Hyper-Focused Antifragile Games as Drugs as Puzzles, with Zach Barth

ETAO Podcast, Episode 71.

Another dose of Zach Barth, this time focused on MOLEK-SYNTEZ, a Zachtronics game that plays a bit like Opus Magnum but was made more in the spirit of TIS-100—which is to say quickly, with extreme focus, and driven by Zach’s primordial need to make games, games forever, games all the time. (Also, like TIS-100 before it, it’s presented in purest, starkest black and white, to the confusion of some and the delight of me).

We talk about the thematic connections between drug-making and game development, the slippery-as-hell nature of defining success, and the complexities of creating a Zachtronics game that’s closer than ever to real science (though as Zach says, “it’s still pretty fake”).

You can get MOLEK-SYNTEZ on Steam, GOG, and Itch.
You can get ZACH-LIKE on Steam, replete with links to the educational games.
The MOLEK-SYNTEZ OST is on Bandcamp.
You can also follow Zach and/or Zachtronics (the distinction gets blurry) on Twitter.
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• Thanks to The Mysterious Ian K. for the MOLEK-SYNTEZ solution gif. I found it a little cooler-looking than any of mine, and asked to use it, and he was a stand-up cat as per always.

• I thought about linking to Antifragile, but honestly Zach’s summary probably has you covered. If you really want more, watch this weird ramble.

• My crack about Fortnite was definitely influenced by/ripped off from this Dan Olson video (which was also recently referenced in this Oliver Thorn video).
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“All The People Say (Season 3)” by Holly Hyperion.
The MOLEK-SYNTEZ OST by Matthew Seiji Burns.

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Logo by Aaron Perry-Zucker, using Icons by by Llisole, Dávid Gladiš, Atif Arshad, Daniel Nochta, Mike Rowe, Jakub Čaja, Raji Purcell and IconsGhost from the Noun Project.

Left-click to play. Right-click to download.