Best Trash Compactor Podcasts (2025)

1
Nice Thinking: "Fishing Minigame Collection"

Play Pause

1d ago

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Stephen Business is back! And he’s attempting to make a meme into a reality. The clubhouse attempts to answer these (and other) questions: How many fishing minigames is too many fishing minigames? Is it okay to shoot fish with lasers? Who are those teenagers with emo hair in the Bentley? Should Stephen make something on the Playdate? Why do people …

1
"Okay, I need to learn buttons." microStudio; Min-Maxing

8d ago

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It is a joyous day for pancake lovers everywhere, and a joyous week in the Clubhouse for Lydia who successfully made a thing using code! WOW! She shares her experience learning how to make buttons (and everything else) in microStudio. Then the Nice Hosts get real about their experiences with min-maxing in games. You know it's a good topic when it p…

1
Concept Art Workflows (with Laura Onderwater)

15d ago

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Returning "favorite" Laura Onderwater re-enters the clubhouse to talk about task tracking, naming conventions, and paper trails of various kinds in an engaging discussion on concept art workflows. Even if you’re not part of an art team, there’s a lot to take away from this one! We spoke with Laura previously in an episode on Visual Worldbuilding Co…

1
Nice Games Jam: "Repair-ent"

22d ago

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As promised, the three Korths, Andy, Beth and Gabe, join us in the clubhouse for our hundred and two or so episode tradition! The clubhouse was too crowded to fit Mark in, but having five hosts makes up for it. Your nice hosts design a game about fixing the messes your child makes and then returning the favor as you age. Andy had brought up a chaot…

1
Revisiting Your Games (with Andy Korth)

29d ago

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As is tradition, a couple of episodes after a hundredth we invite one or more of our pals the Korths into the clubhouse. This time we were lucky enough to have all of the family Korths (coming soon), and a bonus interview with Andy Korth! We talk with him about his recent work updating Verdant Skies. Revisiting Your Games Game Design Production UI …

1
"From apocrypha or experience." 400th Episode Special

1M ago

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It's a big one for your nice hosts... and your newest nice host wants to know more. Lydia takes Mark and Stephen though the history of the program, in three acts. 0:02:04 Act I: Interview 0:57:38 Act II: Quiz 1:12:47 Act III: JamBy Lydia, Stephen, and Mark

1
"Half trash compactor, half empty." Composting; Overdesigning

1M ago

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Ellen's back for a serendipitously in-sync pair of metacognition-rich roundtable topics. In this episode, Lydia shares a chapter from one of her favorite books and tries to explain ganache while Stephen laments how easy it is to duct tape on features instead of solving problems. Together they discover four brains are better than one when it comes t…

1
Nice Thinking: "Untitled Memory Mechanic"

2M ago

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Ellen’s back in the clubhouse, let’s see what she remembers. Lydia brings a Dungeons and Dragons mechanic about recovering memories called 'Untitled Mechanic,' Stephen feels part of a club that is not Nice Games Club, and Mark brags about playing 2nd Edition in middle school. Untitled Memory Mechanic Lydia's website Lydia Symchych Oneshot inspirtat…

1
"Everyone hates Jira." QA Workflows; Designing Discovery

2M ago

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Your nice host return to the complex and sometimes underappreciated world of quality assurance in the game dev space, and also explore discovery as a design focus. In this episode: Lydia is still looking for recommendations while at the Serious Play Conference (answer in Discord!), Mark hates on Jira and Stephen finally catches up to the latest gam…

1
3D Workflows for Indie Devs (with Freya Holmér)

2M ago

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We welcome Freya Holmér back into the clubhouse to talk about 3D game development for independent game developers. We get into the specifics of the tools available for devs and why they work and don't work for different teams, but it's mostly an excuse to talk about Freya's new 3D modeling software. Half-Edge - Freya Holmér Shapes - Freya Holmér , …

1
Nice Games Jam: "Head in the Clouds"

2M ago

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This week, your Nice Hosts have a new prompt from a new source. Lydia's husband, Ian, draws from a rainy source of inspiration and the Hosts are all-in. We brush up on the water cycle, requisition the equipment, practice our Trans-Atlantic accents, dunk on hot dogs, and puzzle over water-based cloud economies. Big Pharma - Steam Le Ballon Rouge - W…

1
"It's about trust." Save Systems; Keeping Secrets

3M ago

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Your nice hosts talk about saving both your position in a game and saving your secrets from being spread around. Also in this episode: Stephen's birthday is coming up, Lydia's been presenting in webinars for a while, and Mark's got a new game coming soon! Category Quest - ELB Learning Webinar | Let’s Play! Category Quest: ELB Learning’s Newest Game…

1
"I’m intrigued by big door." Emotional Effects of Music; A New Foe Has Appeared!

