Game Makers Toolkit | How Jonathan Blow Designs a Puzzle @GMTK | Uploaded March 2016 | Updated October 2024, 1 week ago.
🔴 Get bonus content by supporting Game Maker’s Toolkit - gamemakerstoolkit.com/support 🔴
For Jonathan Blow, a puzzle is never just a puzzle - it's a communication from the designer to the player about the game's universe. In this episode, I share the philosophy and design process of the brains behind Braid and The Witness.
More on Blow's philosophy:
IndieCade: "Jonathan Blow & Marc Ten Bosch - Designing to Reveal the Nature of the Universe"
youtube.com/watch?v=OGSeLSmOALU
IndieCade: "Jonathan Blow, Marc Ten Bosch & Droqen - Empuzzlement"
youtube.com/watch?v=Ul_ZfzfHRek
Shivmoo: "Game City Jonathan Blow Braid Talk"
youtube.com/watch?v=gwsi7TEQxKc&feature=youtu.be
A MAZE: "Berlin 2014 - Masterclass with Jonathan Blow"
youtube.com/watch?v=3LDJt9zS8ko
Gamasutra: "Jonathan Blow: The Path to Braid"
gamasutra.com/view/feature/132180/jonathan_blow_the_path_to_braid.php
Gamasutra: "The Witness: Modeling epiphany"
gamasutra.com/view/news/218953/The_Witness_Modeling_epiphany.php
GrabItMagazine: "How To Design Deep Games with Jonathan Blow"
youtube.com/watch?v=d0m0jIzJfiQ&feature=youtu.be
GameSpot: "Break Room Interviews: Jonathan Blow"
youtube.com/watch?v=6OV2rYM6mRo&feature=youtu.be
GDC Vault: "Jonathan Blow - Truth in Game Design"
gdcvault.com/play/1014982/Truth-in-Game
Games shown in this episode (in order of appearance):
Braid (Number None, 2008)
The Witness (Thekla, Inc, 2016)
Oracle Billiards (Jonathan Blow, Unreleased)
Galstaff (Jonathan Blow, Unreleased)
Music used in this episode:
Greenhouse (The Swapper, Carlo Castellano)
Adventure (Fez, Disasterpeace)
Flower Girl (Gravity Ghost, Ben Prunty)
Terraforming (Gravity Ghost, Ben Prunty)
I just like to sleep under the stars (Gravity Ghost, Ben Prunty)
Other credits:
Simon Carless: "IGS 2007: Jon Blow - 'Indie Prototyping, Braid, & Making Innovative Games'"
youtube.com/watch?v=p4903fcskqY
JustJack: "Oracle Billiards Game"
youtube.com/watch?v=kKl8CM1Cft4
tvdays: "1980 RUBIKS CUBE IDEAL TOYS"
youtube.com/watch?v=AxU7e0qHk4o
Contribute translated subtitles - amara.org/v/C3BFd
🔴 Get bonus content by supporting Game Maker’s Toolkit - gamemakerstoolkit.com/support 🔴
For Jonathan Blow, a puzzle is never just a puzzle - it's a communication from the designer to the player about the game's universe. In this episode, I share the philosophy and design process of the brains behind Braid and The Witness.
More on Blow's philosophy:
IndieCade: "Jonathan Blow & Marc Ten Bosch - Designing to Reveal the Nature of the Universe"
youtube.com/watch?v=OGSeLSmOALU
IndieCade: "Jonathan Blow, Marc Ten Bosch & Droqen - Empuzzlement"
youtube.com/watch?v=Ul_ZfzfHRek
Shivmoo: "Game City Jonathan Blow Braid Talk"
youtube.com/watch?v=gwsi7TEQxKc&feature=youtu.be
A MAZE: "Berlin 2014 - Masterclass with Jonathan Blow"
youtube.com/watch?v=3LDJt9zS8ko
Gamasutra: "Jonathan Blow: The Path to Braid"
gamasutra.com/view/feature/132180/jonathan_blow_the_path_to_braid.php
Gamasutra: "The Witness: Modeling epiphany"
gamasutra.com/view/news/218953/The_Witness_Modeling_epiphany.php
GrabItMagazine: "How To Design Deep Games with Jonathan Blow"
youtube.com/watch?v=d0m0jIzJfiQ&feature=youtu.be
GameSpot: "Break Room Interviews: Jonathan Blow"
youtube.com/watch?v=6OV2rYM6mRo&feature=youtu.be
GDC Vault: "Jonathan Blow - Truth in Game Design"
gdcvault.com/play/1014982/Truth-in-Game
Games shown in this episode (in order of appearance):
Braid (Number None, 2008)
The Witness (Thekla, Inc, 2016)
Oracle Billiards (Jonathan Blow, Unreleased)
Galstaff (Jonathan Blow, Unreleased)
Music used in this episode:
Greenhouse (The Swapper, Carlo Castellano)
Adventure (Fez, Disasterpeace)
Flower Girl (Gravity Ghost, Ben Prunty)
Terraforming (Gravity Ghost, Ben Prunty)
I just like to sleep under the stars (Gravity Ghost, Ben Prunty)
Other credits:
Simon Carless: "IGS 2007: Jon Blow - 'Indie Prototyping, Braid, & Making Innovative Games'"
youtube.com/watch?v=p4903fcskqY
JustJack: "Oracle Billiards Game"
youtube.com/watch?v=kKl8CM1Cft4
tvdays: "1980 RUBIKS CUBE IDEAL TOYS"
youtube.com/watch?v=AxU7e0qHk4o
Contribute translated subtitles - amara.org/v/C3BFd
