kompendium IGF judge feedback https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/04/kompendium-igf-feedback.html Mutual learning blog post https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/04/mutual-learning-aesthetic-for.html  Metagaming: Playing, Competing, Spectating, Cheating, Trading, Making, and Breaking Videogames by Stephanie Boluk and Patrick LeMieux https://www.upress.umn.edu/9780816687169/metagaming/ Multicolor Alien Olympic https://www.glorioustrainwrecks.com/node/2970  Glitch Tank https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2011/12/glitch-tank.html  Being good at Glitch Tank blog post https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2013/05/being-good-at-glitch-tank.html  At a Distance by Terry Cavanagh https://distractionware.com/atadistance/ Brough on iOS sale numbers https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/06/ios-sale-numbers.html  Garbage In, Garbage Out https://jonathanwhiting.com/games/garbagein/press.html  Exuberant Struggle http://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2011/02/exuberant-struggle.html  Brough writing on zero sum nature of 1v1 games https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2011/10/two-player-lessons.html  TIGSource Versus Competition  https://www.tigsource.com/versus-competition/  TIGSource Versus Competition Rules https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=17083.0  TIGSource Versus Competition 2011 Voting https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=18424.0  TIGSource Versus Competition 2011 Winner (0space by Beau) https://www.tigsource.com/2011/03/31/tigcompo-winner-0space/  0space itch download https://teknopants.itch.io/0space  Jesus vs Dinosaurs https://grapefrukt.itch.io/jesus-vs-dinosaurs  The Impossible Reversal by Peter McDonald https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517916220/the-impossible-reversal/  Run and Jump: The Meaning of the 2D Platformer https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262547390/run-and-jump/  A Is To B As B Is To C https://bocpages.org/wiki/A_Is_To_B_As_B_Is_To_C Chesh https://www.damiansgames.com/chesh  Brough's blog post about O https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/10/o.html  Brough on the new year (circa 2012) https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-year-cleansing.html  Side By Side S1 E3: Kompendium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWScEl_DbpM  Earthrise One https://www.earthrise.one/  Miscellaneous Two Player iPad Games https://eriksvedang.wordpress.com/shoot/  https://rustymoyher.com/press/bloop/    https://secretlives.games/  https://discord.gg/tslog https://www.patreon.com/tslog https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow

    2h 42m
  3. 152: Walking Over It with Gabe Cuzzillo and Bennett Foddy (Baby Steps)

    FEB 13

    152: Walking Over It with Gabe Cuzzillo and Bennett Foddy (Baby Steps)

    Rob, Doug, Andy, and Sarah chat with Gabe Cuzzillo (Ape Out, Despelote) and Bennett Foddy (Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, QWOP) about their (with Maxi Boch) latest game, the multi-IGF-nominated open-world hard-walking manchild simulator Baby Steps. We discuss the game's in-house approach to voice acting, balancing challenge with humor, creating (and hiding) a looping environment, telling an honest story about masculinity, including explicit content without getting banned from Steam, rock curation, secrets, and so much more! Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Discussed in this episode: Baby Steps https://www.babystepsgame.com/ Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111942/ My Summer Car https://store.steampowered.com/app/516750/My_Summer_Car/ zk map (for stranger) https://www.glorioustrainwrecks.com/node/11388  La belle noiseuse (1991) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101428/ Kelly Reichardt https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0716980/ Perfect Days (2023) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27503384/ The Taste of Things (2023) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19760052/ NYU Game Center Lecture Series Presents Jane Ng https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yWIoRuwpm0  DESPELOTE: FIFTH TRAILER (now on nintendo switch) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MXKlgMZ3Jc The Love That Remains (2025) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33381401/ Solo (Australian ad) 1983 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCkz0JsaU8k Solo Man ad, Australia 1986 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T3RS78Tp58 Solo (Australian ad) 1984 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_1nZZrv8aU  Frog Detective 3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1171320/Frog_Detective_3_Corruption_at_Cowboy_County/  https://secretlives.games  https://discord.gg/tslog https://www.patreon.com/tslog

