Humans Who Make Games with Adam Conover

Humans Who Make Games with Adam Conover

An intimate conversation with the creators of some of the world's most remarkable games, hosted by comedian and life-long gamer Adam Conover. This season I will talk with the developers of Portal, Assassin's Creed, Hyper Light Drifter and many more about what it’s like to make video games for a living, how they come up with their ideas, and their first memory of the medium.

Episodes

Alx Preston (Hyper Light Drifter, Heart Machine)

May 13, 2020 • 105 mins
In the season 2 finale, Adam is joined by Alx Preston, creator of the acclaimed Hyper Light Drifter. Alx details his personal journey that lead to the creation of Hyper Light Drifter and that continues to motivate him to this day. Thank you for listening and see you next time on Humans Who Make Games! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Tanya X. Short (Kitfox Games, Pixelles)

May 6, 2020 • 67 mins
Adam is joined by Tanya X. Short, head of Kitfox Games and co-founder of Pixelles. Tanya has worked all around the world starting out in Norway, and currently working in Montreal. She not only discusses her work writing and designing games but what its like to manage an indie studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Zach Gage (Spell Tower, Really Bad Chess, Ridiculous Fishing)

April 29, 2020 • 123 mins
This week Adam is joined by Zach Gage, developer of iOS games like Spell Tower, Ridiculous Fishing, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Anna Megill (Control, Dishonored)

April 22, 2020 • 62 mins
This week Adam is joined by Game Writer and Narrative Designer, Anna Megill! Anna has been working in video games for 15 years and recently wrote the smash hit, Control. She currently works for Ubisoft/Massive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sam Barlow (Her Story, Silent Hill: Origins, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories)

April 15, 2020 • 143 mins
Sam Barlow joins Adam to deep dive into the world of interactive fiction, how Sam got involved in text-based games, and his storied career. Be sure to check out Sam's newest game Telling Lies! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Alex Beachum (Outer Wilds)

April 8, 2020 • 106 mins
This week Adam is joined by Alex Beachum, Creative Director for Outer Wilds! Alex tells Adam about going from student project to full fledged game, his time at USC, and whats its like to go through the release of your game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Kim Swift (Portal, Quantum Conundrum, Origin, Twitch)

April 1, 2020 • 123 mins
This week, Adam talks with Kim Swift, one of the original creators of the highly acclaimed Portal. Kim has had a long and varied career in video games; working at Valve, EA, and Twitch. She is also an absolute delight! Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Live from JFL with Ron Funches and Jean Guesdon (Assassin's Creed: Origins, Black Flag, & Revelations)

March 25, 2020 • 69 mins
Welcome to Season 2 of Humans Who Make Games! This episode was recorded live at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. Adam is joined by fellow comedian and gamer Ron Funches to talk about gaming when traveling, buying Japanese and retro video games, and bonding with his son over gaming. They are then joined by Jean Guesdon who has filled many rolls over the years for the Assassin's Creed franchise, working with large tea...
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Rand Miller

March 6, 2019 • 65 mins
In a bonus interview recorded before Humans Who Make Games even existed, Adam talks to legendary game designer Rand Miller, the co-creator of MYST, Riven, and Obduction, about how he made some of Adam's all-time favorite games, his studio, what it was like to make a game in the style of his classic work almost 20 years later, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Game Workers Unite

February 27, 2019 • 108 mins
This week Adam talks to developers/advocates Emma and Steve (not their real names) from Game Workers Unite, an organization dedicated to advocating for workers' rights in the games industry. We discuss their experiences working under intense pressure, hear all about that terrible word "crunch," talk about the challenges of unionizing, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Rich Vreeland AKA Disasterpeace (FEZ, Hyper Light Drifter, It Follows)

February 20, 2019 • 110 mins
This week we shift gears -- instead of talking to a game designer, Adam interviews composer/musician Rich Vreeland AKA Disasterpiece (FEZ, Hyper Light Drifter, It Follows).  They discuss: the chiptune scene where Rich first started, his experience composing for FEZ, the thought process he uses to compose music to give players the exact feeling he and the game designer are looking for, plus much more! Learn more about your ad choice...
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Justin Ma (Subset Games, Into the Breach, FTL)

February 13, 2019 • 104 mins
This week Adam talks to Justin Ma, Co-Founder of Subset games and creator of FTL and Into the Breach! They discuss: Justin's journey as a gamer and developer, how crucial good design and direction are to a game, the compromises and challenges that come with implementing new mechanics, how the best ideas never work, the philosophy behind designing enemy AI that's actually fun to play against, and much more! Learn more about your ad ...
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Jason Rohrer (Passage, The Castle Doctrine, One Hour One Life)

February 6, 2019 • 139 mins
This week Adam talks to Jason Rohrer, creator of Passage, The Castle Doctrine, One Hour One Life, and more! Adam and Jason talk about getting his game featured in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the distinction (or lack thereof) between art and games, how the mechanics of One Hour One Life actually make you feel like you're growing up in the game, why Jason wants to build his own root cellar, and more! Learn more about your a...
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Christine Love (Digital: A Love Story, Analogue: A Hate Story, Ladykiller in a Bind)

January 30, 2019 • 96 mins
This episode tracks Christine Love's unique path into the games industry, the process of creating a visual novel -- (from the writing, to the programming, to figuring out what choices to give the player), the design considerations that go into creating an erotic game, and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Derek Yu (Spelunky, Aquaria, Eternal Daughter)

January 23, 2019 • 134 mins
This week, Adam talks to Derek Yu, the creator of Spelunky, Aquaria, Eternal Daughter, and others! Learn about Derek's journey, inspirations, philosophy, and more in this wide-ranging, in-depth interview! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Edmund McMillen (The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy)

January 16, 2019 • 105 mins
For our first episode, Adam talks to Edmund McMillen, the creator of Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac, and more! We track Edmund's journey through his beginnings as a struggling comic book artist, how he found an audience for his work online, and how he continues to push himself and innovate. Learn the thought processes and inspirations behind the creation of Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac, and how his personal journey...
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Preview: Humans Who Make Games

August 20, 2018 • 13 mins
Clips, highlights, and previews of what's to come in the first season of Humans Who Make Games! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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