Categories
Games Marketing/Business

2023 Family-Friendly Indie Game Black Friday Guide

It’s Black Friday, the indie-friendly platform itch.io is having a Creator Day sale, and if you want to find family-friendly indie games, let me recommend some to you!

Here are five games you can get today:

Toytles: Leaf Raking

Toytles: Leaf Raking

Yes, this is my own game. Inspired by games such as Lemonade Stand and The Oregon Trail, Toytles: Leaf Raking puts you in the role of a young turtle who wants to earn enough money to get The Ultimate Item(tm).

You’ll run your own leaf-raking business, and during the 90 days before winter, you’ll:

  • Seek out neighbors who need your services and turn them into paying clients.
  • Make key purchasing decisions, such as which types of rakes to buy and how many yard bags to keep in your inventory.
  • Balance your energy and your time as you seek to keep your clients happy without overextending yourself.
  • Visit the kitchen to ask your parents for their advice and wisdom.
  • Learn about personal responsibility and the importance of keeping your promises.

It features NO ADS, NO IN-APP PURCHASES, AND NO VIOLENCE, so you can have peace of mind with an ad-free, safe game.

Get it at https://gbgamesllc.itch.io/toytles-leaf-raking.

Hidden Folks

Hidden Folks on itch

If you’re familiar with the Where’s Waldo? series of books, this is a much richer, interactive experience in the same vein.

Search for hidden folks in hand-drawn, interactive, miniature landscapes. Unfurl tent flaps, cut through bushes, slam doors, and poke some crocodiles! Rooooaaaarrrr!!!!!

A strip of targets shows you what to look for. Click on a target for a hint, and find enough to unlock the next area.

It features:
– 32 hand-drawn areas.
– 300+ targets to find.
– 2000+ mouth-originated sound effects.
– 500+ unique interactions.
– 3 color modes: normal, sepia, and night mode.
– 22 languages (translated by the community).
– supports mouse and keyboard, controller, and touch input.

Get it at https://adriaan.itch.io/hidden-folks.

Round Ogre

Round Ogre on itch

If you like puzzle games, Round Ogre is here for you. It has simple controls, yet fiendishly challenging puzzles to solve.

500 puzzles across 31 worlds will entertain you for hours!

Start of a new world? A brand new mechanic to explore! This makes the game easy to learn, yet varied and challenging.

Solving a complete world grants you an optional bonus world, with the toughest testing puzzles.

Guide her to the cave exit to reunite her with Square Ogre. But to do so, you’ll have to think creatively and always see all the possibilities …

Get it at https://pandaqi.itch.io/round-ogre.

Toy Factory Fixer

Toy Factory Fixer

The toy factory had an accident after one of the worker elves tried to automate the assembly of toys.
Now all of the toys are put together wrong, and you need to put the toys together correctly in time for the delivery deadline!

This is another of my own games. For this Black Friday sale, you can pay what you want, name your own price, and get this toy factory worker management game for yourself or a loved one.

Features:

  • 4 levels, each with an easy work shift and a challenging work shift, for 8 total levels.
  • The option to set a hard deadline for an added challenge
  • 3 worker types, each with unique abilities, requiring you to think strategically to make the most of them
  • 2 toy types in 2 sizes, Small and Large, that can come down the conveyor belt in multiple potentially large production runs and require your good judgment to handle them
  • Turn-based game play, allowing for more thinking and not quick-reflexes, including Stop and Go buttons that allow you to play at your own speed

Plus:

  • In-game how-to that describes how to play the game in case you need help or some tips
  • The ability to toggle music and sound effects on or off, allowing you flexibility to listen to your own music or podcast or just enjoy the silence

Get it at https://gbgamesllc.itch.io/toy-factory-fixer.

Mountain

Mountain on itch

This calm and surreal simulation puts you in the role of a mountain floating in space.

You don’t really seem to have any agency, but there is something soothing about the music, the visuals, and the periodic messages that seem to be meditative in nature.

