GameDev Breakdown

Author and Designer Caleb J. Ross

Caleb J. Ross is a gaming content creator and the author of Suddenly I was a Shark!, an exploration of What Remains of Edith Finch as well as numerous novels, short stories, and non-fiction works. He's also the creator of Beta Break, an innovative card game for the rock climbing gym. In this episode we discussed life with all first names, the compulsive urge to try everything, failing comfortably, artistic perspective that shifts with age, and throwing up in a VR headset. Join us. Caleb and Todd each have books in the StoryBundle Greatest Hits Game Bundle 2 through August 14th at https://storybundle.com/games.Caleb's links:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/calebjross.comhttps://calebjross.com/

GameCube Historian Travis Nicholas

Project Dolphin series author, Travis Nicholas, hangs out to discuss capturing the entire history of the Nintendo GameCube as well as its modern legacy. Travis and Todd both have books in StoryBundle's Greatest Hits Volume 2 bundle which is available for about five more days at StoryBundle.com!Follow Travis on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/projectdolphin.bsky.socialCatch more of his material in the Video Game Maps series created by friend of the show Brian Riggsbee!

Actor and Musician Abby Nissenbaum

Abby Nissenbaum hangs out to discuss her history in game development balanced with a day job, being a recording and performing music artist, and more. She's the voice of the hero in Benevolent, the debut first-person narrative exploration game in development at Skango Games. We discuss the novelty of voicing a character while knowing no more than the player does (or less!), the rise of international teams in game development, 3-year-olds with podcasts, and more. Abby's music is available on music streaming platforms and she posts on Instagram/Threads @AbbyNissenbaum.Todd's book, Inside Video Game Creation is still available in the StoryBundle Greatest Hits Game Bundle with 65 other great gaming books until August 14th at StoryBundle.com.

Micah Orsie of Crashable Studios

Micah Orsie joins to discuss Wildwood Down, an award-winning hybrid 2D/3D adventure game featuring a protagonist with Down Syndrome, designed after and voiced by Micah's life-long friend. Wildwood Down launches August 7th on Steam. Todd's podcast companion book, Inside Video Game Creation, is currently part of a 66-book Greatest Hits collection at StoryBundle. All books are available at one great price until August 14th.

The Balatro Story

Original Air Date: Aug. 24, 2024 - Todd's weird connection to the game that set the world ablaze, and what's happened since.