Game Makers Toolkit | The 100 Games That Taught Me Game Design @GMTK | Uploaded May 2024 | Updated October 2024, 6 days ago.
🔴 Get bonus content by supporting Game Maker’s Toolkit - gamemakerstoolkit.com/support 🔴
One of the best ways to learn about game design is to just play a whole bunch of games. But with thousands of titles to choose from... where do you start? Well, this video lists 100 games that have most helped me in my journey to understand game development - from arcade classics to virtual reality thrills.
=== Corrections ===
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was developed by Infinity Ward, not Treyarch.
Spaceteam is actually still on the iOS App Store!
=== Important information ===
Content warning: Blood, Language, War
Backloggd list - backloggd.com/u/GameMakersTK/list/100-games-that-taught-me-game-design
While most of the games are available on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch, a few can be found elsewhere. Use these links to begin.
Space Invaders - vizzed.com/play/space-invaders-+-space-invaders-m-mame-online-arcade-49180-playable
Pac-Man - vizzed.com/play/pac-man-25th-anniversary-edition-(rev-200)-mame-online-arcade-44130-playable
Rogue - myabandonware.com/game/rogue-4n/play-4n
Tetris - https://www.retrogames.cz/play_136-GameBoy.php
Diablo II - eu.shop.battle.net/en-gb/product/diablo-ii
The Sims - myabandonware.com/game/the-sims-bf5
September 12th - newsgaming.com/games/index12.htm
Cookie Clicker -orteil.dashnet.org/cookieclicker
Spelunky - spelunkyworld.com/original.html
=== Sources ===
[1] Resident Evil Creator Shinji Mikami Reflects... | Gamespot
gamespot.com/articles/resident-evil-creator-shinji-mikami-reflects-on-th/1100-6435918
[2] Preview: Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars | 1UP
web.archive.org/web/20070927204306/1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3158197
[3] 40 years and I'm still here | Game Developer
gamedeveloper.com/business/my-40-years-in-the-game-industry
[4] The Last Guardian creator... | The Guardian
theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/28/the-last-guardian-fumito-ueda-interview
[5] Rez - Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Timeless Masterpiece | Time Extension
timeextension.com/features/the-making-of-rez-tetsuya-mizuguchis-timeless-masterpiece
[6] Keita Takahashi talks Katamari Damacy | GameSpy
gamespy.com/articles/595/595110p1.html
[7] Spelunky by Derek Yu | Boss Fight Books
bossfightbooks.com/products/spelunky-by-derek-yu
[8] Designing side quests? Study these 7 games | Game Developer
gamedeveloper.com/design/designing-side-quests-study-these-7-games-and-some-chris-avellone-pointers-
[9] Soundbite: Age of Empires and Civilization... | The Life & Times of Video Games
https://lifeandtimes.games/episodes/files/soundbite-bruce-shelley
[10] Ahead of the Curve: The SpaceChem Postmortem | GDC Vault
youtube.com/watch?v=lH7gL3ivgFA
[11] Designing Mark of the Ninja - Nels Anderson | Full Indie
youtube.com/watch?v=IsHNpoleFp0
[12] Jake Solomon | Designer Notes
idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/jake-solomon-part-1
[13] Brilliant Indie Game The Stanley Parable... | Wired
wired.com/2011/08/the-stanley-parable
[14] Cow Clicker | Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Clicker
[15] 18 things we learned about Alien: Isolation... | MCV UK
mcvuk.com/development-news/18-things-we-learned-about-alien-isolation-last-night
[16] ’80 Days': Jules Verne-inspired game... | LA Times
web.archive.org/web/20140831040548/herocomplex.latimes.com/games/80-days-jules-verne-inspired-mobile-game-is-all-over-the-map
[17] How Fortnite’s success... | Polygon
polygon.com/2019/4/23/18507750/fortnite-work-crunch-epic-games
[18] ...The aesthetics of frustration in Getting Over It | Gamasutra
web.archive.org/web/20190419044650/gamasutra.com/view/news/312553/Designer_Interview_The_aesthetics_of_frustration_in_Getting_Over_It.php
[19] Designing Florence... | Game Developer
gamedeveloper.com/audio/designing-i-florence-i-to-convey-the-ineffable-feeling-of-being-in-love
[20] Understanding the meaningless ... Disco Elysium | Game Developer
gamedeveloper.com/business/understanding-the-meaningless-micro-reactive-and-marvellous-writing-of-i-disco-elysium-i-
[21] Road to the IGF ... Outer Wilds | Game Developer
- gamedeveloper.com/design/road-to-the-igf-alex-beachum-s-i-outer-wilds-i-
=== Chapters ===
00:00 - Intro
02:39 - 1 to 10
15:18 - 11 to 20
28:34 - 21 to 30
41:15 - 31 to 40
55:26 - 41 to 50
1:08:07 - 51 to 60
1:19:55 - 61 to 70
1:32:56 - 71 to 80
1:45:45 - 81 to 90
1:58:50 - 91 to 100
2:11:28 - Outro
=== Credits ===
Some music provided by Epidemic Sound - epidemicsound.com/referral/vtdu5y (Referral Link)
Other music from original soundtracks of games shown
Video credits - pastebin.com/iDY3GaAn
🔴 Get bonus content by supporting Game Maker’s Toolkit - gamemakerstoolkit.com/support 🔴
One of the best ways to learn about game design is to just play a whole bunch of games. But with thousands of titles to choose from... where do you start? Well, this video lists 100 games that have most helped me in my journey to understand game development - from arcade classics to virtual reality thrills.