Time passes, and things crash into you from space. Many of these things are bizarre.

It’s quite the experience.

Get it at https://davidoreilly.itch.io/mountain.

Do any of these games catch your eye? What game are you looking forward to playing? Or who do you plan on gifting a game to this holiday season? Let me know by commenting below.

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

Announcing the Black Friday Creator Day 2023 and Reverse Sale

From now until November 28th, you can get my leaf-raking business simulation game, Toytles: Leaf Raking for Windows, Mac, and Linux and pay 50% more than usual. And you can pay-what-you-want for my toy factory worker management game Toy Factory Fixer.

In either case, if you are going to do so, please do so within the next 24 hours!

Toytles: Leaf Raking

The indie-friendly platform itch.io is having another Creator Day, so for the next 24 hours, they won’t take a cut of any sales that occur. That means the creators get to keep more of the proceeds.

While many developers are having a sale to celebrate, and you should definitely check them out, as usual I’m holding a reverse sale instead.

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

Also, you can get my first Freshly Squeezed Game, the turn-based toy factory management game Toy Factory Fixer, at itch.io. Pay what you want for it (even $0!), and for the next 24 hours, I will be able to keep the full amount of anything you contribute.

If you do end up paying for access to Toytles: Leaf Raking or Toy Factory Fixer, know that I appreciate it, and I appreciate all of the itch.io creators who make itch.io amazing!

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

WARNING: Tomorrow’s Black Friday Creator Day 2023 and Reverse Sale

Between November 24th and November 28th, I’ll be increasing the price of my family-friendly game Toytles: Leaf Raking by 50% to take part in itch.io’s Black Friday Creator Day sale.

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

But if you would rather not spend more, then think of today as your last chance for a sale price. Pretend this normal price is actually a discount, and know that tomorrow the game will cost 50% more. Buy now!

Tomorrow is also a Creator Day at itch.io, which means all sales go straight to the creators of the games, and itch.io will not take a cut. So if you REALLY want to support indie game developers such as myself, then save your money for tomorrow.

Either way, know that I am thankful for your support!

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

Happy Halloween! 🎃 Play Toytles: Leaf Raking Today!

I hope you’re having a spooky yet safe Halloween!

If you are into tycoon games, business management games, or economic simulator games, know that there are only a few days left in the Halloween Reverse Sale I’m holding for my leaf-raking business simulation game Toytles: Leaf Raking.

In Toytles: Leaf Raking, you play the role of a young turtle who wants the Ultimate Item(tm), and to earn the money for it, you’ll need to talk to neighbors, gain clients, purchase yard bags and upgraded rakes, watch the weather and the clock, and ensure you get enough rest to be able to do the work of raking leaves.

Luciana's dialogue on Halloween

It is available for desktop computers above, or you can get it for your iPhone or iPad or Android device below:

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

Before winter arrives, can you earn enough to get the Ultimate Item(tm)?

Get the game today and find out!

Learn more about Toytles: Leaf Raking at https://www.gbgames.com/toytles-leaf-raking/.

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

Today Starts the Halloween Reverse Sale for Toytles: Leaf Raking

From today until November 2nd, you can get my leaf-raking business simulation game, Toytles: Leaf Raking for Windows, Mac, and Linux and pay 50% more than usual.

Toytles: Leaf Raking

While many developers are having a sale to celebrate, and you should definitely check them out, as usual I’m holding a reverse sale instead.

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

Also, you can get my first Freshly Squeezed Game, Toy Factory Fixer, at itch.io. It is always free to download and play, but itch.io does allow for an optional donation.

Both games are also available in the Google Play and Apple App stores, but know that there is no sale there.

If you do end up paying for access to Toytles: Leaf Raking or Toy Factory Fixer, know that I appreciate it, and I appreciate all of the itch.io creators who make itch.io amazing!

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

Pay 50% MORE for Toytles: Leaf Raking! #itchioCreatorDay

For the next three days, you can get my leaf-raking business simulation game, Toytles: Leaf Raking for Windows, Mac, and Linux and pay 50% more than usual. And if you are going to do so, please do so within the next 24 hours!

