Game development
The practice of making and shipping games: Steam, production, and the business around it.
-
Can Indie Games Compete With AAA? An Open Letter From a Studio Betting On It
A small indie studio's open letter on indie games vs AAA: verified numbers from Balatro, Stardew Valley, Hades and Minecraft, and the honest odds.
-
How Do Tiny Teams Make Huge Games? The Micro-Studio Era
One person made Stardew Valley. One made Balatro. The sourced numbers behind the micro-studio era, what enables tiny teams, and what the data leaves out.
-
How to Build a Steam Wishlist That Gets You Games You Love
A practical system for the Steam wishlist: three triage tiers, launch and sale notifications, pruning, and why wishlists matter for unreleased indie games.
-
Steam Early Access in 2026: When It Works and When It Backfires
When Early Access works, when it backfires, and what changed by 2026: verified timelines from Hades to KSP2, Steam's stale-game warning, and the 21% rule.
-
How to Write a Steam Review That Actually Helps Developers
What makes a Steam review useful: playtime context, specifics over scores, fair comparisons, and how Steam's review score bands and visibility really work.
-
Is This Indie Game Worth Your Time? A Steam Demo Guide
A practical 30-minute framework for judging an indie game from its Steam demo: what a demo can and cannot tell you, and when to wishlist.
-
Steam Next Fest Survival Guide: How to Find the Best Demos
A player's guide to Steam Next Fest: filter thousands of free demos by tag, triage with your wishlist, time-box every demo, and spot the real gems.
-
How to Get Good at Management Simulation Games: 8 Strategies
Eight transferable strategies for city builders, colony sims, and tycoons, with examples from Cities: Skylines, RimWorld, Two Point Hospital, and Frostpunk.
-
How Long Does It Take to Make an Indie Game?
Most indie games take one to five years. Stardew took about four and a half solo, Cuphead around seven. Here is what really drives an indie timeline.
-
Apartment Management Game Strategy: 6 Principles That Work
A strategy guide to apartment and building management games: keep tenants happy, match them to rooms and neighbors, build reputation, and reinvest rent well.