3M ago

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Mark rushes through the introduction to talk about his two rush projects, one of which, Blippo+, was announced on Sunday during the PC Gaming Show! You'll hear more about that next week, but until then, Lydia talks about feeling seen in Anime, Stephen laments that his filmmaking class has not only ruined movies for him, but also music, and Dale doe…

1
Video Game History (with Adrian Sandoval)

3M ago

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This week in the club house Adrian Sandoval describes how video games are speed running art history. Your nice hosts have their minds blown many times and Steven discovers he might actually like history!? Stay tuned to find out where the 90 day return policy came from. Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends - Team Nemo Chris Totten, co-author of Adri…

1
"The things that create the geometry." What Happened With Future Club; Design Surface Area

3M ago

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Your nice hosts all secured a Switch 2 pre-order... from a certain point of view. Then, Stephen examines the body, Mark attempts a vocabulary, and Lydia has recommendations. Chants of Sennaar - Wikipedia Nintendo Switch 2 preorders were a total mess — at first - Jay Peters , The Verge Missed out on a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order? GameStop and Best B…

1
Mental Health and Discrimination (with Ashley Phipps)

4M ago

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The clubhouse welcomes Ashley Phipps, producer for the game Clock Out at 2, to discuss the topic of mental health and discrimination. Mental Health and Discrimination Game Design Gaming Narrative Clock Out at 2 Demo - Borderless Studios , Steam What to know about microaggressions - Anna Smith Haghighi , Medical News Today Queerty Gamers - Queerty G…

1
"This is an impossible challenge." Friction by Design; Diversity in Scoring

4M ago

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In this episode the club house talks about the games that they have been playing. Mark attempts to define the terms good friction and bad friction, declares his distaste of rouge-likes, and talks about friction in his current projects. Lydia shows us how to make scoring sound way more academic. Civilization VII Age of Mythology Retold Blue Prince 0…

1
Video Game IP Law (with Haley MacLeon)

4M ago

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Your nice hosts get a crash course on video game IP law from lawyer and MinnMax cohort, Haley MacLeon. We learn about incorporating, publishing agreements, the difference between a lot of commonly used terms like "copyright", and the joys of contract templates. MinnMax - MinnMax Game Informer Revival - Game Informer Video Game IP Law Marketing Misc…

1
"Our sense of epoch." Let's Plays; Responsive Game Design

4M ago

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A new Nintendo is on the way, and your nice hosts talk about both it and the world it's being born into. It kicks off a longer than usual episode where Lydia just wants a way to experience horror games, Mark has an unpopular opinion, and Stephen thinks players have too much agency already. 0:31:57 Let's Plays Endoparasitic miziziziz itch.io Let’s P…

1
Nice Games Jam: "The Intergalactic Dining Consortium"

5M ago

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Your nice hosts settle their differences in opinions when it comes to food to serve up a fresh game design document in a new Nice Games Jam episode. Prompt Create a game with one of my favorite things, food! It cannot be about/or have mechanics that are cooking. Think: growing food, pairing foods, making an international food court, menu design, us…

1
"You shouldn't pet the wolf." The art of Saying No; Tiny Interactions

5M ago

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Mark is still out sick, so Dale takes his place in the clubhouse and brings a topic! The club makes a prediction that by the time that this episode comes out, Mark will still be sick, and if you are listening on Patreon, that is absolutely true. If you aren't listening on Patreon, you probably should be. The group talks about how often and when to …

