Designer Notes 84: Zach Barth - Part 1

Idle Thumbs

In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Zach Barth, best known for his puzzle games, including SpaceChem, Infinifactory, Shenzhen I/O, and Opus Magnum. They discuss why he never originally wanted to make money on his games, why puzzle games are terrible, and whether he has ever played Minecraft. This episode was recorded on September 11, 2023. Games discussed: Duke Nukem, Star Wars: Empire at War, Civilization III, SpaceChem, Infiniminer, Minecraft, The Codex of Alchemical Engineering, Motherload, Civilization IV, Last Call BBS, MOLEK-SYNTEZ, Ironclad Tactics, Opus Magnum, Mobius Front ‘83, Infinifactory