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What's the point of prototyping?

What's the point of prototyping?

Hello Patrons!

I'm returning to my "Game Dev 101" series for this video, with episode two looking at prototyping games. With special guest Luke Muscat, of Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride fame.

You can watch it on YouTube or 2025-11-05 16:30:04 +0000 UTC View Post

Mark's Month (October 2025)

Mark's Month (October 2025)

Mark's Month - October 2025

Hello Patrons! Welcome back to my monthly catch-up article.

Videos

So I released a new video at the very start of October. It's called How ...

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GMTK - A big update

Hello Patrons!

Mark here. So, I wanted to share a big update about GMTK. And because it's important and personal I wanted to do it face to face - so please check out the video above.

Thanks!

Mark

TL:DW - I'm having a baby. I'll be taking the first three months of 2026 off to focus on that and won't be charging Patrons during that time. I'll be focusing on...

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How Games Do Destruction

How Games Do Destruction

Hello Patrons! Here's my new episode of Game Maker's Toolkit - looking at how games do smashing, crashing, and bashing. From Control to Teardown to Red Faction - it's the secret of how to do dynamic, real-time destruction.

Watch on YouTube or 2025-10-02 16:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Early / Ad Free - How Games Do Destruction

Early / Ad Free - How Games Do Destruction

Hello Patrons!

I'm getting back in the GMTK groove with a chunky episode on how games do destruction. Ever wondered how Donkey Kong lets you punch through the floor? Or how cars bend in BeamNG? Or how buildings topple in Red Faction Guerilla? This is the video!

It will be released to the public tomorrow. As always, there may be some slight editing errors and kinks to work out before...

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GMTK Digest (September 2025)

GMTK Digest (September 2025)

Hello lovely GMTK backers!

Oh boy, the video game business just woke up from its summer slumber! This month saw new Silent Hill, Borderlands, and Sonic games, plus massive indie hits and loads more. Even this big list below is just scratching the surface.

I've also got a bumper reading list for you to enjoy - with tonnes of articles and videos to keep you busy. So let's jump on in.<...

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GMTK Mini - What's The Point Of Hard Games, Anyway?

GMTK Mini - What's The Point Of Hard Games, Anyway?

Hey all! I'm hard at work on the first new episode of GMTK since my break. But I took a day to make this Mini video so I could join the game design discourse on Hollow Knight: Silksong.

I wanted to look at why the game uses a higher level of difficulty, and the different ways its implemented. Hopefully a good conversatio...

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Mark's Month - August 2025

Mark's Month - August 2025

Hello Patrons!

I am writing this at the tail end of a much needed break. Some essential time off. Because the past few months have been a lot. But first... let's talk about August.

GMTK Game Jam 2025

We ran the 9th annual View Post

GMTK Digest (August 2025)

GMTK Digest (August 2025)

Hello lovely GMTK backers!

I'm technically on holiday today. Taking some much-needed time off after the madness of releasing Word Play and the Game Jam. But I couldn't leave you without the Digest.

Enjoy!

New Releases

Blockbusters

<...

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My Favourite Games from GMTK Game Jam 2025

My Favourite Games from GMTK Game Jam 2025

Hey Patrons!

Earlier this month we held the 9th annual GMTK Game Jam. This year's jam was - as always - massive, with over 37,000 participants and more than 9,600 games. That means it was bigger than last year, and the biggest jam in itch's history.

As always, I've made a video about the 20 games I liked the most. But this year I've changed the wording slightly. Instead of picking t...

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Mind Over Magnet is now on consoles!

Mind Over Magnet is now on consoles!

Hey all!

Today is a pretty big day - Mind Over Magnet just released on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch consoles.

And it's making me feel kinda emotional, to be honest. Especially the Nintendo release. As I'm sure you can imagine I've been a Nintendo fan all my life. Ever since I got a Game Boy (which, funnily enough, released in the same year as I was born!)

So to have somethin...

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Mark's Month - July 2025

Mark's Month - July 2025

Hello Patrons!

So, July was a busy month for me as I finally launched my new game... Word Play!

Word Play

The game came out on July 14th, slap bang in the middle of the month...

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GMTK Digest (July 2025)

GMTK Digest (July 2025)

Hello GMTK supporters! Hope you've been enjoying the sunshine. Here's a run down of what's come out, what's happened, and what's worth reading and watching!

New releases

Donkey Kong Bananza - Played

Weirdly, Nintendo waited until mere days before launch to reveal th...

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What a week!

What a week!

Oh boy, it has been a WEEK. A week and a half.

On Monday, I launched Word Play on Steam. And the response was amazing.

At one point that first day the game showed up on the Steam home page in four different places at once! (New and Trending, Top Sellers, Games under £7, and the massive Fea...

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Word Play and the future of GMTK

Word Play and the future of GMTK

Hello Patrons, Mark here.

So... today is the day! Word Play is coming out on Steam in about 10 hours. There will be a video premiere to go along with it - but as my backers, you can see it right now, and ad free - watch it embedded above 2025-07-14 06:34:03 +0000 UTC View Post

Mark's Month - June 2025

Mark's Month - June 2025

Hello Patrons! I'm back with my monthly newsletter about what I've been up to in the last month.

And, for the most part, the month can be defined by two words...

Word Play

Yeah. My new game, Word Play, is coming out on July 14th. And so I basically just spent the enti...

