gingerbeardman's recent activity
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Comment on Daði Freyr – I Don't Wanna Talk (2025) in ~music
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Comment on Daði Freyr – I Don't Wanna Talk (2025) in ~music
gingerbeardman LinkVery cool track. His voice always reminds me of Erlend Øye (Kings of Convenience)—which is lovely—but more than that I love his musical sensibilities a nice range of funk and synth pop.Very cool track. His voice always reminds me of Erlend Øye (Kings of Convenience)—which is lovely—but more than that I love his musical sensibilities a nice range of funk and synth pop.
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Comment on When Playdate stopped being fun in ~games
gingerbeardman Link ParentI'm trying to figure out a way using shaders 😎I'm trying to figure out a way using shaders 😎
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Comment on When Playdate stopped being fun in ~games
gingerbeardman Link ParentThanks for the kind words. Thanks for playing my games and supporting indie development.Thanks for the kind words. Thanks for playing my games and supporting indie development.
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Comment on When Playdate stopped being fun in ~games
gingerbeardman Link ParentThanks, I appreciate your perspective. Ultimately, I had to do what I felt was right for my own mental health. Keep on playing!Thanks, I appreciate your perspective. Ultimately, I had to do what I felt was right for my own mental health. Keep on playing!
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Comment on When Playdate stopped being fun in ~games
gingerbeardman (edited )Link ParentThe issue was another developer. Annoyingly this was my full-time vocation, so I've needed to ...readjust. Since October I've made a game for Sega Dreamcast and I'm working on a multiplatform...The issue was another developer. Annoyingly this was my full-time vocation, so I've needed to ...readjust. Since October I've made a game for Sega Dreamcast and I'm working on a multiplatform title. Working in colour after 6 years of 1-bit is like getting new eyes. Though I do miss the dither patterns.
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Comment on When Playdate stopped being fun in ~games
gingerbeardman Link ParentThanks so much. Truly appreciatedThanks so much. Truly appreciated
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Comment on OK Go - Love (2025) in ~music
gingerbeardman Link ParentThanks so much for this, I would have missed it!Thanks so much for this, I would have missed it!
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When Playdate stopped being fun
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Comment on OK Go - Love (2025) in ~music
gingerbeardman Link ParentPretty wild! I wonder how many times they ran through it? I like how they're all so relieved at the end that they (finally) got it.Pretty wild! I wonder how many times they ran through it?
I like how they're all so relieved at the end that they (finally) got it.
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OK Go - Love (2025)
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Comment on Haste | Gameplay trailer in ~games
gingerbeardman LinkI remember seeing the first test footage of this on Twitter, shop or warms my heart to now see it released. Great work.I remember seeing the first test footage of this on Twitter, shop or warms my heart to now see it released. Great work.
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Comment on The obscure world of competitive Ultimate Chicken Horse in ~games
gingerbeardman LinkLove crazy stuff like this. Props to that community and the game developer.Love crazy stuff like this. Props to that community and the game developer.
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Comment on Looking for mobile puzzle-ish games with a heavy emphasis on stats in ~games
gingerbeardman LinkIf you have a Playdate (or Playdate Stimulator) then Sparrow Solitaire (Mahjong Solitaire) which was developed by two people: one of whom is a data scientist and the other is me. Lots of stats....If you have a Playdate (or Playdate Stimulator) then Sparrow Solitaire (Mahjong Solitaire) which was developed by two people: one of whom is a data scientist and the other is me. Lots of stats.
https://play.date/games/sparrow-solitaire/ and https://playdate-wiki.com/wiki/Sparrow_Solitaire#Stats -
Comment on Danish toymaking giant Lego has said it wants to start to bring video game development in-house in ~games
gingerbeardman LinkCurious that this didn't happen when Simon "Hand Circus" Oliver, game developer extraordinaire, was working for Lego.Curious that this didn't happen when Simon "Hand Circus" Oliver, game developer extraordinaire, was working for Lego.
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Comment on Recommend me a racing/driving game on PC in ~games
gingerbeardman Link Parenthttps://docs.tildes.net/policies/code-of-conduct -
Comment on Recommend me a racing/driving game on PC in ~games
gingerbeardman Link ParentYes.Yes.
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Comment on Have you made a video game? Can I play it? in ~games
gingerbeardman (edited )Link ParentSo whilst I don't use any engines, I do use SDKs. I code in Lua so I'm currently really into Love2D (multiplatform), Antiruins (Dreamcast; pairs well with Love2D), and previously Playdate SDK...So whilst I don't use any engines, I do use SDKs. I code in Lua so I'm currently really into Love2D (multiplatform), Antiruins (Dreamcast; pairs well with Love2D), and previously Playdate SDK (basically a Love2D clone for a specific set of hardware constraints). As you know SDKs are essentially just lists of ready-made functions you can use to do the stuff every game needs to do, for you to use in whatever way you want to approach things. Whereas, for me, an engine does more than that and crucially prescribes the way you have to approach certain things to a larger degree.
I would never write my own engine, because I want to make a game as quickly as possible. Instead I write the bare minimum code, from scratch, to bring up the game. "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler". Start with a basic concept and just build it as simply as possible. Don't get bogged down with implementation details, and don't write an engine, write a game!
Of course I'm using SDK functions for drawing, sound, input, but the scaffold that holds the entire thing together (usually a very simple state machine) is bespoke for each game. I find that starting from templates/boilerplate sends you off at an initial direction, but I want to pick my own very specific direction so I start from a blank file. I enjoy the game design and concept phase (you can do it anywhere, at any time, using only your brain!) and I have the whole of each game planned before I start to write any code, I'm very strict about not allowing feature creep, and I run the whole thing from a simple outline doc of bullet lists (I use Taskpaper app).
The most important IMHO is to get the core game mechanic up and running and proven to be fun as quickly as possible. At that point I shelve 90% of my prototypes, for one reason or another, but given that I've only put a day (at most!) into it I don't mind. The process itself is useful. This is how Nintendo do it, too. If the game gets past prototype stage, I add the first draft of the boring bits like menu system because it's so much more difficult to add those once the game get really fun. And then it's rinse and repeat, play and polish, until it's perfect or my todo list is empty—whichever comes first.
I mentioned that this approach is old school—you could call it the way of the bedroom programmer. This is because I grew up when things were done that way (I cut my teeth on the Atari ST). I simply don't know any different, and so far I've not really wanted to try any other ways.
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Comment on Have you made a video game? Can I play it? in ~games
gingerbeardman Link ParentCheers! Even thinking about GOTY is still a little surreal.Cheers! Even thinking about GOTY is still a little surreal.
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Comment on Have you made a video game? Can I play it? in ~games
gingerbeardman LinkI'm a full-time indie developer. Most of my games are at https://gingerbeardman.itch.io including my most recent game for Sega Dreamcast. To play my game YOYOZO that received GOTY 2023 you'll need...I'm a full-time indie developer. Most of my games are at https://gingerbeardman.itch.io including my most recent game for Sega Dreamcast.
To play my game YOYOZO that received GOTY 2023 you'll need a Playdate.
https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2023/11/21/yoyozo-how-i-made-a-playdate-game-in-39kb/I create all my games using only code starting from a blank file. No Godot or Unity or Game Maker. I'm old school in that regard!
Super!