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Owen Goss

@owengoss.com

1.3K followers 380 following 610 posts

Canadian indie game designer/dev. Half of Milkbag Games: Kickoff League, Disco Zoo, FutureGrind, Sidewords, SantaCraft, Photobomb. Amateur potter. He/him Links: owengoss.com

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · Nov 18

Hi! I'm Owen, and I've been a game developer for 20+ years. I'm half of Milkbag Games, an indie studio in Ontario, Canada. We made Disco Zoo, FutureGrind, Sidewords, and more.

I mostly post about game dev, or games-adjacent stuff, but I'm also a hobbyist potter, so sometimes I post about that too!

Screenshot from the mobile game Disco Zoo showing pixelated elephants in a zoo enclosure. One of the elephants has a word bubble next to it that says "Paroo!"

A screenshot from the game FutureGrind showing a futuristic motorbike-like machine being driven along brightly coloured rails suspended in the sky.

Screenshot of the game Sidewords showing a grid with a word on each side of the grid, and words in rectangles filling the grid. The word "relax" is about to be played.

A photograph of Owen holding a large red and blue handmade ceramic bowl, about 30cm in diameter. Owen has reddish-brown hair, rectangular blue and brown glasses, and a beard.

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 13h

I've seen quite a few IGF entries with no screenshots. If you've entered a game, maybe log in and make sure your screenshots actually uploaded properly.

One Man Left | Mage Food Truck is OUT! @onemanleft.bsky.social · 14h

Thanks for the post. I thought my entry had screenshots until I checked back and all my uploads were broken.

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 13h

Oh, interesting! I've seen quite a few games with missing screenshots, I wonder if it was a bigger problem.

Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 15h

Reached a 700-day streak on the Puzzmo daily crossword. 😅 Approaching a two-year streak. I really enjoy Puzzmo’s games.

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 1d

4) Monitor the email address you registered your game with. If judges run into problems, you'll get emails from judges with problems running builds, or asking for more downloads codes if they run out.

Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 1d

3) Might seem obvious, but make sure your build runs, or your Steam page actually has a build on it. If no one can play the game, no one can judge it.

Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 1d

2) If entered a Steam game, include more than 5 codes. Steam codes are basically free; don't stop judges from playing your game. You don't need to supply 1000 codes. But if you provide ~20 codes, you're giving enough judges a chance to play that they can have a discussion.

Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 1d

With #IGF judging starting again, here are a couple of reminders to devs for things to look out for:

1) Include at least one screenshot with your IGF game entry. If you don't include a screenshot, your game shows up with a broken image icon next to the title in all judges discussions.

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 2d

Yes, on the Bruce Peninsula, near Wiarton

Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 3d

Another beautiful fall day today, and another short hike along a different section of Bruce Trail.

A view from the top of a cliff overlooking a forest and marsh. The trees are a mix of greens and yellows. In the far distance, the water of Georgian Bay is visible, with large islands in the lake. The sky is blue with some fluffy clouds near the horizon.

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 3d

Limestone boulders

A large limestone boulder, about 2.5m tall, is leaning against another boulder in a forest. The boulders have moss growing on them in places. The ground is covered in brown leaves. Tall thin trees are visible in the background.

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 4d

Had a lovely hike today on a part of The Bruce Trail on the Niagara Escarpment.

A photograph taken from the top of a cliff. In the foreground are some cedar trees on the left. In front, and far below are trees that are starting to change into fall oranges and yellows. In the distance is a large body of water (Georgian Bay), with land and islands on the distance. The sky is a mix of blue and clouds.

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Reposted by Owen Goss

Game Developer @gamedeveloper.bsky.social · 6d

'Gaming is the new oil:' How the EA buyout 'diverges from the traditional playbook'

Analysts explain how the high-risk leveraged buyout will impact Electronic Arts and the video game industry.

www.gamedeveloper.com

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 8d

I worked with Nick at my first game dev job at EA in the mid-2000s. He was such a great guy, and he went out of his way to help me learn the ropes, even though I wasn't even on his team! He had such a great attitude, and really seemed to delight in working with other people to make games.

