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#38 – Lily's World XD – SonderingEmily – USA openindie – your indie game podcast

Sarah sits down with game dev and content creator Emily, aka SonderingEmily, to talk about Lily’s World XD—a psychological horror game that turns early 2000s internet nostalgia into something far more unsettling. Set entirely on a young girl’s cluttered desktop, her game brings back the days of AIM chats, personal blogs, and art created in MS Paint—only this time, someone’s watching.Emily shares how her own internet memories shaped the game, from digging through old blog posts to revisiting the charm of early social media. They discuss the joys (and struggles) of solo game development.A must-listen for anyone who ever lived through the golden age of ICQ and AIM, spent way too much time on their Myspace layout, or felt like the internet really knew them before social media took over.Episode Timestamps:Intro (0:00)The Current State of Lily's World XD (2:09)What is Lily's World XD? (3:11)Inspirations for the Game (5:13)Emily's Favorite Feature & Feedback (9:02)It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature! (12:52)Plans for Post-Launch Support (14:10)Emily's Journey into Gamedev (16:26)A Magic Moment as a Game Developer (21:24)Challenges and Victories of Developing Your Own Game (24:34)(Mostly) Solo Dev – Who's Helping Out? (27:03)Lessons Learned While Developing Your Own Game (27:58)Advice for Fellow Gamedevs (30:06)Story Behind the Name SonderingEmily (32:32)A Taste of the Past – Emily's Previous Game (34:44)How Emily Finances Her Game Development (39:16)What’s Unique About LA’s Indie Dev Scene? (41:28)Emily's Vision for Lily's World XD (43:52)Outro (47:50)As always, have fun listening! If you like what we do, tell your friends (and enemies) about us.
  1. #38 – Lily's World XD – SonderingEmily – USA
  2. #37 – The Old One – Creative Waste – USA
  3. #36 – Keep Driving – YCJY Games – Sweden
  4. #35 – Favorites & Wishlists 2024 – with Sarah & iV
  5. #34 – Flocking Hell – Sextant Studios – Elli – USA
  6. #33 – Ballionaire – newobject – USA
  7. #32 – AFK Chess – PlistA – Netherlands
  8. #31 – RollScape – Leonardo the Vinchy – Belgium
  9. #30 – Thronefall – Grizzly Games – Paul Schnepf – Germany
  10. #29 – Tiny Rogues – Pixlpunk – RubyDev – Austria

Games we played and talked about on our show

Explore our podcast episodes featuring handpicked indie games, endorsed wholeheartedly by the openindie team. Click on the game covers to delve into the developers’ stories, and don’t forget to share your thoughts with us. Your voice matters in our indie gaming community!

About Us

Hey, it’s Sarah and Iv! Thrilled you stopped by our gaming hub, openindie!

We’re lifelong gamers on a mission: uncovering the secrets of game creation. Join us as we dive deep into indie developers’ journeys, sharing their triumphs and challenges.

Ever wondered how they overcome hurdles or if they receive support from their countries? We’re finding out!

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