The Secret Lives of Games

We chat with Brooke Husic (Puzzmo, New Yorker, A24) about creating, stewarding, and showrunning a daily crossword for the web-based puzzle phenomenon, Puzzmo. Our discussion covers Puzzmo's first 1,000 days, Brooke's prolific career as a constructor, the impact of cultural biases on crosswords, the early-2020s indie-puzzle development boom, the need to care for both solvers and setters during revisions, the interconnectedness of difficulty and context, the relationship between constructor and venue, and so! much! more! Also: Don't forget to check out today's Puzzmo midi crossword, its 1,001th, a special collaboration between two names that will be familiar to listeners of this episode.
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Discussed in this episode:
Puzzmo
https://www.puzzmo.com/today/ 
Today's Brooke and Rob collab puzzle, "Time to get up!"
https://www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2026-07-12/crossword

Puzzmo Data Initiative 
https://data.puzzmo.com/ 
Brooke's 30-day Crossword Tutorial Mini-series
https://www.brookehusic.com/puzzminis/ 
Brooke's puzzle blog
https://xwordsbyaladee.blogspot.com/
Rob's Puzzmo crossword debut, "Baker's Corner"
https://www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2024-05-10/crossword
Lollapuzzoola
https://bemoresmarter.com/
American Values Club (AVCX)
https://avxwords.com/about-us/ 
Ingrid
https://ingrid.cx/ 
Brooke on Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/xws.bsky.social
 
https://secretlives.games 
https://discord.gg/tslog
https://www.patreon.com/tslog

We're joined by Liz Ryerson (musician, writer, podcaster), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Andi McClure (BECOME A GREAT ARTIST IN JUST 10 SECONDS, Jumpman) to discuss BECOME A GREAT ARTIST IN JUST 10 SECONDS; a generative art game/tool made in 72 hours. It's the seventh installment in our yearlong special series exploring the work of Michael Brough: All Systems Brough.
This episode: BECOME A GREAT ARTIST IN JUST 10 SECONDS
Next episode: Helix
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Discussed in this episode:
868-BACK (Out now!! Go buy it!!)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3304110/868BACK/ 
https://finji.itch.io/868-back 
Michael Brough's Website
https://www.smestorp.com/ 
BECOME A GREAT ARTIST IN JUST 10 SECONDS (stable itch.io release!)
https://mermaidindustries.itch.io/become-a-great-artist-in-just-10-seconds 
BECOME A GREAT ARTIST IN JUST 10 SECONDS (web build)
https://dryad.technology/artist/ 
BECOME A GREAT ARTIST IN JUST 10 SECONDS (original Ludum Dare entry)
https://web.archive.org/web/20160616205009/http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-27/?action=preview&uid=4987
SUPERHYPERCUBE
https://superhypercube.com/ 
KidPix (public domain version)
https://kidpix.app/ 
Increpare games (Stephen Lavelle)
https://www.increpare.com/ 
Game Title
https://www.glorioustrainwrecks.com/node/2258 
Andi McClure's Anti-games/Sweet Nothings
https://runhello.com/anti-games 
A MAZE. / Berlin 2022: Ambient Play Systems (In and Outside of Games) by Flan Falacci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRDPXMhwkXc  
Great Art by Liz Ryerson
https://www.mostancient.com/shop/great-art 
Making another roguelike game (yay/boo) by Michael Brough
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2015/06/making-another-roguelike-game-yayboo-my.html 
Become a First Rate Artist in Just 30 Seconds
https://eliot-l.itch.io/become-a-first-rate-artist-in-just-30-seconds 
FUCK MARIO by Liz Ryerson
https://ellaguro.blogspot.com/2014/03/fuck-mario.html 
Platform Games Catalog by Patrick LeMieux (including Fucked Marios)
https://patrick-lemieux.com/LeMieux-Platform_Games.pdf 
BECOME A GREAT ARTIST IN JUST 10 SECONDS AND KNUCKLES
https://twitter.runhello.com/mcclure111/status/576896540565901312/ 
BECOME A GREAT ARTIST dress
https://twitter.runhello.com/mcclure111/status/573172507773026304/
BECOME A GREAT ARTIST GitHub
https://github.com/mcclure/bitbucket-backup/tree/archive/repos/ufo/contents 
Saint Elizabeth (Liz's new album!)
https://ellaguro.bandcamp.com/album/saint-elizabeth 
Notes from the Underground by Liz Ryerson
https://ellaguro.blogspot.com/2026/06/notes-from-underground.html 
ArtCtrl painting palette interface for BECOME A GREAT ARTIST
https://vimeo.com/1080330014/fa8866803f 
MOSS (programmable brush-based art tool by Rob's studio)
https://moss.town/ 
Icosa
https://data.runhello.com/j/iso/post/ 
Andi's Game Catalog
https://runhello.com/ 
Scrunch (Andi's Ludum Dare 30 art tool/game)
https://web.archive.org/web/20150221165706/http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?uid=4987 
The Zium (virtual museum collective)
https://theziumsociety.itch.io/ 
 
https://secretlives.games/ 
https://discord.gg/tslog
https://www.patreon.com/tslog

