Lightmap - Conversations with video game creators

One of my favourite things each year is when Meena Shamaly host of Game Show on ABC Classic sends me the big list of tracks that have made a massive impact. These games might not be winning massive awards, a lot of them do of course, but you know every piece of music you’re going to hear has made an impact on Meena’s heart. 

Meena Shamaly who is a composer, musician, Australia’s biggest Oud fan boy really loves game soundtracks. 

So ...

It took a couple of years but the Steam Deck is officially available today for players in Australia. The reason? Well why don't we let designers Lawrence Yang, Jay Shaw and Yazan Aldehayyat explain.

Gianni sat down with Valve's handheld makers in Melbourne to learn how player behaviour has changed with the launch of the portable computer, what to expect from the next generation hardware, and what they are working on next.

With a game series as long running as CIVILIZATION, how do you keep reinventing and refining when you hit the seventh title? With long campaigns and countless hours for each play through, these games take on a life of their own for each player.

Recently at Melbourne International Games Week Firaxis Games developers Andrew Frederiksen (Lead Producer), John Fitzgerald (Lead Unit Artist) and Matthew Quickel (Senior Lead Environment Ar...

If you love the feeling of racing until you perfect the line PHANTOM SPARK might be exactly what you're looking for. Joon Van Hove (NUTS) one part of Icelandic studio Ghosts shares how Torfi Asgeirsson nailed the gameplay before anyone else even came on board.

How subtle storytelling, but no plot, was an essential design element, that builds to competitive online leaderboards. Enjoy the retro aesthetic but don't put too muc...

Comedian Tommy Dassalo who you might know from podcasts Filthy Casuals and Little Dum Dum Club, thought it might be too narcissistic to make a game about yourself and charge for it.

Lucky SUPER DASSALO LAND is a free prequel to his latest comedy special, so therefore not as narcissistic, and he teamed up with talented Gameboy creator Gumpy Function (GRIMACE'S BIRTHDAY, UNEARTHED).

It's a lot of fun so get on board as Kyle gue...

Have you every wondered what it takes to design one of those sprawling trading card games? It's not that often that a news series pops up, there are a few major series but one of the newest to hit the tabletops is DISNEY LORCANA by Ravensburger. Ryan Miller is the co-designer and brand manager and sat down to share how a childhood love of Dungeons & Dragons, time working at Wizards of the Coast and how The Princess Bride le...

Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. P...

Have you ever wanted to make the ultimate super hero teamup? Inspired by XCOM: CHIMERA SQUAD, CAPES is the new tactical super hero game where positioning and combo moves are the way to win. Want to put together your own fastball special? Squad composition and positioning is the way to win.

Cade Franklin one of the original team on HAND OF FATE joins Lightmap to share the design intentions, making it feel super and how the team who m...

Chris Conte & Dean Ferguson from Queensland's 5 Lives Studios share COZY CARAVAN and ask you te enjoy lo-fi hip hop beats to open a market stall to. Learn why the team wanted to make something that was decidedly smaller than their previous titles, designing this cool stepped animation and why they still want to return to SATELLITE REIGN one day.

Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no a...

Can't get your friends to come join you at your house for a night of tabletop gaming? BALADINS by French studio Seed by Seed takes the fun of rolling dice and playing a character and distills it to a cool timeloop adventure.

Jean Nicholas and Thaïs Arias join Lightmap to share their narrative game which was featured as part of Ludonarracon, their coop studio structure and prototyping this cute multiplayer adventure.

Apple Arcad...

It's been nearly eight years since Trent Kusters one of the co-founders of Melbourne's League of Geeks joined me on the podcast. Back in the Pixel Sift days, Trent was working through the early days of ARMELLO their groundbreaking digital board game, but the last twelve months have been some of the hardest for the company.

JUMPLIGHT ODYSSEY was shelved in order to limp along and get SOLIUM INFERNUM across the line. In a ver...

Did you grow up blasting through Green Hill Zone or Casino Night Zone? Maybe you spent hours defeating the nefarious schemes of Dr Wily. 

These colourful platformers hold a fond place in the hearts of many including Zu Ehtisham solo developer of the new BERSERK BOY where you blast through levels switching elemental powers as you go. 

Learn how Zu build a modern platformer that is inspired by but isn't beholden to the past.

You can...

Queensland based Halfbrick have been making games for almost 25 years, and chances are if you’ve picked up a phone in the last decade you’ve played one of their games.

Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, Age of Zombies or maybe you’re a bit more oldschool and played one of their Gameboy Advance games or PlayStation or Wii titles. 

In an industry that surges and wanes, Halfbrick has been one of the enduring stories of game development in...

The groundbreaking STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL is pretty unique and the very first Australian made game to be nominated for a Grammy Award, which will be awarded today.

Composers Austin Wintory (JOURNEY, ASSASSIN'S CREED SYNDICATE) Scott Edgar and Simon Hall from musical comedy group Tripod, singer-songwritter Montaigne aka Jess Cerro join Summerfall Studios Liam Esler to talk about what it was like to make this branchin...

We listen back through this incredible year of games with our friend Meena Shamaly, musician, composer and host of ABC Classic's The Game Show. It's Shamaly Selects 2023 and boy are there some incredible pieces to listen to. Here is what delighted and made the top eight this year.

• STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL - Adrift & Challenging a Queen (Red Edition)
• TCHIA - Main Theme
• BALDUR'S GATE 3 - Down by the River
• M...

If you grew up playing the Gameboy Advance and the Nintendo DS, you might have missed the aesthetic those games created at the time, but you'd definitely remember the vibes. Those vibes are what Andy Brophy and Olivia Haines are trying to recapture in their weird and wonderful roleplaying game KNUCKLE SANDWICH.

With some kicking tunes and fun turn based battles, this is a game that might just inspire the next generation of vide...

SLAY THE PRINCESS is a horror narrative visual novel where you've got one task. You're here to slay a princess, but if you do is actually up to you. This game brings branching narratives and a style of roguelite gameplay to the visual novel genre where all your choices can lead to an ending.

Developers Abby Howard and Tony Howard-Arias join Lightmap to share how their small side project SLAY THE PRINCESS was made while devel...

THE PLUCKY SQUIRE feels like a world of pure imagination. Jonathan Biddle and James Turner head up All Possible Futures a completely remote studio working on the gorgeous game that acts as a love letter to some of your favourite genres and games of the last 30 years.

Gianni sat down with Jonathon Biddle at PAX Australia to explore how this collaboration came together, inspirations from Nintendo games past, and what to expect when th...

If you want to play a video game you have to plug something in, that power comes from somewhere and Dr Ben Abraham, has completed the second annual Net Zero Snapshot for the games industry.

Ubisoft is leading the charge dropping their emissions, despite being one of the world's biggest studios, but for many other Triple A game developers they just aren't making enough of a change according to Abraham.

You can read the full r...