800K Celebration - Q&A!

Oh! And love your work. Your passion shows through in every episode.

ApeinhisApex

Do you schedule your playtime? And I believe I saw some coverage on how you capture your gameplay, but do you capture anything you play or deliberately go into a game and capture what you need, separately?

ApeinhisApex

What are some relatively unknown games that you think everyone should play? Thanks, Mark!

G. Scott Heath

Hope I'm posting this in time! Which of your videos had the most surprising reaction? i.e. which video was way more/less popular than you expected before releasing it, or had some wild, unforeseen reaction from viewers?

Matt Glanville

Do you ever feel bored or tired of games, in general or of a specific type of game? If so, how do you deal with that and how, if at all, has this changed since games became your full-time job?

Hellow Mark, what is your top 3 Final Fantasy games? Do you like the saga?

Sams Sancho

Hello Mark, I wanted to know your thoughts on Persona 5; what do you think about the mechanics of maintaining a good social/school life in the game while balancing the actual theft and vigilante work in the Metaverse?

How do you think about Death Stranding Mark? Will you make a topic about it? Is its world design unique?

How did you get started in game design analysis? What did you go to school for / defining moment; and how did it help you do what you do now? Or not?

Don't know if this is asked before, but just going to give it a go. What is/are the game(s) that inspired you to create the GMTK series?

I've recently finished a game called Murder by Numbers, which is a mix of Ace Attorney style game play and picross and was wondering what was a genre mashup you would like to see in a game?

lj

What's your favorite game that you think not enough people have played?

tgva8889

Should triple-A games cost more than $60? In a nutshell, what's your thoughts on this video by extra credits https://youtu.be/VhWGQCzAtl8

Alex Kuczun

Hey there, Mark! Long-time watcher, first-time question-asker. We've seen plenty of projects from you and your channel over the past half-decade, but what were there any big videos you wanted to make that just never came together?

Platitudinous

Do you have any thoughts on why we see so few games with asymmetric play? My wife and I both love to play games, but our preferences are so different. I am surprised that there have been so few games that offer the opportunity for different players to experience a world or game through different mechanics. Our favorite version of this was ZombiU's multiplayer.

Praem Kodiath

One last one! Do you have a graphic design / art background of some kind? I ask because I actually do visual effects / graphics / animation for a living, and your stuff is very sharp - I would argue most writers don't just leap from criticism into graphic design that easy. :)

Edward Earl Newton

I think I asked this earlier on the Doom Eternal piece, but I can broaden it - you really do a good job of visually isolating and focusing characters, settings, UI, and other game elements - how do you acquire or create those assets? I'm especially curious about the 3D flyovers and solo character shots in Doom Eternal. :)

Edward Earl Newton

If you got the chance, would you rather work on an indie game or a AAA game as a game designer?

You've vaguely mentioned dreams before, but what are your full thoughts on it? I'm having a really fun time messing with its tools, and I was wondering if you felt the same way.

You may have answered this before, but what is your favorite part of making video essays on games? Is it analyzing or playing the games themselves, the scripts, the people who watch, or just the supplementary income? Thanks, I'll be hoping to see you reach the 1M mark soon!

What would you say is the game that made you want to really start looking more closely at video games as a medium? Or to put it a more cliched way, what game made you realize "games can be art"?

The7thDraconian

Though on a more serious note, what are, to you, your favorite levels in any game in terms of design?

The one true question: Silent Hill 2, Fatal Frame 2, or Resident Evil 2?

It's safe to say you're pretty good at analyzing game design. Do you think making your own game(s) would deepen your understanding of the art even more? If yes, what would be your first game's genre?

If you were playing a game with lots of DLC, would you rather buy 10 packs at £2 each, or a single mega pack that costs £20?

Toolbox

What are your thoughts on how the Persona games integrate their two halves (dungeon crawling and daily life)? How could more games unite disparate parts in similar ways?

Samuel Berin

One last question if you have time! 4. What are your favourite books about video game development? Have there been any that you've found particularly influential?

