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You probably have even a passing curiosity in video video games (and we assume that you simply do, since you’ve got discovered yourselves right here), then you definitely most likely may have heard of Did You Know Gaming? Since its launch in 2012, the trivia-focused web site and YouTube channel has amassed an enormous following, showcasing little-known info and uncovering misplaced video games that by no means noticed the sunshine of day. Now, the crew is popping its consideration in direction of one other kind of mission altogether: a tabletop card sport.
Do You Know Gaming?, a collaboration between the DYKG crew and Misplaced in Cult, is a dungeon-crawling trivia sport with a Eighties ‘large field’ really feel. On a fundamental degree, the cardboard sport permits you to select a personality — every of whom has their very own particular talents corresponding to well being bonuses, elevated stock house and so forth. — and set out on a quest to gather 4 Relics. Alongside the best way, you will encounter monsters who might be broken by answering gaming trivia questions of various problem, gather loot and tackle last bosses. If it seems like a online game in card type, that is as a result of it’s.
With the sport now over 50% funded and accessible to pre-order, we have been fortunate sufficient to sit down down with Daniel “Dazz” Loyall Brown and Greg S-C — two of the oldsters behind the DYKG channel and upcoming card sport — to listen to concerning the sport’s design course of, their inspirations and what goes into making a Did You Know Gaming? YouTube video. We have additionally obtained a few unique seems at just a few Nintendo-themed playing cards for Do You Know Gaming?
Our dialogue coated every thing from puns to pixel artwork to… ham? Sure, ham. We hope you get pleasure from!
Nintendo Life: Let’s begin with the massive query: the place did the concept for Do You Know Gaming? come from?
Daniel “Dazz” Lyall Brown: I can not bear in mind the place it really was now, however we have been at a conference and John [Doyle] from Misplaced in Cult approached us. We have been promoting our ebook, Area Locked, so he sort of got here alongside, had a have a look at it and went, “The writing’s good, every thing else not so nice”. That was all achieved by one other firm known as Unbound, and he mainly obliterated all of their enhancing work proper in entrance of us. And we have been like, I respect this man. This man is pleased to only inform us to our faces how a lot he does not just like the work that we did not do. So we have been pleased to listen to it.
We additionally run an internet site known as VGFacts, and I assumed that we needed to make some bodily merchandise as a result of individuals benefit from the physicality of it. I used to be pondering of sort of trivia cue playing cards… simply bits of gaming trivia on a card you can flick by means of and there is a piece of trivia. Or a calendar or one thing the place you get a bit of trivia on daily basis. John was like, “Misplaced in Cult has a sort of card sport that they launch a bit of little bit of with each problem” — I do not know what to name it, it is like a ebook collection they do. And he mainly mentioned, “Why do not we really make a sport?”
We needed to make one thing that had some persona and, being British, puns are one of the best ways of injecting persona into something, proper?
So me and Greg have been like, “hell yeah”. We have at all times needed to make a sport. We love tabletop card video games, we play them on a regular basis. And it mainly went from there. We began to develop on concepts and attempt to put some extra artistic aptitude on it, fairly than simply making a type of Trivial Pursuit — no character to it by any means, simply questions. We gave it a bit of little bit of persona.
Greg S-C: You’ve got obtained all these trivia video games — there are such a lot of trivia video games — however at any time when they embody online game questions (and that is true of TV reveals and every thing), it is actually weak supply questions on video video games, for probably the most half. It is like, “What color is Tremendous Mario?” There aren’t any precise online game trivia video games, you already know? It is way more widespread to have passing film trivia information however not online game trivia information, I suppose. So we thought, why not?
Dazz: We go for espresso from time to time and a random particular person will begin a dialog with us. They will hear that we’re speaking about video video games after which they’re going to begin speaking to us about video video games. These are individuals that you simply won’t count on to speak about video video games, but it surely’s an enormous medium, which is now far wider encompassing than it ever was. But there aren’t actually any devoted video games about video games that aren’t merely video video games. We thought there was an enormous hole out there there for individuals who need to check their information with associates in a aggressive sense, however the entire questions are entry-level. It is a area of interest, but it surely’s a devoted area of interest, you already know?
