Game development process of designing the content and rules of a game
POPULARITY
Categories
270 episodes with Game design
255 episodes with Game design
166 episodes with Game design
179 episodes with Game design
104 episodes with Game design
106 episodes with Game design
149 episodes with Game design
81 episodes with Game design
107 episodes with Game design
111 episodes with Game design
45 episodes with Game design
72 episodes with Game design
53 episodes with Game design
104 episodes with Game design
120 episodes with Game design
67 episodes with Game design
98 episodes with Game design
49 episodes with Game design
35 episodes with Game design
73 episodes with Game design
30 episodes with Game design
31 episodes with Game design
41 episodes with Game design
71 episodes with Game design
38 episodes with Game design
76 episodes with Game design
23 episodes with Game design
31 episodes with Game design
41 episodes with Game design
23 episodes with Game design
28 episodes with Game design
29 episodes with Game design
30 episodes with Game design
18 episodes with Game design
16 episodes with Game design
12 episodes with Game design
15 episodes with Game design
13 episodes with Game design
10 episodes with Game design
16 episodes with Game design
10 episodes with Game design
9 episodes with Game design
34 episodes with Game design
13 episodes with Game design
20 episodes with Game design
18 episodes with Game design
18 episodes with Game design
9 episodes with Game design
12 episodes with Game design
7 episodes with Game design
14 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
6 episodes with Game design
13 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
8 episodes with Game design
17 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
8 episodes with Game design
8 episodes with Game design
7 episodes with Game design
18 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
8 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
7 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
8 episodes with Game design
6 episodes with Game design
6 episodes with Game design
15 episodes with Game design
6 episodes with Game design
9 episodes with Game design
9 episodes with Game design
14 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
2 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
11 episodes with Game design
7 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
7 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
6 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
14 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
7 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
63 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
12 episodes with Game design
2 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
2 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
6 episodes with Game design
2 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
6 episodes with Game design
7 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
7 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
5 episodes with Game design
10 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
2 episodes with Game design
7 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
7 episodes with Game design
2 episodes with Game design
4 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
2 episodes with Game design
2 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
3 episodes with Game design
2 episodes with Game design
2 episodes with Game design
45 episodes with Game design
Every year, I write a "State of Design" column where I talk about how I feel the last year of Magic design went. This year's column starts with Bloomburrow and goes through Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™. With six sets to talk about, I ended up having a pretty lengthy article, so I made a supplementary podcast where I walk through every new mechanic to give my thoughts on how they went.
This is another podcast in my ongoing quest to record a podcast about every expansion. This podcast is all about Nemesis, the second set in the Mercadian Masques block.
If you're looking for a fun and engaging way to teach your curriculum, gamification may be the answer. Merrell Stewart has been using gamification with his students for years and is sharing his advice with you. Merrell is an 11-year veteran educator of animation, computer science, and game design in Houston, Texas. He has served more than a thousand students, specializing in the fundamentals of digital animation. His students learn composition, 2D and 3D animation, programming, game design, effective project management, and business creation. Merrell has a master's in education in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in educational multimedia and online teaching and learning from the University of Houston. He also holds a bachelor's degree in arts, technology, and emerging communications from the University of Texas at Dallas. Merrell has various certifications in Adobe and Autodesk programs, and in the education and computer science fields. He has worked in the visual arts industry for over 15 years, creating medical, technical, and educational animation. In this episode, Merrell defines gamification and shares why it's important for his students. We talk all about game mechanics and how you use different game elements in your projects and coursework. Plus, he shares his favorite websites and apps that help him gamify his course without too much additional effort. Now, are you ready to play? Here are some of Merrell's favorite resources: If you're looking for simulation-based activities, Merrell recommends Gimkit and Blooket. Ready to create a leader board to keep students competitive and engaged? Check out keepthescore.com. If you want students to be able to show off their success in your classroom, why not start with digital badges? Start with badge.design. For cooperative and competitive activities, Merrell loves using Jeopardy Labs and Factile. Connect with educators like Merrell in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8958289/. Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here.
