Let’s make better games
What is Indie Game Clinic?
Indie Game Clinic is a diverse and inclusive online community of humans who love to make, play, and discuss indie games. We represent the folks who develop games because they love the medium and enjoy the challenge of making cool stuff for players. You can find us on;
- YouTube
- Twitch (occasionally)
- Podcast Platforms
If you’ve got an unfinished game, and you’d like to see it on the weekly Indies Under the Knife stream, please submit it here. If you’d like to join the community to get regular help and feedback with your game – or simply to support what we do, you can do so by joining us on Patreon.
We welcome anyone who is making games – whether commercially or as a hobby – or those who just love to learn how they’re made. We also have a strong focus on the the philosophy and psychology that goes into game design and related creative practice, rather than trying to see game dev as a series of hacks and tricks.
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weekly shows and streams
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exclusive Discord community
Shows & Streams
IGC is constantly experimenting with new content formats and topics, but the core shows currently include:
INDIES UNDER THE KNIFE
A weekly “critical playtest” show where Joe showcases work-in-progress games by viewers. Indies Under The Knife is intended to help developers improve their unfinished games before release, and submissions are only open to games which haven’t been commercially released yet. You can send us your game here.
“The Game Developers’ Library” Podcast
A regular podcast where Joe and a guest visitor review a book about game design, or a related creative discipline. You can subscribe to the RSS feed, or find The Game Dev Library on whatever podcast platform you usually listen on.
Lectures & Video Essays
Regular video essays covering key topics including UX, genre-specific systems and mechanics, narrative design, and creative direction. Free-to-view on YouTube, with early-access ad-free versions and other behind-the-scenes materials available to Patreon members.
About the Creator
Indie Game Clinic is led by Dr. Joe Baxter-Webb, a video game designer, critic, and silly person. Joe has worked for studios and publishers including Adult Swim and King, as well as helping to create games for various music and media brands. He holds a PhD in Media & Cultural Studies, and a senior fellowship from the UK HEA – basically an advanced certificate specifically in adult education for teaching undergraduate and masters level learners.
Indie Game Clinic is home to Joe’s content about indie games and how they are made, provided free-to-watch thanks to the generous ongoing support of our Patreon members. In addition, Joe is occasionally available for private design services, including long-term design help with projects, short-term 1:1 consultations, and more. You can learn more about Joe’s game credits and personal projects in the resume here.
Fan-Funded
Indie Game Clinic is funded by viewers who want to see Joe and Friends continue to make high quality content about games and how they’re made. Patreon supporters help to fund the creation of regular IGC features like “Indies Under the Knife”, where Joe reviews developers’ work-in-progress games and uses them to showcase common issues and examples of best practice. This funding allows the channel to focus on what’s interesting, useful, and entertaining to its specific audience, without having to capitulate to the dumbing-down effects of platform algorithms.
Supporters receive Discord access, as well as behind the scenes insights, such as show notes. A mentorship-level tier is also available for those who want to receive 1:1 help.