Additionally, we thought we needed to play it, so…
That is at all times a plus! So, what was it that impressed you to go down this route of role-playing tabletop as a substitute of one thing that probably might have been a bit of simpler, like trivia playing cards, as you have been suggesting?
Greg: It simply type of developed that approach. It is sort of arduous to explain as a result of the extra stuff we got here up with, the extra we thought, “Nicely, how is it not simply gonna be individuals answering questions? What do you really do? What’s the board sport of it?”
Clearly, it [Do You Know Gaming?] was impressed by the likes of The Binding of Isaac: 4 Souls and Munchkin, they each have fairly related mechanics in a variety of methods, but it surely simply sort of took place naturally. It simply type of developed once we have been speaking to Misplaced and Cult about what we might do and it simply went from there. We simply had increasingly concepts for these sorts of wacky puns on video video games and it grew to become, “Oh, effectively these might be our objects, and these might be monsters you battle”.
Dazz: I feel the puns have been the preliminary thought. We needed to make one thing that had some persona and, being British, puns are one of the best ways of injecting persona into something, proper? Over time we stored developing with silly concepts and we have been like, “That is really fairly humorous, let’s put it in”.
Greg: Gamer-centric references, proper?
Dazz: Yeah, precisely. As a result of if we’re gonna make a sport that could be a devoted sport our viewers can reply the inquiries to, we additionally need them to choose up on the humour by with the ability to recognise it. As we’re fairly hardcore avid gamers, we thought that there is not any restrict to what we will embody there.
We’re leaping forward a bit right here, however do every of you’ve got a favorite pun card?
Dazz: I am an enormous fan of ‘Calamity Gammon,’ however I realised that People haven’t got gammon, so…
Greg: They do not name it that, I do not assume.
Dazz: Yeah, so it might go over just a few heads however I feel that among the different ones perhaps will even try this, however we’ll see. Genuinely, I did not know that they did not name it gammon till we put the cardboard out and everybody went, “what’s that?”
Is it only a ham? That is information to me as effectively.
Greg: It’s simply ham, however their ham is bizarre. [American] bacon is totally different too, proper? As a result of they’ve like a ham, which is like only a large… yeah I do not know.
Shifting away from American meat, what about you, Greg? Do you’ve got a favorite pun card?
Greg: There’s quite a bit. We have got one which’s razor wire however with RGB lighting. I like that one.
Dazz: I additionally simply remembered the ‘Phoenix Robe,’ which is sort of a robe made out of Phoenix feathers.
The playing cards we have seen thus far look very good certainly. We have spoken a bit about your favorite pun, however do you guys have a favorite card when it comes to capability?
Greg: There are some cool ones. By way of capability, there’s one which is mainly the extra harm you are taking the extra harm you deal, so even in case you’re failing badly, you may nonetheless do extra harm. And there is a character who has the same mechanic, so in case you get these two collectively, you may threat letting your well being get actually low to deal huge harm.
about 200 of our questions have been too arduous
Dazz: One in all my favourites was the ‘Sportsmanship’ card. You should use it in two alternative ways: so it is ‘GLHF’ beforehand and ‘GG’ afterwards and also you get a unique reward primarily based on how you employ the sportsmanship.
Greg: Oh I discovered this one, it is known as the ‘N-Rage,’ and it is just like the N-Gage. Do you do not forget that sick cellphone that no one needed? What else have we obtained? ‘The Gigantic Sword of Overcompensation’ is one which’s very near my coronary heart. It simply provides additional harm, but it surely’s simply what you at all times assume once you have a look at these f***ing comically outsized weapons.
We have got the ‘Warrior’s Keyboard’ as effectively. That is simply further harm after which further harm to people as effectively. [The card] says, “Sticks and stones will break your bones, however scathing web feedback damage perpetually.”
Dazz: There’s one other one which’s a monster which is the ‘T-Poser’. He is simply pretending to love video video games as a result of he is a poser, proper? However each time you reply a query, it’s important to T-pose once you ship your reply, in any other case it does not rely.
Going again to what you mentioned about making a sport that’s particularly for hardcore avid gamers, but in addition one that everybody can play, I discover the playing cards have various ranges of problem for various hit factors. May you discuss a bit of bit concerning the course of behind developing with these totally different problem ranges? Was it arduous to do or is it one thing that got here fairly naturally?
