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Videogame Workshop

@videogameworkshop.com

175 followers 22 following 161 posts

Independent videogame development studio. Our games are puzzley, interesting, and easy for anyone to play. We share our insights and dialogue as we develop. videogameworkshop.com

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Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 18h

Happy birthday, to the Nintendo 64!!! Do you all have any favorite n64 games?

A picture of a Nintendo 64 wearing a party hat.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 28/09/2026

Happy Monday, y'all. Or youse guys if you prefer. New crossword puzzle made with the ridiculous headlines from the past 2 weeks! on this week's puzzle: "Wendy's releases new emo ____ with metalcore pop punk vocalists" #crossword #puzzle #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

itch.io @itch.io · 26/09/2026

Playing anything good this weekend on @itch.io? If not, our recommendation is to check out the 637 games that were published for GBJAM 14! itch.io/jam/gbjam-14

A game jam from 2026-09-11 to 2026-10-05 hosted by Polyducks, chasehunter, DL, poltergasm, timconceivable, tatltuae, Traslo, arknano & batfeula. GBJAM is about making games inspired by the gameboy. Th...

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Khayyaam #LIUKANGGANG @khayyaamb.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Mario when SEGA cancels the Sonic franchise

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 14/09/2026

New crossword puzzle made with the ridiculous headlines from the past 2 weeks! On this week's puzzle: "____ Roaches Can Stab You With needles" #crossword #puzzle #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 28/08/2026

Happy Friday! We have a new crossword puzzle made with the ridiculous headlines from the past 2 weeks! On this week's puzzle: "South Koreans turn to ____ to glean their pets’ thoughts" #crossword #puzzle #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 27/08/2026

If you're stressing about releasing your game on steam because you might mess something up, this should help your imposter syndrome: Ubisoft released Heroes of Might and Magic 3 on steam... without including the game. #gamedev #indiedev www.polygon.com/ubisoft-hero...

Ubisoft’s Botched Release of Classic Might and Magic Game Was a Hilarious Blunder

Ubisoft accidentally launched Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Complete on Steam without the game files, while its new remake divides longtime fans.

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 27/08/2026

Wait. Eve online runs on Python??? I thought that was a joke! Also, good luck y'all migration is hard work. www.eveonline.com/news/view/th... #gamedev #python

The Move to Python 3 Begins! | EVE Online

How do you migrate 2.4 million lines of code?

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 25/08/2026

Ever wonder why the Super Nintendo was "bumpy" or "uneven" compared to the original NES? It was designed that way on purpose to prevent people from placing drinks on it, which apparently was one of the more costly and common repairs for the NES. #snes #nes #retrogames

A picture of the Super Nintendo showing off the raised sections in the front and middle of the unit.

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 25/08/2026

The Snes turned 35 recently (NA release) and Linux turns 35 today. Naturally, I had to see if anyone got Linux to run on Snes. Of course they did. chorman0773.github.io/SNES-OS/ #snes #linux #retrogaming

chorman0773.github.io

High level Linux-like OS Running on a SNES

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 21/08/2026

New Blog! What do blue shells, snowballs, and quitting have in common? A big reason why player stop playing or caring about your game is that they feel their actions don't matter. So, here we talk about catch up mechanics and keeping players in the game. #gamedev #indiedev #gameMechnics

videogameworkshop.substack.com

Players don’t need to win, they need to matter.

Designing Catch-Up Mechanics: Blue Shells and Snowballs

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 16/08/2026

This one goes out to anyone reproducing bugs on a QA report. Your computer was probably tired. Cannot reproduce. #Gamedev #Indiedev #qa #programming

A bell curve with a noob on one side saying "computer was tired" a person in the center with "I must fix this bug only seen once" and the person not the other end saying "computer was tired"

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Video Game History Foundation @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Part of Nintendo's E3 1996 B-Roll (recently digitized by VGHF) includes early footage of Mario Kart 64, then known as Super Mario Kart R! In this clip you'll find a different title screen, different character icons, and Kamek the Magikoopa as a playable racer.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 12/08/2026

New Headliner! Can you finish all the weird, but real, headlines? "Man Who Drank Heavily and Took Steroids Without Working Out Finishes ____ in Bodybuilding Debut" #crossword #puzzle #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 12/08/2026

We took a week off to celebrate a year of weekly headliners (!!!) We're working on some some cool stuff and we're thinking about switching headliner to a monthly or biweekly format. But, for now enjoy bigger headliner cause a lot of stuff happened these past two weeks!

