Behind the japes and jokes that power Xalavier Nelson Jr.'s games

gamedeveloper.com:

Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator. An Airport for Aliens Currently Run By Dogs. Can Androids Pray? These are some of the games you'll find in the portfolio of Xalavier Nelson Jr., a Texas-based game developer who now runs the game studio (and now publisher) Strange Scaffold.

What they have in common—besides some eye-catching names—is are a series of internally consistent worlds that let players dig their hands deep, into their interactive systems. Whether it's with his collaborators at Strange Scaffold or partnering with other designers like Nat Clayton or Jay Tholen, Nelson brings a madcap, constantly escalating energy to his work that sometimes feels like a comedy bit gone way too far.

But not in a bad way—just in a way that the bit has now grown up, gone through an awkward teenage phase, and has settled down with a partner and kids. Then it's had a midlife crisis and is out the door again.

There are plenty of weird, zany game creators out there, but few who can keep pace with Nelson's commitment to uh...commitment. From Kinect functionality to Pokémon Snap-style alien adventures, Nelson's wild scenarios come from a strikingly sincere place.

It's always worth taking time to talk with developers so able to put their creative influences out in the open—so we sat down with Nelson to jam about what makes his games tick. 

You may have noticed that Nelson prefers working on games with eye-catching, evocative names. Some, like An Airport for Aliens Currently Run By Dogs, come off as fully literalized versions of those single strings. 

It's specific, and Nelson explained that specificity sits at the heart of a lot of his design decisions. He enjoys making "good" games (who doesn't?) but is downright feverous about making games