Software Engineering Daily Games That Push Back with Bennett Foddy
Mar 24, 2026
Bennett Foddy, game designer and former NYU Game Center instructor behind QWOP and Getting Over It, talks systems-driven, physics-first design. He explores prototyping humanoid rigs, reframing difficulty as different kinds of frustration, and how streaming, speedrunning, and spectator play reshape games. He also discusses designing Baby Steps for shared play and emergent uses.
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Difficulty Is Relative To Player Expectations
- 'Difficulty' depends on player expectations and the game's promise of reward; QWOP feels 'difficult' because players expect to run to the finish, not because of objective effort.
- Accessibility is about how quickly players reach the core experience, not just raw challenge.
Checkpointless Modes Trade Safety For Stakes
- Hardcore, checkpointless modes (e.g., Trackmania, Dark Souls influence) trade accessibility for stakes; cycles of 'sending you back' rise and fall as fashions because they trade off fear and micro-optimization.
- Foddy sees them peaking now, then a likely backlash toward safety.
Design For Players And Spectators At Once
- After Getting Over It, Foddy learned to design simultaneously for players and spectators; thinking about streamability improved Baby Steps' hot-seat and living-room play.
- He sees unexpected player usages (mods, maps, streams) as valuable extensions of design.