Hi Mark, I'm just creating my first video essay on video games at the moment, so I just had a few questions on how you work: 1. What does your work flow look like from start to finish? I’d just be interested to hear about your process and how you come up with ideas for content, particularly with regards to your script writing process. 2. Do you capture all of the game footage in your videos yourself? Or do you use clips from other sources sometimes? 3. What’s the ratio of your time spent playing games to time writing/editing? By the way, your video series on editing in Premiere Pro has been invaluable to me, so thank you for those and congrats on the 800k! Cheers, Aaron

What was the biggest hurdle in your own game dev journey so far?

Bernhard Werner

Hello Mark, you mentioned Pandemic in your video Two types of Random. Do you play many other boardgames/have any favourites? Are there any mechanics primarily used in boardgames that you would like to see in video games?

Congrats! What are your thoughts on games that take a long time to get into the groove of, whether it be a steep learning curve, tricky interface, etc? Do you agree when you hear people say “Once it clicks, you’ll love it,” or do you feel it’s a design failure to require players do slog through an unenjoyable opening segment of the game?

Andy Hunter

Have you ever tried tabletop RPGs? Are you interested to try any of them? And what's your opinion on board games? Congrats on the 800k! It's very well deserved!

Tomas Gimenez

Having studied so much about game design and game designers in general, which do you think is the best way to start your carreer as a Game Designer?

Tomas Gimenez

Neat question! I’d also love to hear Mark’s thoughts on any old trends that he’d like to see come back, or a modern trend that he thinks aren’t great (either from an analytical standpoint or just a personal preference).

Andy Hunter

What concept do you most want to see a AAA developer work on?

If you could have any game designer create an installment in any gaming franchise (eg- Hideo Kojima and Resident Evil), who and what franchise would be your choices?

What game was the biggest disappointment for you?

What is your approach to playing games like a developer, what do you do and look for to get the game design stuff you talk about in your videos?

Vulty

What's the most common misconception about video game development amongst game designers, especially younger or less experienced ones?

Q: Are you dreading the infamous, long awaited Zelda Dungeon episode?

Dan Root

Cheers from Belarus, Mark! 1) Best examples of a level-design delivering story to the player. 2) According to how badly people want to get "good endings" — do you think choice really matters for the players? Or they just want to experience an interesting story?

Congrats, buddy. My question to you: If you could influence a sequel of any game/franchise, what would it be?

Cam

Some existential questions: - Will you ever run out of things to talk about? - What games do you keep coming back too, or cant get out of your head? (for me the original Colonization is that game) - How much time a day/week do you actually play games? or is it more time spent on drafting scripts / research etc. - do you ever get commerical sponsors approuch you and why do you turn them down if so?

Ben Byford

If you weren't doing this or otherwise involved with the video game industry, what do you think you'd be doing for a living?

What percentage of games do you actually finish? Also, are there any genre of games that you just don't engage with?

David F Sanchez

If you have zero programming experience but are interested in trying your hand at making an "indie" game for fun or otherwise, where do you recommend one start?

Cheers! Here is a question for you: which game genres do you think are the hardest to do in smartphones?

Laércio Lima Pilla

Hi Mark, I have a couple of questions: 1) How has your enjoyment of games been affected by the analytical type of your work? Do you still find yourself immersed in them? 2) Do intend on becoming a game designer yourself? 2.a) What type of game would you like to make? :)

Paul Andrei

What car do you drive? What's your dream car? If you were sucked into a black hole, what would be your last thought? Who's your biggest celebrity crush, and if you had a chance to kiss her/him, would your girl be okay with it? If you had so much money that you never had to work again, what kind of lifestyle would you live? Would you still make videos? Do you play an instrument? What's your guilty pleasure? What happens after you die? Do your parents watch your show?

cptnoremac

Thank you for your amazing work! It's of the highest quality. -Which game mechanics, that you think have potential, are least explored and extrapolated upon? -If you were to make a game, would you begin with abstract mechanics or the look and feel of the universe it plays out in? Do you think there is a "best practice" to this question? -What should AR/VR do differently in order to become as successful as traditional games? -Which books that are not about games have given you the most inspiration to think about games better?

Theis Egeberg

How would you say your views on games, game design, the game industry etc have changed since you started GMTK?

Mark M

Hi Mark, congratulations! I was wondering if you have a recent book recommendation for someone with a passion for theories concerning games and play? I don't know if you pursue any of the more theoretical or analytical books from Universities. I imagine they can at times seem irrelevant to design practice.

