Hey, Good Game

Hey, Good Game explores the stories behind your favorite brainy games.

Author: Nate Kadlac, Aaron Kardell, Joseph Rueter

Hey, Good Game explores the stories behind your favorite brainy games. Each week, we interview game creators and dig into what it takes to build a successful indie game, how to monetize, and how to get traction.
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Language: en

Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Games, Leisure

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Crafting the Perfect Puzzle: James Sinclair on Handcrafted, Variant Sudoku
Episode 76
Tuesday, 4 November, 2025

James Sinclair shares his remarkable journey from immigration lawyer to full-time puzzle crafter and creator of the Artisanal Sudoku Substack—a haven for lovers of elegant, human-made Sudoku variants.In this episode, James breaks down his puzzle design philosophy, his preference for handcrafted logic over AI generation, and how he’s turned personal passion into a growing newsletter, a community of solvers, and a published puzzle book. The conversation covers everything from the joys and challenges of variant Sudoku to the deeper question: What makes a puzzle satisfying to solve?James also shares thoughts on monetization, platform choice, audience building, and why central hubs like Logic Masters Germany play a key role in the global puzzle scene. Plus, he previews Sudoku Con, talks about the fog-based puzzle design he’s experimenting with, and gives rapid-fire takes on puzzle pet peeves, dream collaborations, and favorite solves.🧩 Games, Platforms & Influences MentionedVariant Sudoku – His main craftArtisanal Sudoku – James’s Substack newsletterLogic Masters Germany (LMG) – Puzzle publishing hubCracking the Cryptic – Popular YouTube channel mentionedSudoku Con – Community eventDynamic Fog puzzles – One of James’s current experimentsAI-generated puzzles – Discussed critically🌐 Websites & Platforms MentionedWebsite: https://artisanalsudoku.substack.com/https://substack.com/@artisanalsudoku--(00:00) - Introduction and Guest Background (01:13) - James Sinclair's Favorite Games (02:26) - Discovering Sudoku (05:04) - Exploring Variant Sudoku (08:53) - Starting Artisanal Sudoku (18:09) - Creating and Publishing Puzzles (22:12) - Choosing Substack and Growing an Audience (27:24) - Creating Puzzles for the Newsletter (28:14) - Logic Master Stot Land: A Puzzle Haven (29:21) - The Need for a Central Puzzle Platform (31:40) - Marketing Strategies for Substack (33:09) - The Journey to Publishing a Sudoku Book (38:53) - AI and Handcrafted Puzzles (46:11) - Sudoku Con and Community Events (47:35) - Rapid Fire Questions and Puzzle Preferences (50:15) - Dynamic Fog Puzzles and Final Thoughts --Check out our brainy games:Sumplete - https://sumplete.comSqueezy - https://imsqueezy.com/Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.comMathler - https://mathler.comCrosswordle - https://crosswordle.comSudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.comHitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.comWordga - https://wordga.com