DGC Ep 417: Mailbag!

DGC Ep 417: Mailbag!

Author: Brett Douville and Tim Longo January 22, 2025 Duration: 1:18:52

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we are catching up on our mailbag! Let's face it, it's mostly about Minecraft, though we spend a lot of time on video game preservation. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary.

Issues covered: the manananggal, Defeating Games for Charity, ownership of work materials, Tim's notes on the Discord Game Club interview with Phil Salvador, our own games disappearing, the value of libraries, preserving all games, copyright lawyers, the tension between corporations and preservationists, protecting children online, defending your kids, engaging with your kids over games, external references, limits on exploration interest, Tim and Brett disagree about whether Minecraft devs relied on the existence of a wiki, older version availability in Minecraft Java Edition, speedrunning Minecraft, modding and Minecraft, YouTube and Minecraft trajectories, Lego Fortnite's means of directing you, limited building or building towards story purposes, curbing anxiety, dating the Balrog. 

Games, people, and influences mentioned or discussed: Dungeons & Dragons, Dark Matters/X-Files, Minecraft, CalamityNolan, Video Game History Foundation, KyleAndError, Hollow Knight, Kaeon, DuckTales, Trespasser, Tower Song, Pikmin, N0isses, Rocksmith, Robotspacer, Enchanted Scepters, Mystery House, Artimage, Jedi Starfighter, Katamari Damacy, BioStats, Phil Salvador, Midway/Bally, Nosferatu (1922/2024), Prince of Persia, Warcraft, The Sims, Tony Rowe, Microsoft, Bill Roper, Wil Wright, John Romero, Leo Tolstoy, Socrates, Frank Cifaldi, Nintendo, Tim Schafer, Double Fine, Devin Kelly-Sneed (P2 programmer), Joe Lieberman, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Mickey Mouse/Disney, mysterydip, Roblox, Lego Fortnite, Just Dance, Ubisoft, Club Penguin, Luke Theriault, LostLake, Dwarf Fortress, Raymond, Mojang, Factorio, Satisfactory, Father Beast, Skyrim, Ben from Iowa, Dragon Quest Builders, The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria, The Long Dark, Pacific Drive, Valheim, Final Fantasy VI, Epic Games, Kirk Hamilton, Aaron Evers, Mark Garcia. 

Next time:
Our next game (whatever that may be)

Defeating Games for Charity
Twitch: timlongojr
Discord
DevGameClub@gmail.com


Dev Game Club is a conversation between two working game developers who have been there. Each week, hosts Brett Douville and Tim Longo pick a classic video game from the past-often a title that shaped design thinking or introduced a new technical standard-and break it down from their professional perspective. Their discussions go beyond nostalgia, examining how these older titles functioned, why certain creative decisions were made, and what lasting impact they left on the industry. You’ll hear specific analysis of game mechanics, narrative structure, and technical achievements, all filtered through decades of hands-on development experience. The goal isn’t just to reminisce but to extract tangible lessons that are still relevant for creators and deeply interesting for passionate players today. They invite you to play the game in question alongside them, then settle in for a detailed, insider’s post-mortem. This podcast offers a unique blend of critical appreciation and practical insight, treating video game history as a living textbook. It’s for anyone who loves games and wants to understand the craft behind them on a deeper level. New episodes release regularly, diving into a different influential game from the archives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Dev Game Club
Podcast Episodes
DGC Ep 431: Dear Esther/Walking Simulators (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:28
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on walking simulators with 2012's Dear Esther, played here in a 2017 "Landmark Edition" but based on a 2007 Source mod for Half-Life 2. We of course set th…
DGC Ep 430: Gone Home/Walking Simulators (part one) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:19
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we start a new series of explorations on the walking simulator, beginning with Gone Home. We set the game in its time, talk about possible real world experiences, and dive into i…
DGC Ep 429: Fez (part four) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:54
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we complete our series on Fez. We talk about getting to New Game +, some favorite puzzles or mechanics, and then turn to our takeaways. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games…
Discord Game Club Ep 8 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44:04
Tim had some unscheduled travel come up this week and so we were unable to work around that and instead reach into the Discord Game Club interview archive. This time around, BioStats and Calamity Nolan interview Michael…
DGC Ep 428: Fez (part three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:54
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on 2012's Fez, looking at coming back to a puzzle game and perception in its many forms, among other topics. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and…
DGC Ep 427: Interstate '76 Interview with Sean Vesce and Zack Norman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:45
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we return with a bonus interview for our series on Interstate '76. We talk about shipping the game's predecessor, pulling together, and making something new. Dev Game Club looks…
DGC Ep 426: Fez (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:05
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on Fez. We talk about its platforming and how it fits to taste, game style, and rule escalation. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays throu…
DGC Ep 425: Fez (part one) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:26
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we begin a new series of series on the independent games of the last couple of decades, starting with 2012's Fez. We set the game in its time, talk a bit about its precedents and…
DGC Ep 424: Interstate '76 (part three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:22
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we sadly conclude our series on Interstate '76. Poor Tim could not really play the game at all, so we're going to have to let this one go, but we'll still talk about a few things…
DGC Ep 423: Interstate '76 (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:08
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on 1997's Interstate '76. We talk about physics again, mission design, input, and other topics. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays throug…