    2h 59m
  4. All Systems Brough - Vertex Dispenser

    JAN 30

    All Systems Brough - Vertex Dispenser

    We're joined by droqen (The End of Gameplay, Starseed Pilgrim), Darius Kazemi (Tiny Subversions, Harvard Applied Social Media Lab), and Tara Macalister (mathematician, composer) to discuss Vertex Dispenser, the second game in our year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough. Next Month: Kompendium Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Vertex Dispenser https://store.steampowered.com/app/102400/Vertex_Dispenser/ Michael Brough's Website https://www.smestorp.com/ Four color theorem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_color_theorem Graph coloring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_coloring  Starcraft II https://starcraft2.blizzard.com/en-us/ Splatoon https://splatoon.nintendo.com/  Dota 2 https://www.dota2.com/home  Droqen's rare color graph/explanation https://discord.com/channels/690388280767807518/1442554518092120186/1465039921147412510  lots of michael brough games https://smestorp.itch.io/lots-of-michael-brough-games  The Sense of Connectedness https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=16151.0  Kompendium https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/06/kompendium.html The End of Gameplay https://droqen.itch.io/the-end-of-gameplay Utopia Clicker https://tinysubversions.com/game/utopia/ A Jackpot of Skulls https://brainfruit.studio/games/jackpot _update() Jam https://adamatomic.itch.io/update-jam   https://secretlives.games/  https://discord.gg/tslog https://www.patreon.com/tslog https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow

    1h 52m

  5. JAN 8

    Games of the Year 2025

    The gang's all here to count down our favorite "games" of "2025", alongside a bevvy of great picks from previous guests and listeners. Happy new year! Audio edited by Dylan Shumway   Our GOTY Picks (SPOILERS!):   ~~~~~~~~~   Rob 5. Many Nights a Whisper - Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour 4. Blue Prince - Dogubomb 3. Skat - German Trick Taking Game 2. UFO 50 - Mossmouth 1. Caves of Qud - Freehold Games   Zach Hollow Knight: Silksong - Team Cherry Pokemon Legends: Z-A - Game Freak Dragon Warrior IV - Chunsoft (Bonus: CorgiSpace - Adam Saltsman) Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (N64) - Lucasarts 1. Kirby and the Forgotten Land - HAL Laboratory   Doug 5. Don't Rank Cuomo - Robert Yang 4. Harold Holt Video Series (first episode) (YouTube uploads)  - James Ward 3. Baby Steps - Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy 2. Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers - Kart Krew 1. Slice & Dice - Tann   Nick Tall Trails - Brady Soglin Magical Athlete - Takashi Ishida - updated design by Richard Garfield The Attraction - Palace Games San Francisco Hot Streak - Jon Perry 1. Öoo - NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi   Sarah 5. Consume Me - Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, et al. 4. Blue Prince - Dogubomb 3. Slice & Dice - Tann 2. Tiny Bookshop - neoludic games 1. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes - Simogo   Laura The Roottrees are Dead - Evil Trout Inc. Type Help - William Rous Monkey Around: the Wiggle and Giggle Game - Peaceable Kingdom despelote - Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena Death Wears White - Guillaume Montiage/Asmodee   Andy The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Nintendo Hollow Knight: Silksong - Team Cherry Hot Streak - Jon Perry Death Stranding 2: On The Beach - Kojima Productions The Old King's Crown - Pablo Clark   Other picks from guests and listeners: UFO 50 - Mossmouth Consume Me - Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, et al. Öoo - NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi Hollow Knight: Silksong - Team Cherry Blue Prince - Dogubomb Clues By Sam - Ad Artis Oy Magical Athlete - Takashi Ishida - updated design by Richard Garfield Complex 629 - Lillex Studios Donkey Kong Bananza - Nintendo Final Fantasy V - Square Enix Baby Steps - Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy Puzzmo Crosswords - Puzzmo Team & Collaborators Numberblocks RPG (developed in Izzy Kestrels mind) Lost Cities - Reiner Knizia Deadlock - Valve Hexadecipad NES Tetris Tournament - Patrick LeMieux and Stephanie Boluk Star Waspir (from UFO 50) - Mossmouth Lumines Arise - Enhance, Monstars Outer Wilds - Mobius Digital Zexion - Gallant Leaf PEAK - Landfall  Writing essays  Elden Ring Nightreign - FromSoftware Unfair Flips - HEATHER FLOWERS DISCOPUP - Parry Mechanics OVER/UNDER - Sam Sorenson Type Help - William Rous Rain World - Videocult Snekburd - Werxzy 2025 Pico-8 Advent Calendar - organized by Kevin Thompson and bikibird Mol Hunt for 2025 Season of De Mol - TSLOG Discord Q-UP - Everybody House Games Many Nights a Whisper - Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour Vantage - Stonemaier Games The Old King's Crown - Pablo Clark Hot Streak - Jon Perry Cave Noire - Konami Judo (martial art) Retro handheld hobby Clair Obscur | Expedition 33 - Sandfall Interactive Skin Deep - Blendo Games Peekaboo The Séance of Blake Manor - Spooky Doorway Minni & Max (from UFO 50) - Mossmouth Patapon - Pyramid, Japan Studio Promise Mascot Agency - Kaizen Game Works 10S Forever - owch   Miscellaneous Honorable Mentions: Perfect Dark (N64) - Rare ACTION BUTTON REVIEWS Cyberpunk 2077 Party House of the Day (mod of UFO 50) - Mossmouth Cairn - The Game Bakers   Other topics discussed this episode: Why We're Boycotting Xbox (and Maybe You Should Too) - People Make Games Cosmic Encounter - Fantasy Flight Games Upcoming games packed with hidden secrets! – FuryForged Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective - Space Cowboys Klaverjas - Dutch Trick-taking Game 129: Reinforcing Worldbuilding through Gameplay with Spoils despelote - Official Nintendo Switch Trailer Immersipedia https://eggplant.show/  https://discord.gg/tslog https://www.patreon.com/tslog