1
Nice Games Jam: "Time Traveler Estate Sale"

5M ago

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Roles reverse as Dale joins Stephen and Lydia for a Nice Game Jam prompted by Mark. The results are an antiques-fueled jaunt through time, and an unexpected win for Stephen. Costcodle - Zak Kermitz , Costcodle Timeline Inventions - Zygomatic , Zygomatic Hypodermic Needles - Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine , Maximum Fun Prompt "Come u…

1
"Nice Games Club cannot solve all of your problems." Begging for Money; Quality of Life

5M ago

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Beth leads Mark and Stephen through a therapy session. Stephen talks Kickstarter, Mark talks Patreon, and everyone agrees Beth's game Verdant Skies is great. Part-Time Hero: I'm Broke But I Have To Save The World! - Future Club , Kickstarter Dreamsettler - Tendershoot , Patreon 0:06:40 Begging for Money 0:52:09 Quality of Life Quality of Life Micha…

1
Nice Thinking: "Nice Games Alliance Workshops"

5M ago

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Beth Korth, board member of Nice Games Alliance, enters the clubhouse to talk about the purpose of the NGA and how to best fulfill that mission. They discuss how workshops, talks, and conferences fit into their plans. And how they can provide unique experiences and services that the gamedev community can't get elsewhere. They also emphasize the imp…

1
"A Paragraph Signing" Incremental Learning ; Making Science Fiction Worlds

6M ago

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Lydia joins the clubhouse for her first regular episode as a host (it's calendar math)! The clubhouse discusses the release of Civilization VII and how it is taking up all of Stephen's time. Lydia brings to the table the question of how she can learn more games, and how tutorials don't work for her. Stephen regrets not being able to fully develop t…

1
Nice Games Jam: "Dinosaurs of North Dakota"

6M ago

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The clubhouse gets Cretaceous this week; your nice hosts have been challenged to create a game about dinosaurs and their feeding habits. Prompt Make a game about the feeding habits of dinosaurs or of paleontologists, bonus points if all the dinosaurs are from the same era. Game type Design document Player count 1 Rules Cretaceous period Flowering p…

1
"More Ellen in the future." What We Did On Our Winter Break (2024-25)

6M ago

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NEWS! New episodes now come out a week early on Patreon!! Sign up to listen to next week's episode now! We talk about why, and the silly reason why now, in this episode, along with another, much bigger piece of NEWS. And of course, your nice hosts continue the show's annual tradition of recounting what they did during hiatus. SO. MUCH. NEWS. Nice G…

1
300 Seconds by SMARKDOWN BLVD. | Episode 8 4:59

6M ago4:59

4:59

SMARKDOWN BLVD. Presents... 300 Seconds. Jose & Jermaine bring you a new bi-weekly show called, 300 Seconds! This show has the duo discussing a fun wrestling topic that did not make it to the regular show in under five minutes or less...300 Seconds. This week; Daniel Bryan vs. Booker T Who wins? Listen now! Remember, a new era means a new format. W…

1
Puzzle Systems (with Arvi "Hempuli" Teikari) [Nice Replay]

6M ago

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#373 Puzzle Systems Interview 2024.11.15 Releasing 2019's "Baba is You" after more than a decade of making puzzle games was a milestone for this week's guest, but it was also just the beginning of his design journey. Arvi "Hempuli" Teikari talks to your nice hosts about the balance between giving players freedom and constraining their expression, t…

1
“That’s way too many pawns.” Communicating Difficulty; Remixed Play Modes [Nice Replay]

7M ago

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#368 “That’s way too many pawns.” Roundtable 2024.10.11 This week, Ellen kicks things off with a chat about how games tell players, “This might be tough!” and how to make that fun and fair. Stephen and Mark jump in with their takes on what makes difficulty settings shine. Then, Mark thinks about the practice taking familiar game mechanics and twist…

1
300 Seconds by SMARKDOWN BLVD. | Episode 7 4:59

7M ago4:59

4:59

SMARKDOWN BLVD. Presents... 300 Seconds. Jose & Jermaine bring you a new bi-weekly show called, 300 Seconds! This show has the duo discussing a fun wrestling topic that did not make it to the regular show in under five minutes or less...300 Seconds. This week; Primo & Epico vs. The Road Warriors And More! Who wins? Listen now! Remember, a new era m…