We're joined by Izzy Kestrel (Funomena, No Goblin, A Good Videogame) and Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games) to discuss VESPER.5; a durational, tile-based exploration game. It's the sixth installment in our yearlong special series exploring the work of Michael Brough: All Systems Brough.
This episode: VESPER.5
Next episode: Become a Great Artist
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Discussed in this episode:
868-BACK (Out now!! Go buy it!!)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3304110/868BACK/ 
https://finji.itch.io/868-back 
Michael Brough's Website
https://www.smestorp.com/ 
All Systems Brough - A Chat with Michael
https://secretlives.games/website/all-systems-brough-a-chat-with-michael 
VESPER.5
http://mightyvision.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/vesper5.html 
THE LONGING
https://store.steampowered.com/app/893850/THE_LONGING/ 
Road to the IGF: Michael Brough's VESPER.5 (Article about GDC showcase of VESPER.5)
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/road-to-the-igf-michael-brough-s-i-vesper-5-i- 
Super Friendship Club VESPER.5 Forum
https://web.archive.org/web/20160407200028/http://superfriendshipclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=618 
Meaning through repetition (reflection on releasing VESPER.5)
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/08/meaning-through-repetition.html 
GDC 2013 - Interview with Michael Brough
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocqSV6f137M 
Pippin Barr on VESPER.5
https://web.archive.org/web/20170711093026/http://www.pippinbarr.com/2012/08/14/you-should-play-vesper-5/ 
Michael Brouge's VESPER.6 by Joel Goodwin
https://www.electrondance.com/michael-brouges-vesper-6/
Gardens of Time: Design Problem Solving
https://www.glorioustrainwrecks.com/node/2931 
Steve Reich - Section I (Slowed Down 800%) - Ambient / Minimalism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3AMpfdbc7U 
EXPERIMENT 12 Anthology
https://www.geocities.ws/experimenttwelve/ 
145: Addressing Memory with Plunderludics 
https://secretlives.games/145-addressing-memory-with-plunderludics 
i heard you like videogames
https://www.glorioustrainwrecks.com/node/2366 
scarfmemory
https://www.smestorp.com/scarfmemory.html 
Post-Future Vagabond
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2013/11/post-future-vagabond.html 
Bending the River
https://www.metabolicstudio.org/653 
The Old Timey Computer Show
https://otcs.minuspoint.com/ 
Inferno by Boards of Canada
https://boardsofcanada.bandcamp.com/album/inferno 
imagineNATIVE Festival
https://imaginenative.org/
STAY SHARP // Rogue Skin Reveal Trailer - VALORANT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1u1kUdDOys 
Rushing Beat Trilogy
https://www.chronocrash.com/forum/threads/rushing-beat-trilogy.5208/ 
THE GAME DESIGN CHALLENGE: The Thirty-Year Game
https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023124/THE-GAME-DESIGN-CHALLENGE-The 
 

https://secretlives.games/ 
https://discord.gg/tslog
https://www.patreon.com/tslog

We're recapping the 2026 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 14). 
Laura, Jey, and Doug recap Episode 9 - the Reunion / Reveal! How did The Mole do it?
Thanks for listening this season!
Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and more.
Links:
Thanks Robin for our Mol guessing game website! Tip him here:
https://ko-fi.com/rbnvi
Every Game in this City podcast (S1, which includes Laura, Jey, Doug)
https://soundcloud.com/idlethumbs/sets/every-game-in-this-city
Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol)
https://secretlives.games/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol
TSLOG Interview with Wouter Verstichel
https://secretlives.games/eggplant-tv-plays-de-mol-2025-season-interview-with-wouter-verstichel
TSLOG (formerly "Eggplant") De Mol 2024 recap series
https://www.patreon.com/tslog
 
https://secretlives.games 
https://discord.gg/tslog
https://www.patreon.com/tslog

We're joined by Michael Brough himself for a bonus chat on the thrilling occasion of 868-BACK's release day. Don't worry, we don't spoil the new game at all (except to say it's fantastic! Go buy it now on Steam!!) We discuss Michael's journey to this launch day, how his process for making art has and hasn't changed over the years, how he's learned to care for himself creatively and otherwise amidst periods of illness, how he does (and doesn't) draw connections between artistic mediums, and his impressions of our series so far, among other reflections from his development career. 
This (bonus) episode: A Chat with Michael!
Next episode: VESPER.5
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
868-BACK (Out now!! Just go buy it!!)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3304110/868BACK/ 
Michael Brough's Website
https://www.smestorp.com/ 
Quinns Quest Reviews: Stonetop!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH5-uQj4uOA
Forbidden Solitaire
https://greyaliengames.com/forbiddensolitaire/index.php 
Titanium Court
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2364580/Titanium_Court/ 
Amberspire
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3350750/Amberspire/ 

https://secretlives.games/ 
https://discord.gg/tslog
https://www.patreon.com/tslog