Inside the Indie Mind: Zach Barth (Zachtronics)

In this 2018 GDC talk, Gamasutra EIC Kris Graft talks to Zachtronics founder Zach Barth discussing topics such as inspiration, puzzle design, and his overall game development philosophy.
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[@cipherpunk7409]

When I got my Deluxe Shenzhen I/O binder, I brought it to work and told my boss that I was leaving for an engineering job in China. She was absolutely speechless. That has to be some of the best money I've ever spent.

[@angryscientist01]

Zach is basically my game design idol. Just thought I'd say that.

[@cuentadeyoutube5903]

"We are not making Spacechem 2...." * He makes Opus *

[@MondSemmel]

This was a fantastic Q&A. I was really impressed at how many questions Zach got through, while answering most of them meaningfully.

[@mimisaiko]

OMG I did beat OPUS MAGNUM! Definitely want one of the badges!

[@gawd0r]

Not all heroes wear capes. This one wears a hoodie <3

[@andro_king]

"come up with stuff that looks solvable and ship it" Lol

[@smutz131]

zach-likes are the dark souls of puzzle games

[@maddingue]

I so much enjoy Zachtronics games! This guy is wonderful.

[@izstrella]

Finding the balance between real-world programming and playable in-game representative programming is something I’ve worried about for a long time. It’s nice to hear that maybe I shouldn’t be so concerned about the real and just make it fun and people could still enjoy it!

[@Soul-Burn]

I love the sort of progression you get from Zachtronics games. The progression is 100% the player understanding the game better and figuring out cool tricks and optimizations.

[@Thrawst]

23:44

[@crazyMLC]

Have slowly come to respect Zach's designs a lot over the years, first time seeing a video of him. Seems like a cool guy, wish I could hear more from him and his team.

[@ZeroZ30o]

Absolutely amazing talk

[@AnonymousMaykr]

Lot of fun to listen to this guy

[@jglasshalfpool4640]

26:22

[@NunSuperior]

Inspiring, thank you.

[@LightningbrotherG]

I see you @Scott Manley

[@davidpike766]

I like this guy.

[@j.thorgard]

If you are interested in puzzle game development Look up Alex Bruce's GDC talks.