Hey, Good Game explores the stories behind your favorite brainy games. Each week, we interview game creators and dig into what it takes to build a successful indie game, how to monetize, and how to get traction.
Crafting the Perfect Puzzle: James Sinclair on Handcrafted, Variant Sudoku
James Sinclair shares his remarkable journey from immigration lawyer to full-time puzzle crafter and creator of the Artisanal Sudoku Substack—a haven for lovers of elegant, human-made Sudoku variants.
In this episode, James breaks down his puzzle design philosophy, his preference for handcrafted logic over AI generation, and how he’s turned personal passion into a growing newsletter, a community of solvers, and a published puzzle book. The conversation covers everything from the joys and challenges of variant Sudoku to the deeper question: What makes a puzzle satisfying to solve?
James also shares thoughts on monetization, platform choice, audience building, and why central hubs like Logic Masters Germany play a key role in the global puzzle scene. Plus, he previews Sudoku Con, talks about the fog-based puzzle design he’s experimenting with, and gives rapid-fire takes on puzzle pet peeves, dream collaborations, and favorite solves.
🧩 Games, Platforms & Influences Mentioned
Variant Sudoku – His main craft
Artisanal Sudoku – James’s Substack newsletter
Logic Masters Germany (LMG) – Puzzle publishing hub
Cracking the Cryptic – Popular YouTube channel mentioned
Sudoku Con – Community event
Dynamic Fog puzzles – One of James’s current experiments
AI-generated puzzles – Discussed critically
🌐 Websites & Platforms Mentioned
Website: https://artisanalsudoku.substack.com/ (https://artisanalsudoku.substack.com/)
https://substack.com/@artisanalsudoku (https://substack.com/@artisanalsudoku)
--
(00:00) - Introduction and Guest Background
(01:13) - James Sinclair's Favorite Games
(02:26) - Discovering Sudoku
(05:04) - Exploring Variant Sudoku
(08:53) - Starting Artisanal Sudoku
(18:09) - Creating and Publishing Puzzles
(22:12) - Choosing Substack and Growing an Audience
(27:24) - Creating Puzzles for the Newsletter
(28:14) - Logic Master Stot Land: A Puzzle Haven
(29:21) - The Need for a Central Puzzle Platform
(31:40) - Marketing Strategies for Substack
(33:09) - The Journey to Publishing a Sudoku Book
(38:53) - AI and Handcrafted Puzzles
(46:11) - Sudoku Con and Community Events
(47:35) - Rapid Fire Questions and Puzzle Preferences
(50:15) - Dynamic Fog Puzzles and Final Thoughts
--
Check out our brainy games:
Sumplete - https://sumplete.com (https://sumplete.com/)
Squeezy - https://imsqueezy.com/ (https://imsqueezy.com/)
Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.com (https://kakuroconquest.com/)
Mathler - https://mathler.com (https://mathler.com/)
Crosswordle - https://crosswordle.com (https://crosswordle.com/)
Sudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.com (https://sudokuconquest.com/)
Hitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.com (https://hitoriconquest.com/)
Wordga - https://wordga.com (https://wordga.com/)
21 Oct 2025
32 Wordles?! Bryan Chen on Building Duotrigordle
Bryan Chen joins Nate Kadlac and Aaron Kardell on Hey, Good Game to unravel how a simple coding side project exploded into Duotrigordle, the 32-Wordle brain buster beloved by millions.
A computer science student at the University of Waterloo, Bryan walks us through his programming journey from C# exercises in grade school to building viral games during online college lockdowns. The episode explores how Duotrigordle evolved from a dorm-room Discord link into one of the most beloved—and chaotic—Wordle spinoffs online.
The trio discusses Bryan’s inspirations (from Waffle to Magic: The Gathering), why he values intuitive UX over flashy features, and how he’s balancing indie game maintenance with his academic and career goals. Bryan also opens up about monetization, treating side projects as portfolio pieces, and the emotional payoff of seeing friends unknowingly become fans of his work.
