Episode 124 - Circuitous

Erik from Imaginary Game Studios joins Ben in HIS virtual studio this week to chat about all manner of things—his experiences as a sports writer, his love of literature, his creative process, and of course his philosophy of game design.  After discussing what’s "under construction" in the world of Rogue Climber, what games they have been playing, and their odd experiences in Chicago (which in itself is a thematically appropriate path), they dive in to the topic at hand… the word circuitous!  They follow the conversation through the unique topography of books, movies, games, and cultural references to its destination where Ben asks Erik to share his advice on creating, developing, and prototyping a video game concept.

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00:00:21 - Many spreadsheets, Ed’s Excel love, freaks at the coffee shop, and a Magic 8-Ball 
00:03:39 - Pro bono, what Christian and Erik learned at PAX, and the Roblox generation
00:05:50 - Rogue Climber ancillary stuff, the correct direction, about seven, and what is janky?
00:08:32 - Eighty or weighty, the Tron level, a cardboard cutout, and Millennial gamers are soft
00:10:57 - Erik platinums Black Myth: Wukong, the Cyberpunk 2077 caveat, and a good segue 
00:14:00 - Writing the sports news, Ben’s question about quality, and SlavicPunk: Oldtimer
00:16:33 - A film noir soundtrack, amazingly crafted world, and the banal hacking mini game 
00:18:45 - Dragonage and Blueski, pocket experiences, broken English, and an annoying boss 
00:22:55 - Small font, Red Square Games’ next title, bad translations, and finding drug crumbs
00:26:45 - Erik’s Chicago story, a dead pigeon, absorbance, and the emcee of the spelling bee
00:33:10 - The nature of the creative process, in inches or graphs, and the perils of efficiency   
00:35:48 - Two types of fiction, Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, and Gene Wolfe books
00:40:22 - John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, “The Hobbit” LP, and a well kept secret about babies
00:43:25 - Rock & Rule, Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards, the Washington Bullets, Joust, and Zardoz
00:46:16 - A talking point itinerary for next time, and Ben’s favorite commercial fiction authors 
00:48:15 - American Psycho, three if you’re keeping score, Bono as Satan, and the message
00:50:59 - Swimming up the waterfall, getting it all out of your head, and evaluation at the end
00:53:10 - Being creative for yourself, figuring out where to start, and creating the prototype
00:58:59 - Catch the vibe, the next word, gorilla arms, crushing heads, and strategic saving
01:01:30 - Agreement about NieR: Automata, three times, no connection, and the same river
01:03:06 - Erik’s words of wisdom, something unique, planning, and make no assumptions 

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References, Links, and Tags

Check out SlavicPunk: Oldtimer on Steam…
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1820140/SlavicPunk_Oldtimer/

Follow all of the shenanigans going on at Imaginary Game Studios…
On their website: https://www.imaginarygamestudios.com/
On their Discord: https://discord.gg/YyDD7ECtdJ
On their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@caxtnova
Imaginary Game Studios GAMES on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2673440/Rogue_Climber/  <—- WISHLIST ME NOW!!!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2175790/Meticulous/

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