Toytles: Leaf Raking

The indie-friendly platform itch.io is having another Creator Day, so for the next 24 hours, they won’t take a cut of any sales that occur. That means the creators get to keep more of the proceeds.

While many developers are having a sale to celebrate, and you should definitely check them out, as usual I’m holding a reverse sale instead.

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

Also, you can get my first Freshly Squeezed Game, Toy Factory Fixer, at itch.io. It is always free to download and play, but itch.io does allow for an optional donation, and for the next 24 hours, I will be able to keep the full amount of anything you contribute.

Both games are also available in the Google Play and Apple App stores, but know that there is no sale there.

If you do end up paying for access to Toytles: Leaf Raking or Toy Factory Fixer, know that I appreciate it, and I appreciate all of the itch.io creators who make itch.io amazing!

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

itch.io Summer Sale: Pay 50% MORE for Toytles: Leaf Raking!

itch.io is a very indie-friendly platform for game developers, writers, musicians, and artists in general, and they are having a summer sale.

And I decided to participate with another reverse sale.

You can pay 50% more than usual for Toytles: Leaf Raking, my leaf-raking business simulation game about responsibility and strategic thinking.

Toytles: Leaf Raking

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

If you want to get Toytles: Leaf Raking for Windows, Mac, and Linux, for the next week you get to support me even more by paying a bit extra.

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

It’s Creator Day! Pay 50% MORE for Toytles: Leaf Raking! #itchioCreatorDay

itch.io is a very indie-friendly platform for game developers, writers, musicians, and artists in general, and today is one of their Creator Days.

For 24 hours, itch.io will take no cut from any sales, which means the creators get to keep all of the profit.

Many creators are creating sales for the weekend to participate.

I’m taking part, but instead of discounting my game’s price, I thought I would increase it instead.

So from now until March 20th, you can pay 50% more than usual for Toytles: Leaf Raking, my leaf-raking business simulation game about responsibility and strategic thinking.

Toytles: Leaf Raking

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

If you want to get Toytles: Leaf Raking for Windows, Mac, and Linux, this weekend you get to support me even more by paying a bit extra.

I appreciate it, and I appreciate all of the itch.io creators who make this platform amazing!

To get Toytles: Leaf Raking, or to check out any other Creator Day sales, go to itch.io, and celebrate a creator by paying for their work, whether it is on sale or on reverse sale or not on sale at all.

Categories
Games Politics/Government

Get the Trans Witches are Witches Bundle

You may have heard about the problematic yet popular wizard game based on the problematic famous author, but have you heard about the Trans Witches Are Witches Bundle?

For $60 (or $10 if you can’t afford it), you get “a bundle of witchcraft and wizardry without the transphobia, antisemitism, and alt-right grifters.”

You can support independent LGBTQ+ creators, you get what is currently 69 games and other items, and you can rest easy knowing that your money is not supporting powerful people putting more pain and suffering into the world.

There are role-playing games, shoot ’em ups, platformers, visual novels, and more. It’s a “bundle of over $300 worth of magic themed games, music, zines, and other things from LGBTQ+ creators.”

The sale ends on February 24th.

Categories
Game Design Games Marketing/Business

Announcing Toytles: Leaf Raking for Windows, Mac, and Linux

Toytles: Leaf Raking, my family-friendly leaf-raking business simulation game, was originally released for Android and iOS, but now you can get it for your computer!

Toytles: Leaf Raking

In this leaf-raking business simulation game that teaches responsibility and strategic thinking, you want The Ultimate Item ™, but it’s expensive, and your parents won’t buy it for you. So, with a rake and some yard bags, you start your leaf-raking business in the hope of earning the money to buy The Ultimate Item ™ yourself.

Learn more about the game and where to get it at the main Toytles: Leaf Raking page.

Toytles: Leaf Raking Player's Guide

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