Send us a textI have a thing for Kickstarter. I find myself backing a lot of roleplaying games so it's not unusual for me to browsing the new Kickstarters looking for something that might spark my imagination.And that's when I saw it. Singularity.A brand-new massive adventure for Mongoose Traveller.Longtime listeners know our love of Traveller on this show and you might have even listened to our three part “Anatomy of a Campaign” series where we talked you through our Pirates of Drinax campaign.The idea of another massive campaign intrigued me and the more I read through the description the more I was hooked.I backed it.I then brought it to the podcast. Mike, Christina and I talked briefly about Singularity in S3E11 on You Heard it Here Last, but that didn't quite scratch the itch enough. So I reached out to Mongoose Publishing and spoke to Mathew Sprange the Managing Director who put me in touch with the author of Singularity Chris Griffen.Chris was nice enough to take the time to sit down and talk with me about this new campaign setting.
Jake Martin and Landry Smith dive into their review of Donkey Kong Bananza for the Switch 2, sharing their honest thoughts and critiques. Don't miss Skill Tree Triviai!! Timestamps:00:00 Intro00:53 COVID Experiences and Parenting Challenges03:02 Book Discussion: East of Eden05:24 Gaming Disconnection and Industry Trends12:08 Housekeeping and Podcast Overview12:47 Donkey Kong Bonanza Review14:25 Gameplay Mechanics and Design Critique24:35 Exploration and Level Design Issues36:53 Critique of Game Design and Levels37:27 Challenge Rooms and Puzzles38:32 Character and Enemy Design Flaws40:21 Music and Soundtrack Disappointments42:23 Suggestions for Improvement45:58 Boss Fights and Mechanics53:18 Comparing to Mario Odyssey58:32 Skill Tree Trivia01:06:58 Podcast Conclusion and Future Plans
In episode 121 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication, J. Evan Raitt shares how an infamously frustrating game first sparked his interest in design, which eventually led to a make-your-own-game elective in college and most recently to the creation of Shifting Stones. We talk about the theme being inspired by his fascination with traditional Mayan glyphs, how other […]
Game designer, entrepreneur, visionary: Dominic's guide to purpose-fueled growth Dominic Crapuchettes founded North Star Games in 2003 after several near death experiences as the captain of an Alaskan boat. His designs, which include Evolution, Oceans, Say Anything, and Wits & Wagers, have sold nearly 5 million copies and won countless awards. For the past five years, Dominic has been working on an enormous project: a modular game system called Nature that makes Evolution more accessible and easily expandable. We sat down to talk about his unique definition of courage and how it has helped him rebuild a beloved company. Creative leadership hits home in this conversation. The Nature Game Box Cover Connect with North Star Games NorthStarGames.com https://www.instagram.com/northstargames/ Facebook.com/northstargames Solve the Mysteries in History. Get the introduction to my brand new series, The Gemma Blackthorne Mysteries in History True Crime Podcaster series. You can read it before anyone else has the chance. You'll get the short story that introduces Gemma and Earth-shattering mystery at the center of her world and ours. Here's the cover. Connect with Izolda Website: https://IzoldaT.com BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/izoldat.bsky.social. Book Your Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/izoldat/discovery-call New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/90481/izolda-trakhtenberg Submit a Play to the Your Creative Table Read Podcast Series Flip Your Inner Script to Stop Negative Thoughts From Ruining Your Day. This episode is brought to you by Brain.fm. I love and use brain.fm! It combines music and neuroscience to help me focus, meditate, and even sleep! Because you listen to this show, you can get a free trial and 20% off with this exclusive coupon code: innovativemindset. (affiliate link) URL: https://brain.fm/innovativemindset It's also brought to you by my podcast host, Podbean! I love how simple Podbean is to use. If you've been thinking of starting your own podcast, Podbean is the way to go!** Are you enjoying the show? I'd love it if you would buy me a coffee. Listen on These Channels Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Podbean | MyTuner | iHeart Radio | TuneIn | Deezer | Overcast | PodChaser | Listen Notes | Player FM | Podcast Addict | Podcast Republic |
On this episode of On Board Games, Erik talks with Bruce about games (and other things) they've played including: Brass Lancashire Moonga Invaders Big Time Boxing Superskill Pinball A little about Jackbox You can get a discount on Zencastr.com using this link. (23:56) Then, they talk about the end part of various games and the impact it has on game play and the players. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Inverse Genius: http://www.inversegenius.com/ Patreon account: http://www.patreon.com/obg Twitter: @onboardgames RSS Feed: http://onboardgames.libsyn.com/rss Email us: onboardgamesmailbag@gmail.com On Board Games Guild at Board Game Geek
This is another podcast in my ongoing quest to record a podcast about every expansion. This podcast is all about Mercadian Masques.