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 9d

Also, a nice pair of small, sharp snips/scissors is a nice gift for someone into yarn/thread arts. Look for "embroidery scissors". You can find nice metal ones that are shaped like birds. :)

And for watercolours, watercolour paper is not cheap to buy for yourself, so is nice to get as a gift.

Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 9d

My wife makes these project bags that knitters/crocheters love. They have pockets inside and a drawstring at the top. We're in Canada, so shipping/tariffs make buying from her impractical, but you might be able to find a local artisan who makes something similar. gosslingorganics.com/products/eri...

Erin Project Bag

Say hello to Erin. The perfect bag for all your crafty projects. She's tough with a touch of playfulness. We just loving using our Erin project bag for our embroidery and knitting wip! Erin is made wi...

gosslingorganics.com

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Reposted by Owen Goss

Crownfell preorder: Nov 18 @weheart.games · 10d

Lasering and hand-assembly of 20 decks and wallets of #Crownfell : Metal Edition for the Indie Games Night Market is complete…!

Gloved hands putting metal cards into metal wallets; the cards and wallets are laser-etched.

Closeup of the steel wallets; 13 of them spread out on a table.

20 boxed wallets fill a cardboard box, ready for shipping.

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Reposted by Owen Goss

Nicole Carpenter @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social · 10d

i wrote about consume me for @theverge.com ✨

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Reposted by Owen Goss

Devon W. @devonwiersma.bsky.social · 12d

Voice acting folks!

I'm casting four roles for my multiplayer cleaning indie game, S.K.R.U.B. Squad! Paid gig at $200 CDN per role, auditions close on the 18th.

Shares super appreciated! #SKRUBSquad

Audition and find details via CastingCallClub: www.castingcall.club/projects/sli...

a screenshot from a cartoon-style video game, showing four slime-humanoid creatures in space suits standing in front of a window together. in order from left to right they are: green and nerdy looking with glasses looking at a clipboard, orange and grumpy looking, pink and happy looking sitting on a table, and purple and grumpy looking leaning against the table.

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Reposted by Owen Goss

Crownfell preorder: Nov 18 @weheart.games · 12d

The crowd sale for #Crownfell has been approved for November 18! Add-ons include a neoprene playmat and a solo expansion.

This 2-player asymmetric chess-like has 17 cards unique movement and abilities.

Sign up to be notified here (shares appreciated!) 🧡 www.thegamecrafter.com/crowdsale/cr...

The Crownfell base game box, standing beside the playmat, with some cards on the mat, mid-game.

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Reposted by Owen Goss

Laura Eek!! Hall 🎃 @lauraehall.bsky.social · 12d

Psst… hey you. Want some fun links and art in your inbox every day of October to get you in a spooky mood? Yeah, I thought so. It’s year 11 of my annual (free!) Halloween newsletter, 31 Days of Halloween. Sign up here: buttondown.com/31daysofhall...

a cartoon of a boy and a dog playing with leaves

Alt: a cartoon of a boy and a dog playing with autumn leaves

media.tenor.com

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 14d

Amazing milestone, Jake! I’m so happy to see people so excited for it!

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 15d

You got it! We can do whatever we want in a fictional store!

We’ll call it Sigma Clothing, and we’ll only sell articles of clothing that are at least one standard deviation from average on at least one axis (size, style, colour, etc) 🙂

Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 16d

Oh no, I've made the classic mistake of announcing something without a way to pre-order or wishlist! :)

Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 16d

Some day I'm going to quit game dev and open a men's clothing store that only sells colourful clothing, and I will have dozens of customers! Dozens!!

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Owen Goss @owengoss.com · 16d

INT. CLOTHING STORE - MEN'S SECTION
Man: I'm looking for a shirt.
Clerk: Very good. We have all the colours: white, black, navy, and tan.
Man: Anything more colourful?
Clerk: We have this shirt that is both white and tan?
Man: What about red?
Clerk: Very funny, sir! You can't just make up colours!

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