#1. Rafting Ice Sculptures: Jon Hare’s Journey Through the World of Games

🎙 In this episode, we sit down with the legendary Jon Hare — co-founder of Sensible Software, mastermind behind Sensible Soccer, and creative force behind Sociable Soccer. From the early days of pixel-by-pixel graphics on the ZX81 to navigating the shifting tides of game investment and outsourcing, Jon reflects on nearly four decades in the industry with sharp wit and unfiltered honesty. He talks football (both virtual and real), dream games that never saw the light of day, the overlooked power of 2D art, and why the games industry desperately needs more curation and fewer NFTs. A must-listen for anyone who ever played Cannon Fodder or wondered how to survive — and thrive — in gamedev for 40 years.

📺 True retro fans, heads up: in the video version only, there’s a hidden bonus that’ll let you install a classic game. And if you stick around to the very end, there’s a surprise waiting for you.

Timecodes:

03:00 – Pong at a School Fair: The First Game He Played05:00 – Favorite Platform: Why Amiga Was Revolutionary07:00 – From Music to Pixel Art: Entering the Industry10:00 – Pixel-by-Pixel Art and the Enduring Value of 2D13:00 – Demoscene Legacy: How His Font Got Famous16:00 – Pirate Radio: Broadcasting Games in Poland18:00 – Football Roots and Inspiration for Sensible Soccer22:00 – The Magic of Sensible Soccer’s Instant Success26:00 – Dream Projects That Never Got Released29:00 – Running a Lean Studio and Smart Outsourcing32:00 – NFT Crash and the Chain Reaction of Broken Funding34:00 – AI in Game Dev: Threat or Tool?41:00 – A Dream Game About Politics, Religion, and Real Power48:00 – Industry Future: We Need Curators, Not Chaos

Text version of this podcast episode: “Podcast #1. Jon Hare’s Journey Through the World of Games”.

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