Magic is made not by a single designer but by a large group of people. In this podcast, I talk about how that affects game design.
Interview with Vlad Prelovac, CEO of Kagi OpenAI Just Released Its First Open-Weight Models Since GPT-2 Genie 3: A New Frontier for World Models Kitten TTS: The 25MB AI Voice Model That's About to Change EVERYTHING (Runs on a Potato!
Interview with Vlad Prelovac, CEO of Kagi OpenAI Just Released Its First Open-Weight Models Since GPT-2 Genie 3: A New Frontier for World Models Kitten TTS: The 25MB AI Voice Model That's About to Change EVERYTHING (Runs on a Potato!
Interview with Vlad Prelovac, CEO of Kagi OpenAI Just Released Its First Open-Weight Models Since GPT-2 Genie 3: A New Frontier for World Models Kitten TTS: The 25MB AI Voice Model That's About to Change EVERYTHING (Runs on a Potato!
Interview with Vlad Prelovac, CEO of Kagi OpenAI Just Released Its First Open-Weight Models Since GPT-2 Genie 3: A New Frontier for World Models Kitten TTS: The 25MB AI Voice Model That's About to Change EVERYTHING (Runs on a Potato!
As is tradition, a couple of episodes after a hundredth we invite one or more of our pals the Korths into the clubhouse. This time we were lucky enough to have all of the family Korths (coming soon), and a bonus interview with Andy Korth! We talk with him about his recent work updating Verdant Skies.Revisiting Your GamesGame DesignProductionUI / UXVerdant Skies - Howling Moon SoftwarePreviously we had Beth Korth on to talk about Narrative Design, in general and related to Verdant Skies.Narrative Design We had the whole Korth family on in this episode.Families in GamesAndy and Beth were both on in a deep dive into the code of Verdant Skies in this video episode.Code Comment: "Verdant Skies"And here's the episode that started the tradition!Steam GreenlightGamers using game controllers for PC gaming has tripled since 2018 — Steam surv… - Christopher Harper, Tom's Hardware
Interview with Vlad Prelovac, CEO of Kagi OpenAI Just Released Its First Open-Weight Models Since GPT-2 Genie 3: A New Frontier for World Models Kitten TTS: The 25MB AI Voice Model That's About to Change EVERYTHING (Runs on a Potato!
In today's episode we talk about How To Write A Character Arc. What makes a good character arc? How do you make them meaningful? How do you mix them into the other players at the table to keep everyone engaged? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
Interview with Vlad Prelovac, CEO of Kagi OpenAI Just Released Its First Open-Weight Models Since GPT-2 Genie 3: A New Frontier for World Models Kitten TTS: The 25MB AI Voice Model That's About to Change EVERYTHING (Runs on a Potato!