Dazz: It was very, very arduous. So, you decide a playable character and your alternative dictates how tough the general RPG factor of the sport can be, in addition to the questions. However then the questions are additionally categorised in problem.
You understand how individuals are with their online game information, some individuals simply blow you away
After we first made the sport, we simply wrote down any questions. Seems, about 200 of our questions have been too arduous. So we have been like, “Okay, we’ll simply push these apart and make a approach, approach simpler mode”. Now we’re at that stage the place we’re going by means of them and attempting to work out if that is a straightforward query, a medium query, or a tough query. Or is that an not possible query? It is a very tremendous stability of attempting to work out is that this going to be too straightforward for somebody who’s going to know every thing on the arduous degree, or is it going to be too arduous for people who find themselves on the simpler degree?
We will continually be adjusting it as we get extra suggestions. Numerous it’s primarily based on what we expect individuals would possibly know. Extra widespread, standard franchises can be simpler questions, that sort of factor.
Greg: Proper. Like “What color is Mario’s hat?” We realise that when individuals assume ‘straightforward,’ it is obtained to be like passing information of video games. That is an straightforward query.
Dazz: Sure. Somebody who does not actually spend time enjoying video games will most likely nonetheless have heard concerning the factor.
Greg: Yeah, we fairly rapidly realised that when you already know the reply to issues, they’re much extra apparent to you. It looks as if “Oh everybody is aware of that, proper?”
Dazz: We hosted a pub quiz with a bunch of our questions simply to see how many individuals obtained them proper and mistaken. About 50% of our questions, nobody obtained proper. We realised that perhaps we should not have a query particularly about “What race of character in Alundra does this factor?” There are most likely solely about 50 individuals within the UK who know what Alundra is, so it could be fairly arduous.
Greg: Ultimately, assuming [Do You Know Gaming?] does effectively, we’d launch an additional arduous mode for individuals who nonetheless assume it is too straightforward. You understand how individuals are with their online game information, some individuals simply blow you away. They bear in mind every thing we have now ever put in a video!
we needed to make it so there was a motive to replay [the game]
Dazz: After we introduced the sport, we have been like [to our audience], “Why do not you guys ask us some questions that we’d not know?” They usually have been pulling out stuff like “What are the names of the three bosses from Darkish Souls?” or no matter. And it is like, okay, they don’t seem to be actual names for a begin and there is not any approach I will memorise these from like 15 years in the past, you already know?
What’s good to see although is that, with this method, you have managed to make a sport that everybody goes to have the ability to play. So usually these trivia video games are constructed on the individual that has the information in comparison with the opposite gamers who’re clueless on the topic.
Dazz: Proper. Relating to enjoying a online game, you’ve got a handicap degree, so you may play a combating sport in opposition to any individual and if you already know all of the strikes, you give your self decrease well being, you give them extra well being, that sort of factor, to try to stability it so you may each benefit from the expertise. While you play a tabletop sport with individuals, you by no means get that choice. It is very a lot a online game mechanic. So if we might incorporate that, that may sort of sink within the theme a bit of bit extra.
Greg: That is why we have type of tried to do it twofold. You possibly can decide characters which have increased well being, or they will maintain extra objects so you may have extra playing cards in your hand and you’ve got extra alternatives to get stuff mistaken. Even then, you may reply simpler questions as effectively. You’ve got simply obtained many extra security nets. And in case you assume you are good, or if you wish to make it tougher for your self, there are alternatives the place you may solely get one reply mistaken and then you definitely die. Stuff like that.
Dazz: I do not know if we’re allowed to say this, however we needed to make it so there was a motive to replay [the game]. So we have now a factor in there that provides you a motive to play it a number of occasions over to try to do that factor that I can not say.
Intriguing, very intriguing. It seems like it is a tabletop sport that’s so very a lot impressed by and so deeply ingrained in video video games which is not one thing that you simply usually are likely to see.
Dazz: There was one card sport I noticed, I by no means performed it, but it surely was like an 8-bit online game aesthetic, although it wasn’t actually concerning the online game trade. It was simply themed by video video games. And that is a cool thought, however we need to discuss concerning the medium, not simply reference the medium. And so I feel all of it sort of performs collectively the place you may take these mechanics from video games and apply it to a quiz. It goes each methods.
