Playtesting With My Niece Changed the UI
My niece played the demo for ten minutes and got stuck because she did not know press E meant interact. She is seven. She tapped the screen. We are on keyboa...
elliotpark
Elliot Park
Crunch Culture and the Funeral I Missed
Milestone crunch. I missed my uncle's funeral. The producer said we would celebrate ship. I shipped. I grieved alone. Games ask for your body. Sometimes they...
The Puzzle Game About Grief Got a Fan Letter
A player emailed that our little indie puzzle game helped her after her brother died. I cried at my desk. We made it about keys and locked doors because that...
Grief Gets Into Everything
An indie game developer reflects on how grief shaped every visual choice in their game — color, space, and emptiness — before they even noticed.
The Best Rain in Any Indie Game
A grieving indie developer spent 18 months perfecting rain particles instead of writing the final act. Here's why that's not failure — and why it has to end.
The Bug Was the Point
A game developer's Y-axis bug hid enemies underground for 8 hours — and accidentally revealed the emotional core of a game about loss.