We dissect Miniclip's War Drone 3D, a surprise hit blending realistic drone fantasy, hypercasual onboarding, and ruthless gacha with relentless ad monetization. With over 50 percent organic downloads, scaling past 300,000 installs per day at peak, and daily revenues topping $65,000, War Drone 3D proves you can go viral with core gameplay, slick visuals, and a smart (but sometimes broken) upgrade loop. What's inside:Viral Organics: Over half of all downloads are organic, driven by gameplay that looks and feels like real drone footage. Younger demographics are hooked on the “news media” aesthetic and immersive perspective.Tower Defense, Shooter, Hypercasual: Fast onboarding, no menu bloat, and you're shooting in seconds. The core loop is classic tower defense, layered with shooter upgrades and skill cards—instantly accessible, but with depth for longer-term play.Rewarded Ads and Gacha MonetizationProgression and Pain PointsCreative UA and Organic Blend: Ads leverage real drone footage aesthetics, survival hooks, and “breaking news” memes. Vertical and story formats are underused—big opportunity for TikTok and Instagram growth.Key Takeaway:War Drone 3D proves you can scale to millions without heavy UA if you nail fantasy, onboarding, and reward loops. Add better gacha balancing, creative iteration, and the sky's the limit.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej LancaricPodcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction and Technical Issues02:04 Overview of War Drone 3D04:00 Gameplay Mechanics and Balancing07:03 Game Design and User Experience12:02 Monetization Strategies and Ads19:09 User Engagement and Replayability22:58 Market Performance and Future Prospects25:21 Ad Revenue Insights and Gameplay Mechanics28:03 Game Design and User Experience30:59 Improving Game Mechanics and Progression Systems35:00 Marketing Strategies and Audience Engagement39:57 Creative Approaches in Game Advertising---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultanthttps://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultanthttps://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultanthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me
Send us a textLet's start with something different.https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/en/follow-hbp/news/2023/09/04/learning-brain-make-ai-more-energy-efficient/This article from the Human Brain Project outlines the power requirements for the human brain and the results are staggering. The human brain uses only 20 watts of power to work. That's the equivalent of a computer monitor…on sleep mode.In contrast an AI requires 2.7 billion watts just to simulate even basic cognitive functions.This is the kind of article that just blows my mind and gets the creative juices flowing. So many sci-fi ideas, and it kinda flips The Matrix on its head.Christina, thoughts?[Kick to Christina]Game ideas?EN World has an article about the May 2025 Kickstarter for Deathstalker the TTRPG. You all remember 1983's Deathstalker right.Deathstalker…Conan with more boobsIt was a Roger Corman rip of Conan and it has a bit of a cult following. Now I was never a big fan of Deathstalker. I felt it was one of Corman's less interesting and very un-original films. But somebody at EN World loves Deathstalker because the wrote not 1, but 2 articles about the movies (yes, they made a sequel) and the game.https://www.enworld.org/threads/where%E2%80%99s-the-deathstalker-rpg-part-1.713549/https://www.enworld.org/threads/where%E2%80%99s-the-deathstalker-rpg-part-2.713550/Does everything deserve a TTRPG? I mean just looking at Corman's filmography and we can find several ideas that would likely make cool and interesting games. Death Race 2000, Deathsport, Rock and Roll High School, and even Frankenstein Unbound are all ripe for a little TTRPG fun.But Deathstalker?Christina, I know you love the B-Movie as much as I do, what's your thoughts on this one?[Kick to Christina]And there you have it, all the news, you've already heard.
In this solo episode, Felix Braberg cuts through the hype and breaks down what's actually happening in mobile ad monetization networks in 2025. The real mediation market is cornered by AppLovin MAX, Unity LevelPlay, and Google AdMob—with upstarts like Amazon Publisher Services and Moloco making surprise moves. But even the biggest ad-revenue studios (Rollic, Habi) are running from ads to IAP-first strategies. ECPMs are down 20 percent from pandemic peaks, networks are harder to work with, and the “walled garden” is stronger than ever.What's inside:Mediation Monopoly: AppLovin MAX now dominates mediation market share, with exclusive features like AdROAS and BlendedROAS campaigns locking in publishers. Unity and Google still matter, but the stack is closed and hostile to new entrants.Amazon's