Having mentioned that you do not simply need to reference the medium, it is a sport that is completely jam-packed stuffed with references from each sport and mechanic underneath the solar. How did you determine what would make the lower? As a result of it is a large previous medium that you simply’re pulling from.
Dazz: That is the tough half. Relating to asking questions, you do not need to simply ask ones that you know. My private expertise with video video games just isn’t going to be the identical as everybody else. So we have now to ensure that we’re giving it a broad stroke to ensure that we’re encompassing everybody’s common curiosity in video video games. It may be referencing particular video games, however we have to ensure that they’re video games individuals have performed.
I can not reward the video games that we have included sufficient
I feel we have been fairly selective with some stuff. Me and Greg have provide you with like 500 playing cards in complete, however we have lower away about 300 as a result of it is simply us speaking s**t and it does not actually have any floor in something. It is simply us attempting to provide you with humorous concepts that do not actually work.
And what about among the indie collaborations that you’ve? To this point we have seen Cult of the Lamb, we have seen A Quick Hike, are you able to inform us about some other ones, or if not, how thrilling was it for you guys to have the ability to get these concerned?
Dazz: I’ve performed a variety of the video games that we’re together with. I have not performed all of them as a result of, once more, Misplaced in Cult are additionally concerned and we needed to ensure that they’d some involvement in video games that they felt would match effectively.
I can not reward the video games that we have included sufficient. We listed extra that we might need to attain out to, however we sort of lower it all the way down to ones that we personally get pleasure from and we’d like to work with.
Greg: And people who we will do justice, you already know what I imply?
Dazz: There are some video games that we needed to incorporate, however we could not actually consider something that may work.
Greg: As a result of you’ve got to have the ability to make one thing that their extra devoted followers will actually acknowledge and like have the ability to relate to.
Dazz: Even from the non-public perspective of with the ability to work with [the developers] and collaborate on an idea for a card and get their suggestions. It is a very nice feeling to know that the factor that we maintain in such excessive regard may give us suggestions to enhance their injection into the sport. I really feel prefer it performs off loads higher than if we have been to only reference them.
So it is not nearly slapping some character artwork on a card and being achieved with it. My last query concerning the sport normally is, like we have mentioned, this card sport is a turn-based dungeon crawler, are there any video games (card, video or in any other case) that impressed the mechanics that you have applied into this?
Greg: Diablo II is the one best sport of all time.
Dazz: Yeah, we might be mendacity if we did not say that Diablo II is the place it is occurring.
Greg: I am an enormous dungeon-crawler, ARPG aficionado. So, for me, as quickly because it began entering into the dungeon-crawler realm, I used to be like, “Okay, I feel I do know the place to go along with these items.”
Dazz: I’d say that the product is impressed by Eighties dungeon crawler video games like Wizardry. So you have obtained the first-person perspective crawling by means of the dungeon, enemies pop up, that sort of factor. We needed to go along with that aesthetic fairly than a predictable pixel-art sport. That [style] makes it seem like a online game, however then it does not essentially have to.
Greg: I suppose it is like “online game signalling,” I suppose you’d name it. Fortunately, we have got Stephen Graham doing the paintings and he is so good. He is bringing this actually fascinating aesthetic to it, the place I feel he is actually captured that late-’80s large field sport aesthetic.
However among the newer playing cards look so good. The aesthetic is not uniform, it is simply various. There’s wonderful pixel artwork on the market, but it surely’s sort of typical. You assume video video games, you assume pixel artwork, when, within the grand scheme of issues, pixel artwork most likely makes up a minority of video video games at this level.
Dazz: As a result of I’ve a background in pixel artwork — I used to work as a pixel artist and I additionally run The Spriters Useful resource — every thing I do entails some factor of pixel artwork and I felt like I needed to maneuver into seeing one thing else.
I see pixel artwork in relation to video video games on a regular basis. It is the one solution to, as Greg mentioned, “sign” video video games. And I feel that that is probably not honest on video video games, as a result of pixel artwork was simply the one choice for a very long time.
Only for the final couple of minutes, I used to be questioning if I might transfer on to speak concerning the channel itself. Are you able to discuss a bit of bit concerning the course of of creating a Did You Know Gaming video and looking for these lesser-known subjects?
