Since 2020, I have been involved with the annual Independent Games Festival awards as a jury panel member. As a panellist, it’s my job to help to define the nominee shortlist from a pool of over 500 entrants. This position has been a great outlet for my interest in discussing games critically and in depth with other insightful game makers. Each year, I’m able to hear new perspectives, and get valuable practice in expressing my own. An added bonus is that I’m also exposed to a huge breadth of inspiring, obscure, and thought-provoking games. I have found that having a wide and varied pool of references is very useful as a designer.