Banner Play: Amazon Publisher Services quietly became the top banner revenue source in the US and Europe, beating Google—but getting on the platform is a lottery. Last month, Amazon kicked 100 publishers off with no warning. TAM (Transparent Ad Marketplace) deals are lucrative, but rare.Moloco's Rise: Moloco, a DSP, is exploding with rumored $2.2B in 2025 spend, going direct to top publishers with its SDK. Publishers see 8–15 percent ARPDAU boosts on video and 20 percent or more on banners after adding Moloco. The secret? Once DSPs get big enough, they need direct supply, not just reselling.Ad Monetization Shift: The biggest ad studios are pivoting hard—Habby's Whittle Defender and Rollic's latest puzzle hits (Whole People, KnitOut) now get as little as 11–20 percent of revenue from ads, compared to 50–50 splits just two years ago. IAPs are the future, and “remove ads forever” packages are everywhere.Why ECPMs Are Down: ECPMs are 20 percent below 2021. Reasons include: post-pandemic demand crash, privacy updates (especially iOS), the loss of waterfall calls in mediation (bidding is the default), and “walled garden” platform control. It's harder than ever to keep prices up or diversify your stack.Key Takeaway:If you're not building your stack around AppLovin, Amazon, and Moloco, you're missing where the real money flows. But even the best ad ops can't beat macro headwinds—hybrid monetization is dying, and you need more IAP or you'll be left behind.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej LancaricJoin our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Ad Monetization Trends02:31 Shift from Ad Revenue to IAPs05:07 ECPM Trends and Market Dynamics07:22 Mediation Platforms Overview09:42 Amazon Publisher Services: A New Player13:30 Moloco: The Rising DSP Star---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultanthttps://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultanthttps://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultanthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me
Fancy setting us a gaming challenge? Get in touch here!Scott's back and this week it's time for Open World, Permadeath, City Building Shenanigans. I bet you can't wait for it! Thanks for listening and please leave us a review and subscribe if you enjoyed it. It really helps us out. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gaming-blender/id1597738101Also please get in touch with us at @gamingblendpod or thegamingblenderpod@gmail.com with your ideas for new games and challenges.Keep blending!
In this episode, we break down Tile Survive! FunPlus's biggest 4X pivot yet and their boldest copy of Century Games' “Dark War” playbook. From idle meta and scripted roads to resource overload creatives and meme awards, Tile Survive is showing that copying the leaders is now the fastest path to $50,000 a day. Find out what's new, what's missing, and why FunPlus may finally scale back into the 4X top tier.You'll learn:The real gameplay and meta changes—what's new, what's just Dark War with cartoon paintThe evolution of 4X ad creatives—Golden Goblins, AI memes, Minecraft hooks, and fake UGCWhy simplifying onboarding, events, and gacha is now the winning moveKey Takeaway:Tile Survive is proof that the new 4X playbook is copy, simplify, and scale—then innovate only once you're printing money. FunPlus finally stopped reinventing, and the numbers are speaking for themselves.How to master the template and what FunPlus might do nextGet our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej LancaricPodcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Revisiting Forex: A Nostalgic Dive04:05 Game Review: Tile Survive Unpacked06:53 Game Mechanics: Simplification and Comparison10:03 Market Trends: Analyzing Downloads and Revenue13:06 Creative Strategies: Marketing and User Engagement16:05 Future Predictions: The Path Ahead for Games25:00 Emerging Trends in Game Development27:05 Creative Strategies and Marketing Insights30:25 Game Mechanics and User Engagement34:00 Benchmarking and Performance Metrics37:55 Final Thoughts and Future Directions---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultanthttps://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultanthttps://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultanthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me---------------------------------------If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit lancaric.substack.com & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask Matej AI - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai
In this podcast, I talk all about my trip to this year's San Diego Comic-Con.
The very nature of a trading card game is that it's always evolving. In today's podcast, I talk about what that means for Magic design.