Dazz: Numerous it comes all the way down to info that is already publicly accessible, however individuals have simply sort of skimmed over and ignored. We speak about a variety of previous video games; individuals do not sometimes learn new materials about previous video games and never many individuals return and browse previous magazines. So a variety of the time we have a look at English-released mediums like magazines right here, however then we’ll additionally have a look at Japanese stuff that was by no means translated. There are a great deal of interviews the place they may have a bit of remark about one thing, so we’ll then dive into that and see in the event that they’ve ever spoken about it once more to present it a bit of bit extra depth and to attempt to flesh it out.
Nintendo someway churns out so many video games and, more often than not, they’re comparatively new and fascinating
Numerous it’s all the way down to what we’re intrigued by. We casually learn by means of these magazines and get them translated. Numerous the time it is earlier journalism, however then we additionally contact the folks that we’re speaking about to get new info from them.
Sometimes, there’s an unwritten statute of limitations. It is not a good suggestion for a developer to share a great deal of secrets and techniques simply as a sport has come out. However one thing that got here out 30 years in the past, they really feel like they will get away with it now.
Numerous your content material is Nintendo-based. What’s it that pulls you again to this firm, its techniques, and its video games?
Dazz: They’re at all times good, mainly. There’s been a handful of dangerous Nintendo video games, but it surely’s straightforward to say that within the trade, they’re the titans.
Greg: The consistency to quantity is fairly good for Nintendo. Numerous firms like EA have quantity however they do not have consistency. And like Sony, they have consistency however they do not have quantity. However Nintendo someway churns out so many video games and, more often than not, they’re comparatively new and fascinating regardless of being the identical mental property.
Dazz: I feel the opposite factor about Nintendo franchises is that they are fairly fleshed out. On high of that, individuals return and play basic Nintendo video games, however not many individuals return and play, like, Ratchet and Clank. You would possibly as effectively play the latest one as a result of it is only a higher model.
Greg: Besides the speedrunners! Somebody’s obtained to maintain Ratchet and Clank alive! [Laughs]
Dazz: I feel with Nintendo, there’s a nostalgia to it, however on the identical time, it simply holds up. It is extremely spectacular how one firm can have a product that got here out 35 years in the past and folks will nonetheless need to play it as a result of it is nonetheless the head of that style.
While you’re selecting subjects for movies are you taking a look at issues that you simply guys are genuinely concerned about?
Dazz: More often than not, I would say. Once in a while, it is primarily based on our viewers. Personally, I’ve by no means actually been into Pikmin, however Pikmin 4 got here out and it is extremely good and everybody loves it. So I’d discover extra curiosity in it on account of the broader gaming subject fairly than the particular sport. I feel you can study a variety of classes from particular person instances that may apply to a broader spectrum, and Nintendo video games work effectively for that due to the number of presentation, gameplay, and every thing else. It simply has much more happening for you to have the ability to dive into.
Lastly, there’s been a variety of mind-blowing info that you simply guys have unearthed. What, in your opinion, has been your greatest scoop? What is the one that you simply guys are the proudest of?
Dazz: I’d say the Sheik sport. That clearly had a huge effect, not simply because the knowledge was tremendous fascinating — nobody’s actually ever heard about it, and we had the primary scoop on it — however on the identical time, it was the response of the viewers. That was a second the place we realised the affect that our asking of questions might have.
We’re now able the place we’re a recognised identify, the place there is a sense of confidence that we’ll current info with some religion. We’re not going to only take that after which s**t throughout it. Even when it is a sport that I would not ever play, the truth that it existed was significantly fascinating.
Greg: Yeah, I feel that is most likely no less than probably the most infamous. The Russian Pokémon one might be my second decide, simply because Dr. Lava had loads to do with these.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to speak to me. Listening to the 2 of you communicate so passionately concerning the sport is improbable.
Dazz: After we made our ebook, Area Locked, we labored with Unbound. They make books, they do not do video video games, so a variety of the stuff that we have been displaying them, we obtained nothing, whereas we felt tremendous captivated with it. Misplaced in Cult is tremendous captivated with video video games as effectively, so it simply seems like such a pleasant setting to share that zeal.
This interview has been doubtless edited for readability.
Our due to Dazz, Greg and everybody at Did You Know Gaming. Do You Know Gaming? is now accessible to pre-order from Misplaced in Cult and is at present anticipated to ship in This autumn 2024.
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