Game Bakery

Over the past few weeks, a lot more new faces have shown up and followed along here on our social media channels, so (another) introduction is well overdue! 👋 We are the Game Bakery, a tight-knit cooperation of various creatives in game development. Here, our game developers and other creative pioneers work just like bakers - expertly, patiently and passionately! 🍞🎮 We believe that by working together and involving everyone’s individual talent and skills, we can achieve great results - and make even greater games! Not only does the Game Bakery provide its members a place to work, but also first-class access to our networking and knowledge events, Dutch Games Association membership, and access to an amazing network of like-minded (game) developers and other creative entrepreneurs! Want to know more about becoming a member and joining our community? Feel free to DM us here or send us an e-mail secretaris@gamebakery.nl ✉ #GameBakery #Groningen #indiedev #gamedev #gamedesign

It’s Minigame Monday! 🧩🎄 Can you find the 5 differences between these two images of our festive cantine? 🎅 Comment down below! #GameBakery #MinigameMonday #gamedev #indie #indiedev #gamedesign

Occasionally, the Bakers like to get together to play various Trading Card Games together. Building the best teams, battling each other’s decks and trying out new strategies - TCGs demand sharp problem-solving skills to overcome challenges, while promoting creativity and innovation. All in the spirit of fun competitiveness, of course! 🃏 Which Trading Card Game(s) do you play? 👀 #GameBakery #Groningen #videogames #indie #indiedev

Your portfolio is a crucial aspect of every application in the game industry. But what actually makes a good portfolio? Nadine Baumgartner from Miho Art says: “Students ask me this question so often, so let me share with you what I have learned from my own experience: game companies love seeing your progress, not just your final works! Show your studies, whether that’s on materials or environments, silhouette sketches - anything that helped you get to your final design! That includes rough sketches, or things you deem “ugly” or “unfinished”. Include a variety of projects that showcase your whole range of abilities, and don’t be afraid of showing “too much”. Put your main focus on pieces that represent what role you would mainly like to pursue, so for example, if you want to do concept art, showcase specifically character or environmental designs. Also, make sure your portfolio is well-organized and easily accessible.” Is your portfolio up-to-date? Are you going to implement any of these tips? Comment down below! #GameBakery #gamedev #indiedev #Groningen #videogames

Mark your calendars and join us for some Holiday drinks at the Game Bakery on December 20th! 🎄 ✨ 🎅

As you probably know by now, other than making games, we also love to play them! 🎮🎲 Last Friday, we held another D&D evening. A fun opportunity to get to play as your own fantasy character and embark on epic journeys together with colleagues and friends! Designing layouts for maps, writing backstories, and worldbuilding - these collaborative storytelling principles can also help to stretch your thinking and elevate your narrative design skills! #GameBakery #Groningen #dungeonsanddragons #dnd #indie #indiedev

Traditional ways of learning can be very tedious 📚✍️ However, there is a new learning medium that can help gain a good understanding of a specific topic: Serious Games. These are video games aimed toward problem-solving rather than entertainment. 🧠 We asked professional game designer Robert Mertens from Sfinx Games how to make serious games fun: “I make serious games fun by exploring and discovering game mechanics that best align with the project's design challenges. Drawing inspiration from various mediums, I combine the most fitting elements into a cohesive mechanic and iterate the heck out of them. I believe that testing with the target audience is the simplest and most effective way to determine if the game is enjoyable, as the perception of fun can vary greatly depending on the group and the challenge being addressed.” How do you approach designing serious games? 🔎 Let us know! #GameBakery #Groningen #indiedev #indiegames #videogames #freelance #gamedev

Happy (Minigame) Monday! 🧩 Start your new week with another Zoek De Verschillen! Can you find the 5 differences between these two photos? Comment your results below! 🔎👇 #GameBakery #Groningen #Minigame #Games #indiegames #gamedev #zoekdeverschillen

It’s Minigame Monday again! 🧩 Can you find the 5 differences between these two images of our Bakers? 🔎 Comment down below! #GameBakery #MinigameMonday #gamedev #indie #indiedev #gamedesign

Game Design & Development is a very competitive industry. It is hard sometimes to not compare yourself to other creatives and think less of your own skill. Today, Gidi van Liempd from GeeDesign shares with us a sweet, random occurence that helped him overcome his insecuritites regarding his creativity and work and made him look at the world differently: “I had this really interesting encounter a few weeks ago. It did not have anything to do with game programming, in fact, it was with dancing at a festival. Dancing is supposed to be a fun activity, but like with work, I sometimes get into a situation where I think "I can't do this, I am not creative, I better stop doing this". So I walked out of the dance, onto the terrain, and all of a sudden someone came up to me with a book in his hands, and he said "look, you don't know me, you probably don't know this book, but just flip it open to any page, read one or two sentences, and see if it helps you in your current situation". So I did. And I read something like "You as an artist ... when you get stuck, remember that it can help to play with your spontaneity to find new possibilities". And that did actually help! I suddenly realized I can consider myself an artist too, and I knew that I can be spontaneous if I try. And it immediately changed how I looked at the world and the people around me. I started playing silly games with random strangers who walked in the same area, and then I had no more problems with dancing! It is amazing how just looking at the world differently can make problems disappear. (By the way: the book is called "The Creative Art: A Way of Being" by Rick Rubin). What a sweet story! What helps you when you start doubting yourself? Let us know! #GameBakery #Groningen #gamedev #indie #gamedesign #videogames