Gabriel Cornish

I've always wanted to try my hand at commercial indie game development, but I also never had the confidence to charge for any of my games. I operate under the assumption that I have no idea which of my games players will like. The ones I thought would do terrible on Itch, end up getting played and received well. So, if I don't know what games people will like, what if I developed a business model around that assumption? What if I release every game I make for free? If it gets a lot of engage...

Let me know if this sounds familiar. You start a new game, play it for a bit, and then bounce to another game. You might buy a new game or you might pick something else from your backlog. You're a game hopper. You like to bounce around a bunch of different games. If games were books, you'd be reading many at the same time. That's okay! That's a valid way of playing. Remember, this hobby should be fun. Not a chore. Play the way you want to play. But, still... sometimes there's this feeling of...

So, my two year old has gotten good at communicating what he wants. He's started issuing commands like "more grapes" and "more Mozzarella" etc... But, now my wife and I are trying to teach him to say "please". So, the other day when he demanded grapes- I think it was grapes- I asked him to say "please". He just looked at me and rubbed his belly. I'm like, "yeah dude, I know. But, you gotta say please." But, he just looked at me again and rubbed his belly. This time with a sad look on his face. ...

At least once a week, I boot up Battlefront II (2005) and it's the perfect game to play after a long day of work. But, even though it's a multiplayer game- I can't ever remember playing it online. I've always played against bots. So, it got me thinking. Why aren't there more offline multiplayer games that you can play against bots? I have so many good memories playing Battlefront when it first came out. And my friends and I would stay up all night playing together during sleepovers. But, how ma...

There's something different about playing a video game offline. Try it. Turn off WiFi in the house or go into offline mode and boot up your favorite game. Does it run? If so, you're in luck. You're in for a treat. Playing a video game offline is calming in a way. Nothing is trying to "keep" you longer than you want to be there. Microtransactions don't work or are non-existent. Your experience is less noisy. It's more focused. The mere fact that the game runs offline means it's built to las...

It was the end of the work week and I had submitted a new level to the lead designer for review. But, now I had to wait for the feedback. The worst part of the job is the wait to hear what people think of your work. So, of course my imposter syndrome kicked in. My plan, as usual, was to tell myself that I'd been doing this for a long time and that my experience would carry me forward. Talent, experience, and passion is all that mattered. But, my brain didn't believe it. Who was I kidding? I'...

At the end of the day, when the kid is asleep, I sit down in front of the TV and hours go by. The algorithm tells me to consume, so I consume. The strength needed to fight it isn't there. It never ends. Consume, consume, consume, consume. Then it's time for bed. Repeat, evening after evening. I don't know what I want from my nights, but I know its not this. The only thing I know to counter consumption is creation. The burn is there. The soul wants to make. That's why I'm doing this #100Da...