Introducing "Dissecting Games"

This January, I passed a milestone: 20 years in the games industry.

I started my career in AAA, and for the last 13 years, I've been a full-time indie. Since cofounding Flippfly, I've played the role of programmer, designer, producer, creative director, business operator, and people manager.

I've had some ups and downs. Lots of hard-earned lessons. A few big success stories, and lots and lots of mistakes.

As I write this in early 2025, the industry has laid off tens of thousands of people as part of a global downturn - and unfortunately, my company is no exception. At one point I was working with a team of nine, and now it's just me.

At times I question whether I'm qualified to share any ideas about the "right" way to do things. Imposter syndrome never goes away, it seems.

But the knowledge and wisdom I've picked up is real. I'm continually learning, and the more I talk to others, the more I'm reminded that my experience brings value.

So it's time to share it.

It's About Game Design And Analysis

What makes a game actually work? Why do some games suck us in, while we bounce off others after an hour? What makes a game feel good?

Game design is such a broad ocean, and I've only played in a bit of it. I plan to break down and analyze games I love, and to talk about what I've learned.

It's About Games Business

If you're thinking of starting a games business, or have already started one, you may have a lot of questions.

Should you get a publisher? When's the right time to announce the game? How do you market it? Should you launch into Early Access? How about consoles? Is the mobile industry worth pursuing? How do you know when a game is "done"? Should you make tiny games, or huge ones? How do you determine whether your idea has a market? How do you make a budget? How do you pitch a game, and who should you pitch it to? How do you "greenlight" a game project for production?

I can't possibly answer all of these questions, but I certainly have lots of thoughts to share!

It's About The Craft Of Game Creation

How big should your team be? What game should you make? How should you organize your development? Do you need a QA person? How about a producer? Should you use "agile" or "waterfall"? How do you do prototyping effectively? What does healthy development look like? How do you organize your team to make the best use of everyone? How do you run playtests, and how often?

There are lots of practical insights about getting things done well that one developers over the years, and I'm excited to share them here.

It's Like, Just My Opinion, Man

To state the obvious: This is just my perspective, and I can be pretty opinionated at times! There are few things more humbling than looking back at some of my writing from a decade ago and realizing just how completely wrong I was about certain things.

So: I am approaching this blog with a dose of humility and stating upfront that every piece of writing here will be a snapshot of my brain at a point in time. Please treat the writings you find here as a single data point in your decision-making and learning journey.

If that all sounds good to you - hit that subscribe button below, and I'll hit your inbox with my (hopefully useful) thoughts!