    3h 55m
  6. All Systems Brough - 868-HACK

    12/19/2025

    All Systems Brough - 868-HACK

    We're joined by Shawn Alexander Allen (Beatdown City Survivors), Cole Wehrle (Root), and Drew Wehrle (Pax Pamir) to discuss the first title in our year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough: 868-HACK. Next Month: Vertex Dispenser   Audio edited by Dylan Shumway   Discussed in this episode:   868-HACK https://868-hack.neocities.org/  Michael Brough's Website https://www.smestorp.com/  XPerience Studios https://xperiencestudios.org/ "King Me": A Defense of King-Making in Board Game Design https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UraJElx1ebg Leder Games https://ledergames.com/ Wehrlegig Games https://wehrlegig.com/  7-Day Roguelike Jam blog post https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2013/03/7drl-day-2.html  868-HACK Release Trailer (2015) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMH-yDR35lI  PRACTICE 2013: Michael Brough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4iswqa8r-Q  Michael Brough on balancing prog costs: https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2014/06/868-hack-prog-costs.html  Michael Brough on streak scoring https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2013/05/score-conditions.html  https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2017/09/streak-scoring-redux.html  James Lantz on 868-HACK https://web.archive.org/web/20160531060339/https://www.decisionproblem.com/inmachinam/?p=175  Dewan https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/439742/dewan  Zaynation Complete UFO50 Alternate History Voicemails https://discord.com/channels/690388280767807518/1298414011368607796/1440018452050870385  Michael OBlivion tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R92zN2899s&t=586s  Rock Paper Shotgun 868-HACK Review (2015) https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/868-hack-review-pc  Michael Brough on passive vs active abilities https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2013/05/uniform-activations.html  Vivafringe blog post on 868-HACK Secret Level and Good vs. Bad Secrets https://vivafringe.wordpress.com/2017/07/20/lets-spoil-868-hacks-secret-level-and-talk-about-good-secrets-vs-bad-secrets/  Beatdown City Survivors https://store.steampowered.com/app/3383040/Beatdown_City_Survivors/ Molly House & John Company Reprinting https://john-company-molly-house-reprint.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders  Michael Brough on Plan B design notes https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2017/07/planb-notes.html  Brick101 - new Steam guide for Powerups https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3577171247  Spawn count chart: https://discord.com/channels/690388280767807518/1418970536137981962/1425545294032146494  https://secretlives.games/  https://discord.gg/tslog https://www.patreon.com/tslog