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GMTK Digest (June 2025)

GMTK Digest (June 2025)

Hello GMTK supporters!

Okay, I'm gonna level with you. My game is releasing in two weeks. I've been spending every spare moment fixing bugs, tweaking the balance, making trailers, and all the other stuff you have to do before a game comes out.

So this ain't gonna be the best GMTK Digest I've ever done. But I hope you dig it nonetheless! I'll hopefully be back on form for the next on...

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New video - How to make a great Steam Next Fest demo

New video - How to make a great Steam Next Fest demo

Hey Patrons!

I just released a new video about Steam Next Fest - partly to advertise the game's inclusion in this demo-sharing showcase. And partly to share my tips and experience with getting the game ready for the event.

Hope you dig it.

I'm now going to be focusing on finishing up the game itself for the next few weeks ahead of its launch on July 14th, 2025.

Cheers! View Post

Mark's Month - May 2025

Mark's Month - May 2025

Hello Patrons!

It's time for another edition of Mark's Month. Here's what I've been up to in May.

Guadalindie in Malaga

I was honoured to be asked to go speak at the Guadalindie conference in Malaga, Spain. This is an event that started life as a game jam - before evo...

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GMTK Digest (May 2025)

GMTK Digest (May 2025)

Hello GMTK fans! Thanks for your support this month.

Things have been a bit wild for me - I've been to Spain, released a demo, and... well, there's plenty of stuff I can't talk about yet until various NDAs wear off. But amongst it all... here's what's been happening in the world of games.

Sorry, I've still not been able to play much myself! (Other than hundreds of rounds of Word Pla...

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New video - Introducing Word Play

New video - Introducing Word Play

Hello Patrons!

So, a big day. It's time to unveil what I've been working on: a new game! A word-spellin' roguelike called Word Play. The video above should hopefully explain all.

I will also soon release a Let's Play video, where I do a run through t...

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Early / Ad Free - Announcing Word Play

Early / Ad Free - Announcing Word Play

Hello!

Okay, I'm excited to finally announce my new game - Word Play - to the world. And so I'll be sharing this video tomorrow.

Though - with one big change. Composer Zach Jones just handed over some final music which means I can also drop a public demo for the game at the same time! So I will change the video slightly to announce that.

As I say in the video, making this game...

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A robot stole my voice

Hello Patrons!

I just wanted to share a strange story from the world of GMTK.

So on Monday I received an email from a viewer who stumbled upon a video about DOOM: The Dark Ages and thought I should check it out.

Why? Because the narrator of the video sounded suspiciously... like me.

And after 5 seconds of watching it... yep! It's definitely me. The owner...

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(GMTK Mini) Blue Prince: Can a random puzzle game actually work?

(GMTK Mini) Blue Prince: Can a random puzzle game actually work?

Hello Patrons!

I am finishing up development on my new game, so mostly focused on that right now. But I couldn't pass up an opportunity to discuss Blue Prince - a super "design-y" game with some interesting stuff to discuss in terms of puzzles, randomness, and genre mash-ups.

Cheers!

Mark

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GMTK Digest (April 2025)

GMTK Digest (April 2025)

Hello GMTK supporters! 

So April was a bit of a write-off. I spent much of it nursing a broken elbow! But that won't stop me from delivering another cracking issue of the GMTK Digest. Complete with games, headlines, and recommended articles.

I sadly didn't get a chance to play too many games this month thanks to my broken arm. But I did try a couple of April's releases. In this...

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Mark's Month - March and April 2025

Mark's Month - March and April 2025

Hello! We've got two months to cover. A lot has happened. It's time for a proper good catch-up. So get's get into it! 

But first... some context.

The Context

Okay, so my big plan for 2025 was to put the whole game development thing behind me and focus exclusively on YouTube. With Mind Over Magnet done and dusted I could go back to video-making full time.<...

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The GMTK Game Jam returns for 2025!

The GMTK Game Jam returns for 2025!

Hello Patrons!

First of all: thank you for your well wishes and patience with my broken elbow. It's healing up nicely - just a bit battered and bruised but I can at least type again, so have been returning to work.

My main focus has been on my new game (more on that very soon), but new videos are also coming. And... 2025-04-18 14:21:56 +0000 UTC View Post

Out of action

Hey Patrons

Just wanted to give you a quick heads up that I, uh, tripped over while chasing a child (not as creepy as that sounds), landed on my elbow, and fractured it.

I now have my arm in a sling and that is certainly not conducive to making videos or games. I’m not very fast typing with one arm, because I’m old (the same reason why “running a little fast” can lead to a ...

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GMTK Digest (March 2025)

GMTK Digest (March 2025)

Hello GMTK supporters! 

March was a busy month for me. I was either prepping for GDC, attending GDC, or recovering from the jetlag of GDC. But I found some time to play a few games and watch a lot of YouTube videos (I used that 10 hour flight well!)

As always I'll start with my takes on this month's new releases. Then there's the biggest news headlines you need to know. And fin...

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Mark's Month - February 2025

Mark's Month - February 2025

I can't spell Februrary as it turns out. Nope. Did it again! Every time I type that I have to correct the spelling. How many Februaries have I seen? Too many!

Anyway. Hello. It's me, Mark.

What I made

I somehow released three videos in February, despite having a horrible cold that knocked me out for a week. I guess the improvements to my video-making process a...

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