In this episode, we talk with Jason Todd—aka Timberlake—the faceless creator behind the YouTube channel Smart Hobbies. Jason shares how he turned Sudoku from a personal pastime into a thriving YouTube channel with over 900K views on a single video. We dive into the strategy behind his growth, why he stays off-camera, how he connects with an older audience, and the surprising power of Sudoku games in a fast-paced creator economy.

Check out Timberlake's Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/@SmartHobbies
https://buymeacoffee.com/timberlakeb
https://www.instagram.com/timberlakesmarthobbies

Games Mentioned:
Sudoku - Timberlake's favorite game to play
Wingspan
Scrabble
Chess

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• (00:00) - Introduction and Top Videos Overview
• (00:50) - Welcome to the Hey, Good Game Podcast
• (01:42) - Meet Jason Todd, AKA Timberlake
• (02:21) - Jason's Favorite Games
• (02:52) - The Birth of Smart Hobbies
• (04:34) - The Faceless Channel Strategy
• (06:55) - Jason's Background and Career
• (09:03) - The Journey to YouTube Success
• (11:05) - Content Creation and Audience Engagement
• (24:16) - Revenue Streams and Future Plans
• (30:02) - Balancing Work and Personal Life
• (30:21) - Overcoming Regret and Embracing Routine
• (30:50) - Collaborating in the Sudoku Community
• (34:07) - Growing Your YouTube Channel
• (34:46) - Choosing the Right Platform for Courses
• (39:47) - Understanding Your Audience
• (42:23) - The Importance of Quality Content
• (46:08) - Exploring the Benefits of Sudoku
• (52:39) - Future of Sudoku and Community Building
• (55:27) - Connecting with Timberlake

Check out our brainy games:

Sumplete - https://sumplete.com
Squeezy - https://imsqueezy.com/
Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.com
Mathler - https://mathler.com
Crosswordle - https://crosswordle.com
Sudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.com
Hitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.com
Wordga - https://wordga.com

Kevin Glikmann, actor and creator of WordGlyph, joins us to share his wild creative journey—from voicing unforgettable characters in Red Dead Redemption to hand-building one of the most unusual word games on the internet.

We talk about the inventing spirit that started with childhood roller coaster blueprints, the challenge of onboarding players in a genre-breaking game, and how Kevin used AI to accelerate coding without losing control. He also shares scrappy marketing tactics, ASMR game videos, and why rejection just means you’re onto something original.

Check out Kevin's Resources:
https://wordglyph.xyz/

https://kevinglikmann.com

Game Mentions
Chess - Kevin's favorite game to play
WordGlyph

Red Dead Redemption

Scrabble

Upwords

Chopper (Apple II)

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• (01:20) - – Playing Bullet Chess and Getting Stuck
• (03:15) - – Inventing at Age 9: A Roller Coaster Pitch to Disneyland
• (05:00) - – Creative Parents and Early Exposure to Production
• (06:30) - – From Airplane Spoofs to Apple II Coding
• (08:00) - – Taking Apart the Rubik’s Cube to Make It Harder
• (09:30) - – Balancing Left-Brain Code with Right-Brain Performance
• (11:00) - – Vulnerability in Acting vs. Game Design
• (14:00) - – Why Seth Breyers Didn’t Return in Red Dead 2
• (16:30) - – Favorite Roles and Joy of Physical Acting
• (18:40) - – Why Game Creation Is So Much Harder Than Voice Acting
• (20:00) - – Kevin’s Failed Game Inventions (Scrap Ball, Word Race)
• (22:30) - – From Toy Agents to Hasbro Rejections
• (24:00) - – Where Word Glyph Began: Breaking Letters Into Segments
• (25:30) - – Toothpicks, Flash Prototypes, and the Original Word Glyph
• (27:30) - – The Wordle Wake-Up Call
• (28:45) - – Building Word Glyph with JavaScript and AI
• (31:30) - – The Frustration of Not Knowing Your Own Code
• (34:00) - – Marketing Scrappiness: Reddit, Y Combinator, TikTok
• (37:17) - – Creating Linguistic and Math Angles with AI-Generated Articles
• (40:02) - – Discovering ASMR as a Game Marketing Tactic
• (42:17) - – Why Influencers Cost $15K+ (and What to Do Instead)
• (44:02) - – The Power of DIY Press, Product Hunt, and Discord
• (48:02) - – Onboarding Through Experience, Not Instructions
• (51:02) - – Game Design Tip: Help Players Win Early
• (52:17) - – How Kevin Uses Community Boards for Learning & Retention
• (53:32) - – Why Bad Moves in Ads Might Work
• (55:02) - – What Kevin Would (and Wouldn’t) Do Differently

Check out our brainy games:

Sumplete - https://sumplete.com
Squeezy - https://imsqueezy.com/
Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.com
Mathler - https://mathler.com
Crosswordle - https://crosswordle.com
Sudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.com
Hitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.com
Wordga - https://wordga.com

Samuel Johnston, co-founder of Bleppo and co-creator of Word Salad, joins us to share how a daily word game turned into a viral hit with over 50 million views. We talk about designing for TikTok, teaching new users game mechanics, building games that are fun (not addictive), and what it’s like growing a studio by betting on the right kind of sharing.

Check out Samuel's Resources:
https://bleppo.co.uk/
https://wordsalad.online
https://numbersalad.com/
https://steks.net/

Game Mentions
Morrowind
RimWorld
Diablo II
Day of the Tentacle
Red Alert
NYT Strands
NYT Connections

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• (00:29) - Meet Samuel Johnston: Founder of Bleppo
• (01:14) - Samuel's Favorite Games
• (02:07) - Nostalgic Gaming Moments
• (04:12) - Creating Non-Addictive Games
• (07:48) - The Birth of Bleppo
• (10:12) - Developing Word Salad
• (11:52) - The Art of Cryptic Crosswords
• (14:50) - Setting Puzzles: A Creative Process
• (23:34) - Reaching the First Thousand Players
• (24:21) - Challenges in Marketing and Monetization
• (24:48) - Pivoting to a New Strategy
• (25:07) - Leveraging Social Media for Growth
• (26:58) - Collaborating with Small Content Creators
• (27:31) - Unexpected Success Stories
• (36:12) - Refining the Onboarding Process
• (45:31) - Future Plans and Reflections

Check out our brainy games:

Sumplete - https://sumplete.com
Squeezy - https://imsqueezy.com/
Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.com
Mathler - https://mathler.com
Crosswordle - https://crosswordle.com
Sudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.com
Hitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.com
Wordga - https://wordga.com