2024 annual review of "A Good Interface"
What happened in 2024 and what will be 2025 made of?
It's time to say goodbye to the year 2024, so it's also time to review what this year has been made of!
As you may have noticed, I got a bit carried away with my game dev and publisher research tasks, so I didn't take the time to write more, even though I have plenty to share, like this monster from my game:
Another reason why I didn’t write much is that I feel a bit stuck with “A Good Interface”. Game interface design is an interesting subject and I love talking about it, but I felt limited when my days are made up of so many other things.
I spent a lot of time coding, doing marketing research, animating pixel art, setting up a Discord, translating the game, making trailer... and so on. Not being able to share it all here was a little frustrating.
That’s why I took this decision for 2025: I’ll write more, but not only about interface design. I'd like to share many other aspects of my adventure as an independent game developer!
I still believe in the power of sharing - that's why I'll try to create the newsletter I wish I'd read when I started developing games.
While you're here, I'd like to thank you.
I'd also like to take a moment to thank each and every one of the 857 of you who are following me on this adventure. I'm happy to share this with you, and I hope we'll learn lots of new things in 2025.
Also, thanks to the newsletter that recommand reading “A Good Interface”.
My year wouldn't have been the same without your support.
Now let's take a look back at 2024!
My top 6 video games of 2024
For the curious, here's the list of the 6 games that marked my year 2024, and I'd be delighted to hear in the comments which ones marked yours?
Balatro - I've never played poker before, yet this poker-inspired game kept me entertained for hours. If you're a fan of rogue like and deck building, believe me, you should give it a try.
BattleBit Remastered - As a big fan of Battlefied, I had to play this game. Although I wouldn't recommend playing it right now (player numbers are very low & dev are missing), it has a special place in my
steam libraryheart.Outer Wilds - I feel so bad that I waited so long to try this game, which instantly climbed to the top of my list of favorite games.
Core Keeper - This kind of sandbox mining adventure always appeals to me. Grab a friend and explore Core Keeper's gorgeous pixel art design.
RoboQuest - Rogue like, FPS, Coop: those are the 3 words I needed to hear to try this game. Special mention to the incredible art direction and music.
RavenSwatch - A roguelike action game playable solo or in online co-op? If you're looking for a dynamic fighting style with a wide range of abilities and play styles, go for it.
As you have noticed, most of them are rogues like and, above all, independent games. If the AAA video game ecosystem isn't in the best of shape at the moment (between scandals, crises & other licensings to please shareholders), I still find indie developers incredible. Every year, we're treated to new gold nuggets.
My top 3 ressources for indie game dev in 2024
Here are the sites I've visited most over the past year.
GM Shaders - the person thanks to whom I wrote my first shaders, a thousand thanks
I've always been afraid of shaders, that barbaric little word and this technology that seems so complex. Xor's tutorials are really well done and I've finally got around to creating my own shaders.
Game UI Database 2.0 - The Ultimate reference tool for game designers
I'm not going to present this site anymore, but if you're looking for interfaces, this is the place to go.
How To Market A Game - Feel Confident marketing your game
Marketing is a sensitive subject, because few games manage to stand out without marketing to ensure revenue for their creators. This blog is a gold mine and I love reading these articles.
What I’ve achieve in 2024
It always feels good to remind what we’ve done in 2024, cause’ my brain tends to forget. And seeing it all again inevitably gives a small sense of accomplishment.
Started the switch from Twitter to BlueSky
Wrote 7 articles about game interface design:
"A Good Interface" has growth from 387 to 857 subscribers
Finally get myself a Linktree
I continued to work on Another Door with Suzy, our first game (to be released in 2025)
Participated in our first event to present our game
Opened a Discord where we’ll start our first playtest (join us, we need you)
Received over 2,500 wishlist on steam
Participated to the Mini-jam 166 and created My Dear Humans (check theses music made by 0ffscreen)
Learned how to make shader with GM shaders
And what’s my goals during 2025?
I want to release Another Door on Steam
I want to write more than 1 newsletter by month
I want to participate to at least 2 game jam, starting with the Global Game Jam in few weeks
I want to read more books about game design, I’ve already read “The Art of Game Design“ and “A Theory of fun” last year
Growth this newsletter to more than 1000+ readers
I imagine that many things will be added over the course of the year, but for now it's already a lot of work!
Conclusion
Thanks again for reading, I truly believe that sharing knowledge is one of the things that makes the internet such a special tool. I hope your plans for 2025 come to fruition, and I can't wait to see the amazing games you'll be creating.
I'm going to extend the scope of this newsletter, while keeping indie video game creation as my main topic so… You’ll see me back in your mailbox soon, with more design, more video games and more tips on how to create them!
Take care,
Indieklem.