Pixel Sift

Crossy Road Castle is the multiplayer, Apple Arcade sequel, tower climbing game featuring all your favorite characters from the smash-hit mobile game Crossy Road by Hipster Whale. Ashleigh Starmer-Lee  is the Lead Artist on the game and joined us to talk about her work process when designing characters for the game, working remotely and how her personal creative process is very different to how she works.  Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music. SPONSOR: Thank you to Murdoch University School of Arts for their support over every single episode of Pixel Sift. We couldn't have done it without you. If you want to bolster your skills in media, journalism or game development, check out the Murdoch University School of Arts website for more information!Support the show: https://sifter.store

Len's Island is a game where you can build a new life for yourself using only the tools in your backpack, once you're done grab your weapons and explore the dark dungeons below. Julian Ball from Flow Studio joined us to talk about the creation of his dream game as well as funding through Kickstarter and balancing game development with a successful YouTube channel. ‍Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music. SPONSOR: Thank you to Murdoch University School of Arts for their support of Pixel Sift. If you want to bolster your skills in media, journalism or game development, check out the Murdoch University School of Arts website for more information! ‍ ‍ ‍Support the show: https://sifter.store

A new study from New Zealand’s Massey University found that in many cases there is no reason to believe violent video games cause violent behaviour. Senior lecturer at Massey University and lead author of the study Aaron Drummond said there has been a rise in exposure to violent video games, and that in the highest quality studies, the effect is so small that it is indistinguishable from zero. You can read a written version of this story on the Pixel Sift website: Study of 21,000 participants finds violent video games have no significant effect on behaviour This episode was reported by Jason Head and Mitchel Loh. Edited by Jason Head. Gianni Di Giovanni is the Executive Producer.Support the show: https://sifter.store

Shooty Skies Overdrive is the virtual reality sequel to the popular mobile hit Shooty Skies, and Mighty Games CEO Matt Ditton shares why it made sense to convert the Shmup experience to full body 3D bullet hell. Matt started his career in game development in Queensland, working on games like Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, before moving to Victoria to become a producer and CEO. Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music. SPONSOR: Thank you to Murdoch University School of Arts for their support over every single episode of Pixel Sift. We couldn't have done it without you. If you want to bolster your skills in media, journalism or game development, check out the Murdoch University School of Arts website for more information!Support the show: https://sifter.store

Daniel Hindes is the Lead at Sneaky Bastards and over the last six years this team has built Wildfire a stealth platformer built upon systemic gameplay . Wildfire is a game where  you're only really limited by your imagination and experimentation as you control different elements to win. Before Daniel was a game developer he was a games journalist and editor, and it was conversations with game developers when covering games that encouraged him to make his own. He shares the lessons he's learnt along the way, and tells you why you shouldn't do what he did. Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music. SPONSOR: Thank you to Murdoch University School of Arts for their support over every single episode of Pixel Sift. We couldn't have done it without you. If you want to bolster your skills in media, journalism or game developme

Well you probably have heard the news by now, PAX Australia won't be going ahead in October this year, joining PAX West which has also been cancelled for 2020. In its place is PAX Online, a new digital festival that runs over 9 days between September 12 and 21, streaming content 24 hours a day. Luke Lancaster of ReedPop Australia shared what it was like when he realised that physical conventions just wouldn't work in 2020 due to COVID-19. Music in this episode is "Shopping for the Future" by Bit by Bit Bert and you can find it on itch.io This episode of Pixel Sift is hosted, produced and edited by Executive Producer Gianni Di GiovanniSupport the show: https://sifter.store

Ben Chandler joins us on the show this week to talk about the upcoming roleplaying game Nighthawks, where you play as a fledgling vampire in a modern world where their existence is no longer a secret. Ben is an artist and animator in the games industry and has worked on titles such as Blackwell Epiphany, Unavowed and Shardlight. Ben shares with us how he got started working as an artist in the games industry as well as what the process is like working as a remote dev creating artwork and assets for Nighthawks and Wadjet Eye Games. ‍Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music.Support the show: https://sifter.store

How do you shape a competitive League of Legends player into an esports star? Chris Lee is a coach at the Chiefs Esports Club Academy, his job is to find the up and coming talent and shape them into professionals.  He’ll be working with the Australian winner of the Red Bull Solo Q tournament, a unique format of the League of Legends game where two players face each other one on one, as they take their skills to the world. Read a written version of this story here: Scouting for the next League of Legends champion: Coach Chris Lee of Chiefs ESC This episode of Pixel Sift is hosted by Mitch Loh and produced by Gianni Di Giovanni. Music in this episode is Flute of the Traveler by Harris HellerSupport the show: https://sifter.store

Brimstone Brawlers is a couch multiplayer game that features a collection of unlikely heroes from hired hunters to measly shop keepers fighting their way through Victorian-inspired 3D battlegrounds. Christopher Galea, a developer from Ategig the studio behind Brimstone Brawlers joined us to talk about how he brought his skills from another industry to the game development scene. How do you feel about hacking in single-player games? Recently some players of the latest Animal Crossing have been doing whatever it takes to get quality of life changes, specific villagers, and custom fruit trees into New Horizon. ‍ Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music. ‍Support the show: https://sifter.store

Fledgling Heroes is a side scrolling flap 'em up game where you play as collection of brave birds taking on the world. Brendan Watts is the Director at Queensland's Subtle Boom the studio behind Fledgling Heroes join us to tell us about how the game was made. Fledgling Heroes is available on Apple Arcade and the Nintendo eShop. We all have games that we just can't access anymore, but when these games become harder and harder to access, whose responsibility is it to make sure we can always revisit them? You could of course port them to a Myki card public tranport card reader, but for older games that aren't as popular as Doom ? Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music.Support the show: https://sifter.store