1
Optimization (with Jarryd Huntley) [Nice Replay]

7M ago

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#366 Optimization Interview 2024.09.26 Entering the clubhouse this week is our the third Owl (employee of Owlchemy Labs) and first Peabody Award winner (as lead developer for We Are OFK), to talk about the "dos," "don'ts," and "good enoughs" of optimization. Cleveland video game designer Jarryd Huntley wins Peabody Award for ‘We Are OFK’ - Joey Mor…

1
Nice Thinking: "Dialogue Through Goals" [Nice Replay]

7M ago

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#349 Dialogue Through Goals Nice Thinking 2024.05.29 Stephen brings a half-baked thought into the clubhouse for this Nice Thinking episode: how can we improve dialogue systems? He's got some opinions, which Mark and Ellen immediately debunk, but it leads to some engaging conversation. Dialogue Through Goals Stephen McGregor Game Design Narrative…

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300 Seconds by SMARKDOWN BLVD. | Episode 6 5:00

7M ago5:00

5:00

SMARKDOWN BLVD. Presents... 300 Seconds. This week; Royal Rumble 2025 Predictions! Jose & Jermaine bring you a new bi-weekly show called, 300 Seconds! This show has the duo discussing a fun wrestling topic that did not make it to the regular show in under five minutes or less...300 Seconds. Who wins an opportunity to headline Wrestlemania! Listen n…

1
"The lensing effect of the window." Theming vs. Aesthetics; Parries [Nice Replay]

7M ago

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#361 "The lensing effect of the window." Roundtable 2024.08.22 It’s hot in the clubhouse and hot in Ellen’s greenhouse this week, so your hosts are eager to crunch through some discussion. Ellen introduces the concept of the MDA framework, and the differences between Theming and Aesthetics, and Stephen comes to a major conclusion about parrying. Th…

1
Cero Miedo of Partnerships | Episode 122 55:54

7M ago55:54

55:54

This week Jose & Jermaine discuss going to Wrestlemania 41 but those prices squash those dreams immediately! Jermaine focuses on Charlotte Flair's return and discusses the Corey Graves situation; was it a work or a shoot? Jose focuses on Penta's debut matches on Raw and discusses in depth the TNA and WWE partnership announced earlier this week! In …

1
Tutorialization with Puzzles (with Luke Spierewka) [Nice Replay]

8M ago

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#371 Tutorialization with Puzzles Interview 2024.11.01 "Tutorials shouldn’t feel like tutorials!" Like most aspects of game design, it's an easy concept to summarize but a difficult one to pull off. Luke Spierewka and the team at Afterburn Games have mastered it, using their charming approach in successful titles like Golf Peaks and Railbound. Come…

1
300 Seconds by SMARKDOWN BLVD. | Episode 5 4:57

8M ago4:57

4:57

SMARKDOWN BLVD. Presents... 300 Seconds. Jose & Jermaine bring you a new bi-weekly show called, 300 Seconds! This show has the duo discussing a fun wrestling topic that did not make it to the regular show in under five minutes or less...300 Seconds. This week; Brock Lesnar vs. Batista Who wins? Listen now! Remember, a new era means a new format. We…

1
"A slow meat computer" King Making; Thinky Bits (Off-Screen Gameplay) [Nice Replay]

8M ago

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#347 "A slow meat computer" Roundtable 2024.05.16 In the episode, Mark, Ellen, and Stephen talk local events, including (don’t worry everyone’s fine) a fire in the clubhouse’s building, construction, and the games they are playing, so if you are just here for the topics, go ahead and skip to minute 23. Ellen learns about King Making, Stephen humble…

1
Raw Is Netflix! | Episode 121 1:03:31

8M ago1:03:31

1:03:31

This week Jose & Jermaine discuss WWE's debut on Netflix! The Smarks review, discuss, debate and argue over everything that happened during the first Monday Night Raw on Netflix. It was must see streaming. Highlights include; The Rock, Hulk Hogan's appearance, CM Punk and what's next on the road to Wrestlemania! The New Era, Season, Outlook, Logo a…

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Nice Games Jam: "Eddies" [Nice Replay]