Mark Staun Poulsen

Among all the full-time YouTubers that I know of, you seem especially well organized and self-disciplined. Other channels have sometimes suffered from months-long hiatuses for a variety of reasons, but I don't think GMTK has ever had that problem. What does that process look like on your end? How do you manage to stay so consistent with both quantity and quality?

Nolen Murphy

Hey Mark, what a milestone! Huge congrats. I've got a few questions if that's cool: 1) What made you want to start making videos? And what made you just think "screw it, I'm gonna do it!"? 2) What are your passions outside gaming? 3) What's the game that you really wanted to love but simply couldn't? Thanks! Here's to a Million

Matt Hauke

Do you have a favourite piece of obscure video game trivia?

Erin Brioche

What video have you been wanting to make, but have been too intimidated by?

Gunnar Clovis

What's your favorite video of yours?

Gunnar Clovis

What game do you think had the best accessibility features?

Gunnar Clovis

What would you be doing if you couldn't work in games, YouTube, or journalism? (like the job you'd like to have in another life)

Gunnar Clovis

What's your first memory of games? (i.e., the first game you remember playing as a child)

Gunnar Clovis

What made you go into games journalism?

Gunnar Clovis

What game do you most want to play that doesn't exist yet?

Gunnar Clovis

What made you decide to make your first video?

Gunnar Clovis

^

Gunnar Clovis

What's your opinion on The Witness? How do you think it compares to Braid?

BertIsTheWurd

If you had infinite time, resources, and funding to work on the game of your dreams, what would it be?

Gunnar Clovis

What are your favourite games? Both nostalgiac oldies and modern classics!

sk8bit

Hi Mark ! I'd like to say that, since I'm a Patreon supporter, I'm quite impressed by your rate of production. Between the announce of the Stealth series and the first video, only few days went through. So, do you have a bunch of projects in your bag or do you have an incredibly fast way of working? (Both can be the answer :) )

Overwork and crunch policies seem quite spread in the game industry. Do you think it's possible to obtain healtier workplaces without sacrificing the quality of games? Can a change in publishing models (game as service etc.) or a refinement of management policies help?

What's your favourite stupidly simple but stupidly fun game mechanic

Callum Chaney

hey mark! you really seem to be the go-to guy for video game analysis on YouTube so I was wondering who do YOU go to when you want to experience that content for yourself. any other people you'd recommend?

Tom O'Regan

What games would you say had great ideas that didn't make it into other games, and what were these ideas?

What are the most interesting things you’ve seen/learned through poking around in video game files, consoles, and basically any place that the target players aren’t ever going to see? Your last post on Doom behind the scenes made me super curious about this.

Swolomo

Hey Mark, firstly congratulations! Have you found your ways of working (planning, research, video editing etc) have changed much since you started the channel? Are you doing anything drastically different from when you started?

Hi Mark, Really hard to come up with just one question. If budget, time nor experience was not a limitation, what kind of a video game would you want to be directing / creating? What would be the biggest inspirations of this game?

Matsuuu

Hi, Mark. What game or games did you start playing for one of your videos and you wished you hadn't because it wasn't good or your cup of tea? What's the video you're most happy with? And the least? Thank you and happy gaming 😀

DarkCoolEdge

Do you play smaller indie games ? In your videos you often only mention rather well known games.

Hi Mark, will you ever do a video on remakes (andor ports) in general and what do ones that work do differently from ones that fail? It may be a bit out of your spectrum though.

Brendan Mendonca

What is your takeaway on trends over time, what do you think is the next trend and what do you think will be remembered from this time.

What are games?

Parachuting Turtle

Hi Mark! As your job requires, I think you have a pretty good analysis skills, as a Game Designer myself I'd like (and I think a bunch of people would like that too) to improve my analysis skills. Could you give some advise for that? Any book, article, practise... Thanks in advance and have a nice day!

GLoDas

As a prior (or current) journalist, what other topics would you like to cover other than games?

You mentioned you started working on your own gamedev efforts; how is that going? :)

Gunnar Clovis

Hi Mark. What do you think about design in resident evil series? Any new videos about series?