Favorite Games Mentioned by Bryan Chen
Magic: The Gathering – His all-time favorite
Wordle – Foundational inspiration
Octordle / Quordle – Multi-board Wordle influences
Waffle – Admired for clean design and visual polish
League of Legends – Used its API as a test project
Tetris (AI bot project) – As a personal dev exercise
🔗 Find Bryan Chen online
Game: https://duotrigordle.org/ (https://duotrigordle.org/)
Website: https://thesilican.com/ (https://thesilican.com/)
GitHub & side projects linked on his website
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(00:00) - Introduction and Welcome
(00:00) - Going Viral: The Unexpected Success
(00:29) - Meet Bryan Chen: Creator of Duotrigordle
(01:31) - Bryan's Gaming Journey
(01:49) - Magic: The Gathering and Board Games
(06:31) - Early Interest in Software Development
(08:49) - The Birth of Duotrigordle
(16:35) - Iterating and Improving the Game
(22:50) - Monetization and Motivations
(38:33) - Future Projects and Advice for Creators
(42:14) - Conclusion and Farewell
--
Check out our brainy games:
Sumplete - https://sumplete.com (https://sumplete.com/)
Squeezy - https://imsqueezy.com/ (https://imsqueezy.com/)
Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.com (https://kakuroconquest.com/)
Mathler - https://mathler.com (https://mathler.com/)
Crosswordle - https://crosswordle.com (https://crosswordle.com/)
Sudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.com (https://sudokuconquest.com/)
Hitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.com (https://hitoriconquest.com/)
Wordga - https://wordga.com (https://wordga.com/)
9 Sept 2025
From Bingo Nights to Daily Puzzles: The Story of Silly Little Games
Angela Swain and Mariam Mollaghaffari join Aaron Kardell on Hey, Good Game to share how two longtime friends turned a nostalgic obsession with wordplay into Silly Little Games—a vibrant, human-crafted daily puzzle experience.
Angela (a flight attendant with a journalism background) and Mariam (an architect with design chops) break down the collaborative, scrappy spirit behind their Rebus-style puzzle game Silly Little Codes. From hand-drawing hundreds of clever puzzles in Figma to battling bad developers and solving design challenges (including a keyboard that nearly derailed their launch), the duo talks candidly about their indie journey—complete with frog-fueled editing fights and dream expansions into physical card games.
The episode explores how Angela and Mariam are navigating indie game development without coding skills, what they've learned from BlueSky and social media outreach, and why they’ve stayed committed to handcrafted design in an AI-saturated market. They also tease upcoming games under the Silly Little Games umbrella and share honest insights about self-funding, monetization plans, and growing a community of puzzle lovers.
🧩 Games & Favorites Mentioned
Silly Little Codes (Angela & Mariam's daily puzzle game)
Backgammon (Mariam’s nostalgic favorite, tied to her Iranian heritage)
Bingo and Spoons (Angela’s family-friendly picks)
Architecture as Tetris (Mariam compares architectural design to the game)
🔗 Website & Socials
Website: https://www.playsillylittlegames.com
Instagram, Threads, TikTok, BlueSky: @playsillylittlegames
Note: Not on Reddit (permanently banned 😅)
--
(00:00) - Introduction to the Podcast and Guests
(01:42) - Favorite Games and Nostalgic Memories
(05:09) - The Origin Story of Angela and Mariam's Friendship
(07:47) - Creating Silly Little Games: The Initial Idea
(11:57) - Designing and Collaborating on Puzzles
(30:14) - Challenges in Developing the Digital Game
(32:02) - Starting Over: The Struggles of Development
(32:46) - Keyboard Woes: A Major Setback
(33:59) - Finding the Right Developer
(34:54) - Balancing Passion and Practicality
(39:59) - Monetization and Future Plans
(49:25) - Challenges with Social Media and Promotion
(01:02:15) - Looking Ahead: New Games and Growth
--
Check out our brainy games:
Sumplete - https://sumplete.com (https://sumplete.com/)
Squeezy - https://imsqueezy.com/ (https://imsqueezy.com/)
Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.com (https://kakuroconquest.com/)
Mathler - https://mathler.com (https://mathler.com/)
Crosswordle - https://crosswordle.com (https://crosswordle.com/)
Sudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.com (https://sudokuconquest.com/)
Hitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.com (https://hitoriconquest.com/)
Wordga - https://wordga.com (https://wordga.com/)
Who has been a guest on Hey, Good Game
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Tatiana Delgado
Amir Rajan
Joel Corelitz
David Workman
Jason Todd
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YouTube views
16,868
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 76 / 100
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Quality
98
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
60
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