Kentucky Route Zero may not be complete, but it’s still heralded by developers and players as one of the most eerie, hypnotizing games of recent history. 

It’s an adventure game that isn’t interested in challenging puzzles, a fantasy story that’s rooted in bitter reality, and it embodies the sensation of wandering America’s highways while still embodying a kind of cosmic chaos. 

If this is the kind of game you want to make—one that manages to embody a coherent atmosphere and aesthetic through every part of its design—Kentucky Route Zero developer Tamas Kemenczy’s 2014 GDC talk may be of interest to you. 

In this session, Kemenczy breaks down the various artistic inspirations that influenced Kentucky Route Zero’s design, and provides practical information on how to incorporate that inspiration into production. It’s a good showcase of game development as an artistic process, and if you missed it, you can now watch the whole thing for free via the official GDC YouTube channel.

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