Hardware Podcasts

An Interview with Zach Barth of Zachtronics

The Amp Hour · 20 Jan 2017 · 1h 26m · Episode 332

What this episode covers

Zach Barth, founder of the game studio Zachtronics, discusses his company's niche of making open-ended puzzle games for engineers, focusing on the design and reception of their latest title, Shenzhen I/O. He explains how the studio evolved from a solo hobbyist project to a small team, detailing the acquisition by Alliance and the creative freedom it provides. Barth also covers the technical challenges of designing custom assembly languages for games like TIS 100 and Shenzhen I/O, the use of player metrics to balance difficulty, and the intersection of gaming, education, and engineering culture.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Zachtronics, Microsoft, Valve
Products
Shenzhen I/O, TIS-100, Infinifactory, Space Chem
Tools
Unity, Wacom
Also
Steam, EEVblog, Hackaday, C Sharp, GOG, Humble Bundle

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