8M ago

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#338 Eddies Nice Games Jam 2024.03.11 The clubhouse is caffeinated and ready to jam, game jam that is. The clubhouse is giving a prompt where air movement is the main mechanism of action and they create a physical game for a tabletop (in the style of 'Hungry Hungry Hippos'). The notoriously unpredictable 'Eddies' of air movement gives this game it'…

1
300 Seconds by SMARKDOWN BLVD. | Episode 4 5:00

8M ago5:00

5:00

SMARKDOWN BLVD. Presents... 300 Seconds. Jose & Jermaine bring you a new bi-weekly show called, 300 Seconds! This show has the duo discussing a fun wrestling topic that did not make it to the regular show in under five minutes or less...300 Seconds. This week; Stemming from last Friday's episode of SMARKDOWN BLVD; the results are in! The SMARK Fans…

1
The Intersection of Puzzle and Story (with Ron Gilbert) [Nice Replay]

8M ago

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#354 The Intersection of Puzzle and Story Interview 2024.07.05 Narrative designer and pal of the program Beth Korth fills in for Ellen as guest host this week and next! Your nice hosts welcome famed designer Ron Gilbert (Monkey Island, Thimbleweed Park) into the clubhouse to discuss the virtues of inexperience, friction for its own sake, how it's a…

1
End of Year Awards (The 2024 Smarky Awards) | Episode 120 1:01:14

8M ago1:01:14

1:01:14

The Smarky Awards return...kinda. Jose and Jermaine present SMARKDOWN BLVD.'s end of year awards! Jose and Jermaine agreed with 10/11 Awards that include, Match of the Year, Female Superstar of the Year, PLE of the Year, Most Shocking Moment of the Year and Tear Jerking Moment of the Year among others. But they could not decide on one category...wh…

1
"The super-powerful beam or whatever." Code Libraries; Game Overs [Nice Replay]

8M ago

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#353 "The super-powerful beam or whatever." Roundtable 2024.06.27 This week, your nice hosts talk about code that isn't yours and ask about the natural conclusion of the narrative. Mark is handy, Ellen kinda wants to add a note, and Stephen is grounded. It looked so easy in the brochure, but the brochure lied - Antony Ingram , Hagerty Code Librarie…

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300 Seconds by SMARKDOWN BLVD. | Episode 3 4:43

9M ago4:43

4:43

SMARKDOWN BLVD. Presents... 300 Seconds. Jose & Jermaine bring you a new bi-weekly show called, 300 Seconds! This show has the duo discussing a fun wrestling topic that did not make it to the regular show in under five minutes or less...300 Seconds. This week; Alberto Del Rio vs. JBL Who wins? Listen now! Remember, a new era means a new format. Wee…

1
Nicest of 2024

9M ago

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It's a cheery and bright episode to get you through the dark cold days of winter! ☃️ Your hosts (plus guest Joanna May) wrap up 2024 with a readout of their nicest things from the year—nicest games, nicest accomplishments, and nicest procrastinations. Plus, plans and projects for 2025, some soft resolutions, and a review of some exciting upcoming t…

1
AEW Is in the Trash Compactor | Episode 119 45:15

9M ago45:15

45:15

This week Jose & Jermaine open the show discussing the Star Wars toys, films and more... Wait, this is a wrestling podcast, right? The duo begin the show discussing the fallout of WarGames! They go through the main card of this Saturday's WWE event, Saturday Night's Main Event that sees the return on Jesse 'The Body' Ventura and the classic Winged …

1
Serialization (with Joanna May)

9M ago

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We invite Joanna May into the clubhouse to discuss serialization. We get ever so slightly closer to discovering what serialization even is with Joanna's help! We also have a little time to throw a little shade at Stephen's commenting style and brackets on their own line. Chickensoft Tibo, artist of the Chickensoft mascot. Eating your own dog food (…

1
300 Seconds by SMARKDOWN BLVD. | Episode 2 4:52

9M ago4:52

4:52

SMARKDOWN BLVD. Presents... 300 Seconds. Jose & Jermaine bring you a new bi-weekly show called, 300 Seconds! This show has the duo discussing a fun wrestling topic that did not make it to the regular show in under five minutes or less...300 Seconds. This week; John Cena vs. The Undertaker Who wins? Listen now! Remember, a new era means a new format…