Game Academy is back (again, like we are every episode, but we really are this time!) with a fresh coat of paint! This season, it's just Adam, so we’re shaking things up—no more long rants about his PhD (he finished it!), no more co-host (RIP to Steph’s podcasting era), just Adam nerding out in conversations with game designers, journalists, academics, and whoever else he can convince to talk to him. Expect passionate chats about game development, the industry, and the creative process, but let's not forget the occasional existential crisis about academia, because let’s be real, that never really goes away.
To kick things off, Adam is joined by the incredible Nina Freeman—an award-winning indie designer known for her deeply personal, sometimes gut-wrenching, always beautifully crafted games like Cibele, How Do You Do It?, and Last Call. If you love games that make you feel things (too many things), Nina’s work is required reading. We get into everything — how she went from theatre and poetry to making games, why she loves telling small, intimate stories, and how she goes about turning real life into interactive experiences. We also talk about the state of the industry, freelancing, and how AA and AAA studios are changing. Finally, because Adam couldn’t help myself, they also get into indie horror (Nina’s working on a new horror game, Size Zero), we shout out Pete's Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, and discuss whether going to GDC is actually worth it.
Links that you should definitely go to:
Check out all of Nina's amazing work: https://ninasays.so/
Nina's My Perfect Console podcast episode: https://shows.acast.com/my-perfect-console/episodes/nina-freeman-gamemaker-cibele-tacoma-last-call
Go and buy Lost Records - Side 1 is out today: https://dont-nod.com/en/games/lost-records-bloom-and-rage/
The More Perfect Union video we were discussing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WORsxfgoVjc&ab_channel=MorePerfectUnion
Nina's GuadalIndie 2024 Talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqurS9ZHe8Q&pp=ygUdR3VhZGFsaW5kaWUgMjAyNCBuaW5hIGZyZWVtYW4%3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFa6GVL1apQ&pp=ygUdR3VhZGFsaW5kaWUgMjAyNCBuaW5hIGZyZWVtYW4%3D
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