Catsarewhat

Sanidhya Dev Gupta · catsarewhat studios

Games for gamers, made by a gamer.

I’ve been a player far longer than I’ve been a designer, and that’s the lens I design through. Every decision starts with one question: does this respect the person holding the controller? Their time, their skill, their reason for picking the game up at all.

I’m doing a Master’s in Game Design at the National Institute of Design (NID), Bengaluru. When I’m not making games, I’m deep in RPGs and looter shooters: the build that finally comes together, the drop you’ve been chasing for hours, the moment a character goes from fragile to unstoppable. That loop shows up in everything I make.

Player first, in practice

• Your time counts. A run that goes badly should still move you forward. In TERMINUS, dying keeps 75% of your scrap. In Kancha Todh, you keep shards from a failed run.
• Builds are the fun. Cards, upgrades, loadouts. Give players real choices, then let them break the game a little.
• Feel before features. If the core action isn’t fun on its own, nothing on top will save it.
• Listen to players, then check the data. I interview players, build telemetry into my playtest builds, and balance from what they actually do.

Games here

• TERMINUS: a survivor game where movement is the only input and the build is everything.
• Pocket Raja: a one-thumb carrom boss rush.
• Kancha Todh: flick, bounce, shatter.
• RAT-RACE: a 150-second game poem.
• Beat Runner: turn the tunnel, hit the beat.
• Akhbar Wala.

Get in touch: Sanidhyadevgupta@gmail.com · @catsarewhat