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Supper Mario Broth @mariobrothblog.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, green trampolines make Mario jump so high he goes offscreen for 6 seconds. By extracting his position values from the code, we can "zoom out" the stage and visualize his actual arc, which reveals just how absurdly high the jump is.

Jump Height: 1186 pixels (5 vertical screens)
Jump Distance: 900 pixels (3.5 horizontal screens)
Jump Duration: 360 frames (6 seconds)
Source: info: Jdaster64, supermariofiles.wordpress.com

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 31/07/2026

Solve our puzzle about last week's weird headlines! On this week's Headliner: Study: Dinosaurs were ____ after Chicxulub impact #crossword #puzzle #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 31/07/2026

We made it to 1 year of weekly headliner puzzles, and roughly one year since we started this company! Thank you all for talking game design with us!

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 25/07/2026

What weird headlines did we have this last week? Find out on this week's puzzle: "Alleged Maryland bank robber brings ____ kitten along for attempted heist" #crossword #puzzle #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 15/07/2026

Our 50th (dang) puzzle is now live! Catch up on some of the weird, but real, headlines form last week. On this week's puzzle: "Catch a python? This Florida restaurant will accept it as ____" #crossword #puzzle #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 03/07/2026

Some game makers are always pushing the limits of their technology. #gamedev #indiegamedev #podcast

Game Directors Who Push Technology Forward

YouTube video by Videogame Workshop

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 25/06/2026

Answer: Japanese *NINJA* certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad

A screenshot of Naruto struggling with an exam.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 25/06/2026

On this week's ridiculous crossword puzzle made of real headlines: "Japanese ???? certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad" #crossword #puzzle #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 22/06/2026

In case any of you all need weight references for your RPG weapons here's a handy guide: DM: "you swing your claymore and it hits with the equivalent force of a newborn!" #gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign

A visual image showing different swords and an equivalent weight reference. E.g. a rapier is about the weight of a can of beans and a claymore(?) is roughly equivalent to swinging a newborn.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 18/06/2026

When your RPG has a "wait" option. #gamedev #indiedev #gamedev

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 15/06/2026

Need a puzzle for Monday? Here's a crossword where all the answers are real headlines form last week! On this week's puzzle: "____ in Clown Wig Roundhouse Kicks Small Child" #crossword #puzzle #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 05/06/2026

Getting the QA bug report on a Friday afternoon #gamedev #indiedev

A picture of santa's little helper from the simpsons looking rough and smoking.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 05/06/2026

On this week's puzzle: "Over a dozen ‘unauthorized individuals’ emerge from ____s in Brooklyn: NYPD" #crossword #puzzle #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 03/06/2026

So, the true villain of the Legend of Zelda series is... game development. #gamedev #indiedev

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 02/06/2026

I learned that conservation of ninjitsu was a major design inspiration for z-targeting in Ocarina of Time. The issue? Players had a hard time following multiple enemies. One of the devs noticed something similar happened in martial arts movies. Why not copy them? 🧵👇 #gamedesign #gamedev #Indiedev

A screenshot of link form the ocarina of time z-targeting shadow link.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 01/06/2026

This is still one of the best visualizations of how optimizing draw calls looks like at run time! Horizon Zero Dawn's open wold is vast, but not all of it is in active memory or rendered while you play. Instead, just the chunks of the level that are needed are loaded. #gamedev #indiedev

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 29/05/2026

On this week's crossword puzzle of real ridiculous headlines: "Films more likely to star a ‘____’ or a talking animal than a woman over 60 study reveals." Play it now! #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames #crossword

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 28/05/2026

Yacht Club is doing a series of design talks on their latest game Mina the Hollower! @yachtclubgames.bsky.social does a good job of explaining their design decisions. If you haven't seen them yet, we recommend their talks on Shovel Knight too!

