John Drexler drops by to chat about his online game Elephant in the Room, fat clients, and what makes a good game (spoiler, it's all just vibes).

• (00:00) - Introduction to Side Projects and Game Development
• (02:43) - The Journey of Game Creation
• (05:18) - Understanding 'Elephant in the Room'
• (07:57) - Game Design vs. Game Playing
• (10:46) - Evolution of Tech Stack
• (13:30) - Client-Side Logic and Game Responsiveness
• (16:16) - Reflections on Development Process
• (23:40) - Understanding Livewire and Client State Management
• (27:22) - Challenges in Game Implementation and Animation
• (30:57) - Bot Decision-Making and Difficulty Levels
• (36:30) - Designing Engaging Games: Key Principles
• (45:05) - Strategic vs. Tactical Gameplay in Game Design

All things John:
https://johnrudolphdrexler.com
https://elephantintheroom.fun
https://www.catacombian.com
https://thunk.dev

Mentioned in the Episode:
Will King: https://bsky.app/profile/wking.dev / https://x.com/wking__
Connor Lindsey: https://bsky.app/profile/connorlindsey.dev / https://x.com/connor_lindsey
Brian Moriarty: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Moriarty

https://sideprojectpodcast.com
https://bsky.app/profile/sideprojectpodcast.com