=== Corrections ===
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was developed by Infinity Ward, not Treyarch.
Spaceteam is actually still on the iOS App Store!
=== Important information ===
Content warning: Blood, Language, War
Backloggd list - backloggd.com/u/GameMakersTK/list/100-games-that-taught-me-game-design
While most of the games are available on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch, a few can be found elsewhere. Use these links to begin.
Space Invaders - vizzed.com/play/space-invaders-+-space-invaders-m-mame-online-arcade-49180-playable
Pac-Man - vizzed.com/play/pac-man-25th-anniversary-edition-(rev-200)-mame-online-arcade-44130-playable
Rogue - myabandonware.com/game/rogue-4n/play-4n
Tetris - https://www.retrogames.cz/play_136-GameBoy.php
Diablo II - eu.shop.battle.net/en-gb/product/diablo-ii
The Sims - myabandonware.com/game/the-sims-bf5
September 12th - newsgaming.com/games/index12.htm
Cookie Clicker -orteil.dashnet.org/cookieclicker
Spelunky - spelunkyworld.com/original.html
=== Sources ===
[1] Resident Evil Creator Shinji Mikami Reflects... | Gamespot
gamespot.com/articles/resident-evil-creator-shinji-mikami-reflects-on-th/1100-6435918
[2] Preview: Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars | 1UP
web.archive.org/web/20070927204306/1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3158197
[3] 40 years and I'm still here | Game Developer
gamedeveloper.com/business/my-40-years-in-the-game-industry
[4] The Last Guardian creator... | The Guardian
theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/28/the-last-guardian-fumito-ueda-interview
[5] Rez - Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Timeless Masterpiece | Time Extension
timeextension.com/features/the-making-of-rez-tetsuya-mizuguchis-timeless-masterpiece
[6] Keita Takahashi talks Katamari Damacy | GameSpy
gamespy.com/articles/595/595110p1.html
[7] Spelunky by Derek Yu | Boss Fight Books
bossfightbooks.com/products/spelunky-by-derek-yu
[8] Designing side quests? Study these 7 games | Game Developer
gamedeveloper.com/design/designing-side-quests-study-these-7-games-and-some-chris-avellone-pointers-
[9] Soundbite: Age of Empires and Civilization... | The Life & Times of Video Games
https://lifeandtimes.games/episodes/files/soundbite-bruce-shelley
[10] Ahead of the Curve: The SpaceChem Postmortem | GDC Vault
youtube.com/watch?v=lH7gL3ivgFA
[11] Designing Mark of the Ninja - Nels Anderson | Full Indie
youtube.com/watch?v=IsHNpoleFp0
[12] Jake Solomon | Designer Notes
idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes/jake-solomon-part-1
[13] Brilliant Indie Game The Stanley Parable... | Wired
wired.com/2011/08/the-stanley-parable
[14] Cow Clicker | Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Clicker
[15] 18 things we learned about Alien: Isolation... | MCV UK
mcvuk.com/development-news/18-things-we-learned-about-alien-isolation-last-night
[16] ’80 Days': Jules Verne-inspired game... | LA Times
web.archive.org/web/20140831040548/herocomplex.latimes.com/games/80-days-jules-verne-inspired-mobile-game-is-all-over-the-map
[17] How Fortnite’s success... | Polygon
polygon.com/2019/4/23/18507750/fortnite-work-crunch-epic-games
[18] ...The aesthetics of frustration in Getting Over It | Gamasutra
web.archive.org/web/20190419044650/gamasutra.com/view/news/312553/Designer_Interview_The_aesthetics_of_frustration_in_Getting_Over_It.php
[19] Designing Florence... | Game Developer
gamedeveloper.com/audio/designing-i-florence-i-to-convey-the-ineffable-feeling-of-being-in-love
[20] Understanding the meaningless ... Disco Elysium | Game Developer
gamedeveloper.com/business/understanding-the-meaningless-micro-reactive-and-marvellous-writing-of-i-disco-elysium-i-
[21] Road to the IGF ... Outer Wilds | Game Developer
- gamedeveloper.com/design/road-to-the-igf-alex-beachum-s-i-outer-wilds-i-
=== Chapters ===
00:00 - Intro
02:39 - 1 to 10
15:18 - 11 to 20
28:34 - 21 to 30
41:15 - 31 to 40
55:26 - 41 to 50
1:08:07 - 51 to 60
1:19:55 - 61 to 70
1:32:56 - 71 to 80
1:45:45 - 81 to 90
1:58:50 - 91 to 100
2:11:28 - Outro
=== Credits ===
Some music provided by Epidemic Sound - epidemicsound.com/referral/vtdu5y (Referral Link)
Other music from original soundtracks of games shown
Video credits - pastebin.com/iDY3GaAn