Game designer Max Myers wanted to make an experience that played out in real time. Each time you visit Glenn Island in [soon, only the ocean] time moves forward and you bear witness to the slow ecological collapse as it sinks into the sea. Adam Christou speaks with Max about the inspiration behind the game, and you can head to pixelsift.com.au to read an essay about what it was like to visit Glenn Island when it was above the waves. This episode was written, presented by Adam Christou. It was produced and edited by Adam Christou and Gianni Di Giovanni.Support the show: https://sifter.store

Robin Arnott from Andromeda Entertainment thinks he might just have the "Trojan Horse" that'll get video gamers into meditation and mindfulness. It's called Soundself: A Technodelic, and it's virtual reality experience that some users have compared to the effects of taking psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient found in some mushrooms. You can read a written version of this story here: Soundself: Video games meet virtual psychadelia - pixelsift.com.au This episode of Pixel Sift was reported by Jason Head, and produced by Gianni Di Giovanni.Support the show: https://sifter.store

Moving Out is cooperative chaotic local multiplayer game where you fling, chuck and heft household items into a moving truck with hilarious results. Ash Ringrose founder of SMG Studios shares how Moving Out was made and the challenges and benefits of working with an international team, including Worms developer and publisher Team17. Keeping players engaged and playing your games is one of the biggest challenges of any developer, and this week digital storefront operators Valve released some tips on how to keep your game thriving long past it's release date. Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music.Support the show: https://sifter.store

Esports casters Jordan Mays "Elfishguy" & Brandon Langiano "Raven" star in a new season of Red Bull Response where they give their tips to level up your competitive skills. They shared their experience on getting into professional gaming, whether esports has hit that mainstream moment yet, and what the future looks like. Thanks to Harris Heller for use of the track "Trendy" in this episode. You can find a written version of this story here: https://www.pixelsift.com.au/post/jordan-mays-elfishguy-brandon-langiano-raven-on-how-to-level-up-to-competitive-esportsSupport the show: https://sifter.store

Ben Chevalier is the Art Director at Mighty Bear Games in Singapore the studio behind Butter Royale. Butter Royale is a food fight battle royale for all ages for iOS devices, with a top down isometric experience that is designed to be as accessible as possible. The stereotype of the lone gamer has been touted by mainstream media for the longest time, but with much of the world forced to distance themselves from one another physically, those that have found games have never been more connected and even former critics like the World Health Organisation are on board. ‍Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music.Support the show: https://sifter.store

Theo Kipen from Not Dead Design is the Lead Developer of Kana Quest, a puzzle game that aims to challenge players problem-solving skill wild also teaching the basics of Japanese Kana, and describes it like "the very best primary school teacher you ever had" With many game franchises coming back from the dead including the long awaited Half Life series, we take a look at why they even want to replicate the older games and talk about which games have done it well. Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music.Support the show: https://sifter.store

If you’ve played any of the recent Bethesda Softworks games, while you’ve been blasting demons, fighting nazis or exploring space stations you’ve been listening to music of Australian composer Mick Gordon. Hear how the soundtrack to iD Software's DOOM Eternal came together including the pumping tracks to the quiet ambience, how genre doesn't define Mick's work and why putting together a metal choir was one of the highlights of his career. Head to our website to find a full written version of this story. Thanks to Mick Gordon for use of the Doom Eternal sountrack in this story. Presented by Daniel Ang, produced and edited by Gianni Di Giovanni.Support the show: https://sifter.store

Ron Curry, CEO of Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA) joins us to discuss its merger with the Game Developers Association of Australia (GDAA) and what that organisation will look like going forward as the one representative body for games in Australia. Nvidia's Geforce Now service allows you to stream games you've already purchased from a virtual computers to any device in the world, but developers have quickly pulled their games from it claiming they were not asked for permission. Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music. SPONSOR: Thank you to Murdoch University School of Arts for their support over every single episode of Pixel Sift. We couldn't have done it without you. If you want to bolster your skills in media, journalism or game development, check out the Murdoch University School of Arts websit

SUBSCRIBE TO MAINSTREAM This is a bonus episode from our MAINSTREAM another podcast we do that looks at those high profile titles from the biggest publishers. Gianni has been platforming his way to victory in Crossy Road Castle, the follow up to Hipster Whale's smash hit Crossy Road and Sarah has been clicking heads like crazy in Rainbow Six Siege by Ubisoft. NEWS LINKSKotaku: E3 2020's Host City, Los Angeles, Declares State Of EmergencyPolygon: Death Stranding and Control break BAFTA record with 11 award nominations each Pixel Sift is produced by Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Mitch Loh, Daniel Ang, Viv Thum & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Brian Fairbanks from Salty Dog Sounds composed the Mainstream theme musicSupport the show: https://sifter.store

Josh Sacco from Deadleaf Games is the Lead Developer of Nom Nom Apocalypse a game about blasting a food zombie plague with your friends! Josh shared his experiences and a solo developer balancing his work load. The COVID-19 virus has been having a huge health impact on many different countries and their business. We'll take a look at how the virus is affecting the games industry, from the postponement of the 2020 Game Developers Conference, the cancellation of major e-sports events to the mass exodus of big companies from the PAX Floor. Pixel Sift is produced by Mitch Loh, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Salty Dog Sounds for some of our promo music. SPONSOR: Thank you to Murdoch University School of Arts for their support over every single episode of Pixel Sift. We couldn't have done it without you. If you want to bolster your skills in media, journalism or game development, check out the Murdoch U