Game Maker's Toolkit

Game Maker's Toolkit (GMTK) is a video game analysis series created and presented by Mark Brown, a British video game journalist. The show examines and explains various aspects of video game design and is supposed to help viewers consider the design of games that they play and to encourage developers to improve their craft. There are also more focused stems of the series, discussing issues of accessibility in video games or level design.[1][2][3] The first GMTK video was published in 2014. The series is hosted on a YouTube channel of the same name and it is funded by viewers via Patreon.

Game Maker's Toolkit
Game Maker's Toolkit logo
Personal information
BornMark Brown
2 May (2021-05-02)
NationalityBritish
OccupationVideo game journalist
Websitegamemakerstoolkit.tumblr.com
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2014–present
Genre
Subscribers1,000,000 subscribers
(17 November 2020)
Total views98.8 million views
(17 November 2020)
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers
Updated: 17 November 2020

Since 2017, Mark Brown also hosts an annual GMTK game jam on itch.io. Each jam has a different theme – a design challenge – and contestants have 48 hours to design and create a video game fitting that theme.

History

Before starting Game Maker's Toolkit, Mark Brown was a video game journalist. As a freelance writer he wrote for GamesRadar,[4] Wired[5] and The Escapist,[6] among others. In 2010 and 2011 he was a contributor at Eurogamer and wrote video game reviews.[7] Brown joined Pocket Gamer, a British publication about mobile games, in August 2012 as news editor and later as features editor. He left his position as editor-at-large in January 2017 to focus on Game Maker's Toolkit.[8][9] Since then Brown has written occasionally as a freelancer, and he publishes game reviews on his Patreon page for supporters of Game Maker's Toolkit.

Game Maker's Toolkit's first episode, "Adaptive Soundtracks" was published in November 2014.[10] Early episodes were released irregularly, every three to five weeks. Each video discusses a certain issue in video game design and its implementation in specific games. In 2016 and 2017 GMTK episodes became longer, often with over 10 min runtime, and they were published more frequently – there was about three weeks between new videos. Since 2018 Brown has published on average two videos per month.

Brown launched a crowdfunding profile on Patreon in 2015, enabling viewers to support GMTK with small amount of money every month. In December 2016 he announced that thanks to his backers on Patreon he would be quitting his job at Pocket Gamer and in 2017 he would start working full-time on Game Maker's Toolkit.[11]

In 2016 Brown started a new side-show on his YouTube channel, called Boss Keys. This series explores the layout and design of dungeons in The Legend of Zelda franchise. Each video covers a single game in The Legend of Zelda series. Brown developed a mapping system to describe layouts of the dungeons.[2] In the second season of Boss Keys, which began in July 2018, Brown discusses the layout of game worlds in the metroidvania genre, such as those in the Metroid series.

A second side-show on GMTK channel, Designing for Disability, launched in July 2018. This series explores accessibility in video games, describes obstacles which may prevent some people from enjoying specific games and presents guidelines and practices that make video games more welcoming for players with disabilities.[12][13][14] In November 2019 he continued the series with a review of accessibility in games in 2019.[15]

Reception

Brown's Game Maker's Toolkit videos were covered by video game websites, such as Gamasutra, Kotaku and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Designing for Disability series is included in Polygon's summary of "The best video essays of 2018" and its writer names Brown "one of the most measured and meticulous people" in video game criticism.[1] The Telegraph mentions Brown as one of "20 gaming YouTubers you should be following", describing GMTK as "an intelligent look into the design philosophy behind popular games".[16] An arts magazine Hyperallergic includes GMTK video "The Challenge of Cameras" in its roundup of web documentaries.[3]

Game Maker's Toolkit was also referenced by some video game developers. Nicolae Berbece, designer of Move or Die, recommended Brown's channel during his talk at Game Developers Conference Europe 2016.[17] Riot Games includes GMTK in their list of game design resources.[18]

Game Maker's Toolkit Game Jam

Game Maker's Toolkit hosts an annual game jam on itch.io since 2017. Competing developers have 48 hours to design and create a video game fitting a theme unveiled at the beginning of the jam. The themes are design challenges.

The first Game Maker's Toolkit Game Jam took place 14–17 July 2017. Its theme was "Downwell's Dual Purpose Design". 2,857 developers joined and submitted 731 games.[19]

Game Maker's Toolkit Game Jam 2018 ran from 31 August 2018 to 2 September 2018. The theme for the second jam was "genre without mechanic", inspired by Snake Pass, a platforming game in which the player cannot jump.[20] There were 1,029 submissions from 3,313 creators, who joined.[21]

Game Maker's Toolkit Game Jam 2019 happened 2–4 August 2019. The theme for 2019 edition was "only one". 7,590 creators joined and submitted 2,648 games .[22]

Game Maker's Toolkit Game Jam 2020 took place from the 10th to the 12th of July 2020, with the theme being "out of control". 18,326 game developers joined and 5,477 games were submitted, making it the biggest online-only game jam of all time.[23]

References
  1. Schindel, David (28 December 2018). "The best video essays of 2018". Polygon. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  2. Geller, Jacob (10 July 2018). "The New Vid Economy: Making A Living From Crowdfunded Game Analysis". Game Informer. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  3. Schindel, Dan (14 May 2019). "A Roundup of Web Documentaries on Joan Miró, Stunt Work, and More". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  4. Brown, Mark (5 October 2009). "The Top 7… weirdest music games ever". GamesRadar. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  5. "Mark Brown | WIRED UK". Wired. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  6. Brown, Mark (8 December 2009). "The Littlest, Biggest Gift of All". The Escapist. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  7. "Mark Brown • Contributor". Eurogamer. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  8. Reed, Kristan (23 August 2012). "Mark Brown steps up to take over the reins from PG's Will Wilson". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  9. James, Chris (3 January 2017). "Mark Brown steps down as Pocket Gamer's Editor at Large". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  10. Brown, Mark (6 November 2014). "Adaptive Soundtracks". Game Maker's Toolkit. Retrieved 6 August 2019 – via YouTube.
  11. Brown, Mark (14 December 2019). "2017". Game Maker's Toolkit. Retrieved 6 August 2019 – via Patreon.
  12. Khan, Imran (16 July 2018). "YouTube Channel Game Maker's Toolkit Debuts Series About Accessibility". Game Informer. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  13. Kidwell, Emma (16 July 2019). "Game Maker's Toolkit debuts new series on designing for accessibility". Gamasutra. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  14. Kuchera, Ben (16 July 2018). "How to design your game for the hard of hearing". Polygon. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  15. Brown, Mark (22 November 2019). "How Accessible Were This Year's Games?". YouTube. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  16. Yarwood, Jack (2 October 2017). "20 gaming YouTubers you should be following". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  17. Berbece, Nicolae (2016). "This is a Talk About Tutorials, Press "A" to Skip". GDC Vault. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  18. "Game Design". Riot Games. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  19. "Game Maker's Toolkit Jam". itch.io. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  20. Tarason, Dominic (3 September 2018). "Hundreds of free games with only a few bits missing from the GMTK 2018 game jam". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  21. "Game Maker's Toolkit Jam 2018". itch.io. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  22. "GMTK Game Jam 2019". itch.io. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  23. "GMTK Game Jam 2020". itch.io. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
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