Our game assets are free because of donations from the community, consider one if you can!
There are plenty of videos on YouTube the guide you through game feel and design, but which are the best? We've compiled a list of our personal favorites. Got a great video that's not on the list yet? Let us know by commenting down below!
Game feel
Juice it or lose it (Martin Jonasson & Petri Purho)
A juicy game feels alive and responds to everything the player does, tons of cascading actions and response for minimal user input. (15 minutes)
The Art of Screenshake (Jan Willem Nijman)
Jan Willem Nijman (50% of Vlambeer) talks about screenshake, why is it that one game plays great and another similar one feels terrible? (40 minutes)
Why your death animation sucks (Nicolae Berbece)
Nicolae Berbece talks in depth on game feel, this interactive death animation walkthrough goes from the first lines of code to the asset animation and effects. (20 minutes)
50 Game Camera Mistakes (John Nesky)
In this GDC talk, John Nesky, the dynamic camera designer for thatgamecompany's award-winning PSN title Journey, takes attendees on a tour of all the poor camera choices. (60 minutes)
Process
The Animation Process of Ori (James Benson)
Tasked with creating hundreds of character animations that would would blend seamlessly into a painted 2d world, but without any ability to illustrate, what technical and creative tricks could you employ to succeed? (30 minutes)
An Indie Approach to Procedural Animation (David Rosen)
Find out how to use simple procedural techniques to achieve interactive and fluid animations using very few key frames, with examples from indie games like Overgrowth, Receiver and Black Shades. (25 minutes)
Design
Twenty Years, Twenty Lessons Learned (Mark Rosewater)
Magic the Gathering head designer Mark Rosewater shares twenty lessons learned over twenty years of designing one of the world's most popular collectible card games. (60 minutes)
Secret to fun (Ian Bogost)
Ian Bogost at WIRED by Design, 2014. In partnership with Skywalker Sound, Marin County, CA. (10 minutes)
Nintendo - Putting Play First (Game Maker's Toolkit)
In this episode of Game Maker's Toolkit it's all about Nintendo's method of making games which helps this Japanese developer stand out from most other studios. (10 minutes)
Half-Life 2's Invisible Tutorial (Game Maker's Toolkit)
Where some game makers beat you over the head with explanations and tutorials, Valve took a subtle approach with Half-Life 2 and taught you its rules without you even knowing. (6 minutes)
Hearthstone: 10 Bits Of Design Wisdom (Eric Dodds)
The Hearthstone team started with a love of collectible card games and embraced the idea of making them a game type that is fun for everyone. Along the way, we found ten design ideas that worked really well for the team. (50 minutes)
The Importance of Nothing (Jim Brown)
Jim Brown covers the role of negative space in design theory, and show its applications to both game and level design. The principles of negative space design can impact almost every aspect of a game's development and affect the way that players consume our games. (50 minutes)
Marketing
Marketing Indie Games on a $0 Budget (Emmy Jonassen)
Emmy Jonassen: To become a successful indie game developer, you must first become a successful indie game marketer. Trouble is, for many indies, marketing doesn't come naturally or fit the indie budget. (50 minutes)
You Suck at Showcasing Your Game (Nicolae Berbece)
In this GDC talk, Those Awesome Guys' Nicolae Berbece teaches you how to present and talk about your game. (30 minutes)
Post-mortem
The Game That Time Forgot (Adam Butcher)
The true story of how Adam Butcher spent 13 years creating a video game. (7 minutes)
Looking Glass Studios - The Last Day (Mike Chrzanowski)
The final day of Looking Glass Studios (System Shock, Thief, Destruction Derby). (40 minutes)
Documentaries
There's also a few documentaries which might be interesting to indie developers, here's a small selection that you can purchase on GOG.com:
Indie Game: The Movie (2014)
Minecraft: The Story of Mojang (2012)
Once Upon Atari (2003)