Best Indie game development videos, as recommended on Hacker News

33 videos about indie game development that Hacker News commenters keep recommending, mentioned between 2010 and 2026. Mostly talk, demo, interview. Channels that come up most: GDC Festival of Gaming, CodeParade, Nizzotch, grapefrukt. Sorted by how consistently HN recommended them over the years.

The most recommended is Juice it or lose it - a talk by Martin Jonasson & Petri Purho: The go-to recommendation on game feel and polish, cited by HN as one of the best talks for anyone making interactive things feel good.

talkJuice it or lose it - a talk by Martin Jonasson & Petri Purhograpefrukt · 12 HN recommenders · 2013–2025
talkJan Willem Nijman - Vlambeer - "The art of screenshake" at INDIGO Classes 2013Dutch Game Garden · 10 HN recommenders · 2014–2025
talkJonathan Blow - How to program independent games - CSUA SpeechAlexandre Franco · 9 HN recommenders · 2015–2026
documentaryThe Engoodening of No Man's SkyInternet Historian · 9 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
talkFailing to Fail: The Spiderweb Software WayGDC Festival of Gaming · 11 HN recommenders · 2018–2025
talkJonathan Blow: Game design: the medium is the messageCreativeMornings HQ · 7 HN recommenders · 2013–2020
talkHow we fit an NES game into 40 KilobytesMorphcat Games · 6 HN recommenders · 2019–2026
talkEPC2018 | Wave Function Collapse in Bad North | Oskar StalbergBUas Games · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2024
tutorialLearn Low Poly Modeling in Blender 2.9 / 2.8Imphenzia · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
interviewDwarf Fortress Creator Explains its Complexity & Origins | Noclip Interview/noclip · 6 HN recommenders · 2020–2022
documentaryInvestigation: How Roblox Is Exploiting Young Game DevelopersPeople Make Games · 5 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
talkThe Making of: ROM City Rampage (Retro City Rampage)VblankEntertainment · 4 HN recommenders · 2014–2022
talkPRACTICE 2018: Joseph WhiteNYU Game Center · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2022
talk1,500 Slot Machines Walk into a Bar: Adventures in Quantity Over QualityGDC Festival of Gaming · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
talkLet’s go whaling: Tricks for monetising mobile game players with free-to-playPocketGamerbiz · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2026
demoHyperbolica: A Non-Euclidean Adventure [Old Trailer]CodeParade · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
talkHow to Survive in Gamedev for Eleven Years Without a HitGDC Festival of Gaming · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2024
talkAnimation Bootcamp: An Indie Approach to Procedural AnimationGDC Festival of Gaming · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
talkDiablo: Original Game Developmentjon d · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
talkPut Your Name on Your Game, a Talk by Bennett Foddy and Zach GageGDC Festival of Gaming · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
explainerSpherical Geometry Is Stranger Than Hyperbolic - Hyperbolica Devlog #2CodeParade · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
talkZach Oakes - Making Games at Runtime with ClojureClojureTV · 2 HN recommenders · 2015–2017
interviewHandmadeCon 2015 - Pat WyattMolly Rocket · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2023
demoCreating Prelude of the ChamberedNizzotch · 2 HN recommenders · 2015–2026
interviewHow Localizing Return of the Obra Dinn Nearly Sunk the Game | War Stories | Ars TechnicaArs Technica · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
demoHow I implemented MegaTextures on real Nintendo 64 hardwareJames Lambert · 2 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
commentaryThe Next Major RTS Will Fail. This Is Why.GiantGrantGames · 2 HN recommenders · 2023–2024
demoMaking MetagunNizzotch · 2 HN recommenders · 2010–2015
talkAntichamber: An Overnight Success, Seven Years In The MakingGDC Festival of Gaming · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2024
demoIs a round Minecraft world possible?Jeija · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2025
demoNotch Coding Minicraft!simme337 · 1 HN recommender · 2012–2022
talkIRDC US 2015 - Brian Bucklew, Data-Driven Engines of Qud and SproggiwoodLogo “ND” Surströmming · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2024
talkCrafting A Tiny Open World: A Short Hike PostmortemGDC Festival of Gaming · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2022