From theory to inspiration; from history to sociology, if you’re serious about designing and developing games, you’ve got to educate yourself. Veteran game developer, Ernest Adams, has created a list of 50 must-read books for every designer, aspiring and established alike:
What I’ve done is to assemble a collection of books that address the following questions:

What […]

I don’t normally write about my development, but I’m really excited about what I’ve got and I’d love to hear some feedback! So, please, if you would, let me know what you think of this little snippet!
I’ve been hard at work on the release version of Jeweltopia. In addition to an entire codebase rewrite, new […]

Frankly, most developers seem to spend zero time coming up with the theme of their game. This is a huge mistake: It’s your first line of marketing, no matter your distribution. (Casual portal or own site.) Just as we all wrote up outlines of our papers in school before we began putting pencil to paper, […]

In the Gamasutra article, Style and Substance in Game Design, Tynan Slyvester explores the differences between aesthetic and function in interactive systems. Not that there’s much to discuss. Except, perhaps, his definition of substance:
…substance is defined by semi-unpredictable interaction and dynamic generation of decision points…
All opinions aside, the article — apparently an excerpt from a […]

There is currently a discussion on the Indiegamer forums about themes and their place in selling games:
Why is Water Bugs selling better than cosmo bots, Bricks of Atlantis selling better than Bricks of Camelot and Big Kahna Reef selling well?
I believe it’s not only because of the underwater theme i.e. rising bubbles, little fish swimming […]