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 26/05/2026

Our favorite example of how much psychology can change your play experience: Essentially the same (blocks are in the same place) psychologically it feels more dangerous. An efficient trick to increase difficulty in a level without making it mechanically different. #Gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign

Mario form SMB1 jumping to a flagpole using the block ramp at the end of a level.

Mario form SMB1 jumping to a flagpole in a much later level. Here, the block ramp is missing almost all block but the places were players generally jump are still present.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 22/05/2026

Years later it's still crazy that Aliens: Colonial Marines was crippled by a spelling mistake in their ini file The surprising thing is that it went through QA and cert so it had to have been a last minute edit. Don't push to prod, folks. #gamedev #indiedev

Aliens killed by spelling mistake in 2013 Colonial Marines game

A typo in the code of a poorly reviewed game from 2013 is being blamed for one of its biggest problems.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 21/05/2026

Weekly Headliner puzzle up now! "Bear ‘released without charges’ after being ____ in East Vancouver" #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 14/05/2026

Weekly Headliner puzzle up now! "There’s a ____ With a Tamagotchi Inside It That Dies If You Stop Puffing" #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 08/05/2026

Happy Friday! Here's a puzzle about headlines from the past week OpenAI Codex system prompt includes explicit directive to “never talk about ____” #indiegame #indiedev #crossword #puzzle #gamedev

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 01/05/2026

Clever lighting trick for sprites!

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 29/04/2026

Ridiculous news in horrific times. Check out this week's Headliner puzzle! "Titanic exhibit at Volo Museum ____s on anniversary of famous ship's sinking" #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames #crossword

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 27/04/2026

Sometimes game design is all about editing. #gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign

A screenshot of a git commit message saying "now with 87% less trolley problem!"

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 25/04/2026

Environmental storytelling. #gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign

A picture of a content cat taking a nap in a bird's nest.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 24/04/2026

A game we designed is featured on PBS for Earth Day (month). Last time we were featured we got a huge traffic spike! If you're curious about the game's design we also wrote about it videogameworkshop.substack.com/p/design-dia... #PBS #HeroElementary #EduGames #gamedesign #gamedev #indiedev

A picture of the featured section of PBS kids games with Videogame Workshop's game "AJ's Recycle Rescue"

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Game Developer @gamedeveloper.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

'A scope document is not your plan:' Laying the groundwork for indie success "I speak to a lot of small teams who explain 'oh yeah, we've got every feature listed and we're ticking them off.' That is not your plan. That is just a list of tasks and you're completing them."

gamedeveloper.com

Effective planning tips to help deliver indie success

Blossom Arcade founder Sophie Smart explains how the best laid plans can drive indie studios forward.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 23/04/2026

New puzzle about the weird stuff that happened last week! "3 convicted after using bear ____ to fake bear attacks on luxury vehicles" #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames #crossword

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 10/04/2026

It's friday! Catch up on some of last week's headlines in our crossword puzzle! "____ squirrels spark warnings from experts" #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 08/04/2026

Our Design Diary series showcases the behind the scenes development of our previous client games. AJ’s Recycle Rescue was made for PBS Kids and released with the launch of Hero Elementary in 2020. #gamedev #indiegamedev #gamedesign

open.substack.com

Design Diary: AJ’s Recycle Rescue

The goal of this game was for players to connect conservation concepts to actionable changes to the environment around them..

Reposted by Videogame Workshop

Dennispr @dennis.videogameworkshop.com · 03/04/2026

The design. The playtest. #gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign #playtest

Two pictures with the first one showing 3 neatly arranged cat food dishes. The second shows 3 cats crawling all over each other to get to the various dishes.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 02/04/2026

After a day of headlines that weren't real, here are some headlines that don't seem real. This week's Headliner includes: "Hellmann's Manages To Get Mayonnaise Classified As An ____" #gamedev #indiedev #crossword #puzzle

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.

Videogame Workshop @videogameworkshop.com · 25/03/2026

New puzzle about the weird stuff that happened last week! "43 Years Ago Scientists Dropped Gophers Onto a ____. Today They’re Tiny Heroes." #gamedev #indiegamedev #indiegames #crossword

videogameworkshop.com

A crossword puzzle about ridiculous news in horrific times.