    2h 7m
  7. Making It Great with Kimmo Lahtinen (Sektori)

    12/12/2025

    Making It Great with Kimmo Lahtinen (Sektori)

    Nick is joined by guest co-host Chris Plante (Post Games) for a chat with Kimmo Lahtinen (aka gimbll) about his dynamite new twin-stick shooter, Sektori. They discuss the joy of the genre, pursuing excellence in an oversaturated genre, and how personal limitations shape solo development. Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Discussed in this episode: Sektori https://www.gimblll.com/sektori/ Day Repeat Day https://www.gimblll.com/dayrepeatday/  Barbearian  https://www.gimblll.com/barbearian/  Drift and Drive https://www.gimblll.com/driftndrive/  Resogun https://housemarque.com/games/resogun  Outland https://housemarque.com/games/outland  Dead Nation https://housemarque.com/games/dead-nation   Super Stardust Portable https://housemarque.com/games/ssp   Geometry Wars https://store.steampowered.com/app/8400/Geometry_Wars_Retro_Evolved/   Rez Infinite https://www.rezinfinite.com/  Post Games podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/post-games/id1815131711  Besties podcast https://www.themcelroy.family/podcasts/besties/   Limetown podcast https://twoupproductions.com/limetown/podcast  Quest Tabletop Game https://www.adventure.game/   https://secretlives.games  https://discord.gg/tslog https://www.patreon.com/tslog

    1h 23m
  8. Into the Depths: Caves of Qud Finale

    11/26/2025

    Into the Depths: Caves of Qud Finale

    We're proud to present the final installment of our over-a-year-long Into the Depths series on Caves of Qud, as well as our last episode with our recently retired Eggplant branding. Caves of Qud is a massive open-world roguelike RPG that has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015, and we give it an appropriately epic sendoff with nearly four hours of deep discussion. Doug and Rob, joined by special guest host Star St. Germain, dive into the game's finale and overarching themes with narrative designer Caelyn Sandel and co-creators Jason Grinblat and Brian Bucklew. Be warned, major spoilers await: We discuss the aftermath of the Tomb of the Eaters, the Moon Stair, the [Redacted], Reclamation, We Are [Redacted], plus other juicy details about how this legendary game finally came to an end… and what's in store for it next. Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Brian's must-follow bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/unormal.bsky.social Warm static – Official Caves of Qud wiki https://wiki.cavesofqud.com/wiki/Warm_static Independent Games Summit: What Even is 1.0?: Indefinite Early Access and Live Development https://gdcvault.com/play/1035081/Independent-Games-Summit-What-Even End-to-End Procedural Generation in Caves of Qud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV-DZqdKlnE Tile-Based Map Generation using Wave Function Collapse in 'Caves of Qud' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdCgi9E90jw  Caves of Qud Discord https://discord.com/invite/cavesofqud Eris – Girsh Illustration https://www.reddit.com/r/cavesofqud/comments/1n449aw/girsh_qas_and_qon/ A Mythopoetic Interface Reading of Caves of Qud (Roguelike Celebration 2025) https://www.youtube.com/live/UQNfH9pKWd4?si=jFy9VTRZzLPJHn4W&t=1091  Sproggiwood https://store.steampowered.com/app/311720/Sproggiwood/ Slav Epic Paintings by Alphonse Mucha https://www.muchafoundation.org/en/gallery/themes/theme/slav-epic https://secretlives.games/  https://bsky.app/profile/secretlivesofgames.bsky.social https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow  http://discord.gg/tslog https://www.patreon.com/tslog (full rebrand still in progress, lol)

    3h 54m
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About

Candid conversations with game creators that dive deep into the art, craft, and process of making games.

Information

  • Creator
    The Secret Lives of Games
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    259
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Secret Lives of Games 2018-2026
  • Show Website
    The Secret Lives of Games

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