This episode, Two and a Half Gamers sit down with analytics legend Russell Ovans—the mind behind Professor ARPDAU and the author of game analytics' “bible.” Learn the brutal truth about retention, ARPDAU, LTV, and the “golden cohort” trap. If you want to scale your game profitably in 2025, you need these formulas, tools, and lessons - no hype, no BS, just results.You'll learn:Why retention is the only metric that matters (until ARPDAU takes over)How to model and predict your LTV, player days, and payback window using real retention curvesThe difference between analytics and data science, and why cohorts are your best friendHow to avoid burning your UA budget chasing “golden cohorts” or missing your D7 ROAS targetFree tools at arpdow.com to plug in your data and get real answersKey Takeaway:Retention plus ARPDAU equals real growth. Track cohorts, model your curve, and never fall for the golden cohort trap or ad network happy talk. If you want more, arpdow.com has the tools.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej LancaricSpecial Guest: Russel Ovanshttps://arpdau.com/https://arpdau.com/ltvJoin our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Analytics in Gaming05:38 Russell Owens' Journey in Game Analytics08:29 Understanding Analytics vs. Data Science11:37 The Importance of Cohorts in Game Analytics14:43 Retention Metrics and Their Significance18:44 Key Performance Indicators for Game Success21:39 The Relationship Between LTV and CPI24:37 Predicting Retention and Its Impact on Game Design30:41 Understanding Retention Metrics33:42 The Importance of Retention in Monetization36:31 Expected Player Days and LTV Calculation43:43 Tools for Predicting LTV and ROAS50:41 Final Thoughts and Homework for Game Developers---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultanthttps://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultanthttps://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultanthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me
In an impromptu recording, we decided to take turns setting a 6-minute timer and sharing whatever topics came to mind. The result was a series of compressed design conversations and a snapshot of our current ambitions and troubles. 1 - Sandbox exploration (chicken) 2 - Questlandia audio drama (cow) 3 - Traits & Conditions accounting (duck) 4 - Making the bed (whale) 5 - Null result (seagull) 6 - Mud gallery (horse) Links: Join the Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz Support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun Buy our games: https://turtlebun.com/ Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ This episode edited by Hannah Shaffer. Episode editing usually by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Instagram: instagram.com/turtleandbun Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com
Send us a textSisterhood: Nuns with Guns.What a great title for a game. You've already heard Mike, Christina and I talk about this game when we saw it drop on Backerkit. We didn't have a ton of information on the game, but the imagery and the concept were so evocative that both Christina and I backed it on the spot.Fast forward to our 100th episode where we talked about wanting to do more interviews and the first interview I knew I wanted to do was with Parable Games. I wanted to know all about Sisterhood. I wanted to know all about the concepts, tones, themes, and mechanics.So I reached out to Parable Games and Adam Holloway agreed to spend a few minutes and chat with me about Sisterhood, Shiver, and there new upcoming expansion for Shiver that should be crowdfunding on Backerkit as you listen to this episode.Also make sure you stick around for the end. Adam drops a discount code for Parable Games you won't want to miss.Here's that discount code for your listeners: Just go to parable games, enter the code and get 20% off Shiver... SPOOKYEPIC1
Jakub Remiar takes you on a no-bullshit, data-driven tour through the real top 25 grossing mobile games in the West (Jan–July 2025). The episode breaks down portfolio dynamics, market shifts, revenue spikes, and the high-stakes race for dominance between 4X, casino, merge, puzzle, and gacha giants. This is not just another leaderboard—this is the context and commentary you need to understand who's winning, who's stalling, and what's really changing the game.What's inside:Who's #1? Last War Survival takes the crown at $823 million, but with all Rivergame's 4X titles, the real number is much higher—and growing. Whiteout Survival, King Shot, and the rest of the portfolio keep pushing the category forward.Royal Match & Royal Kingdom: Dream Games keeps the match-3 crown, with Royal Kingdom's celebrity campaign finally moving the revenue needle. Royal Match and Royal Kingdom together are pulling in around $5 million a day.Monopoly Go's Web Shop Power: Monopoly Go remains a revenue beast at $130 million/month, with a hidden 15–20 percent more from web shop sales. Coin Master is unfazed, rolling steady at $2.5 million a day, and now launching its own board adventure to fight back.Chinese Giants, Untouchable at Home: Honor of Kings is a $10 billion-plus machine, with 99 percent of revenue from China and a massive rebranding push in 2025. PUBG (China and global) still brings $120–180 million a day. Dungeon & Fighter's mobile launch is a new top-10 contender.Category Movers: Gossip Harbor (+76 percent in six months) and Tasty Travels are scaling the merge genre to new highs, while Township's relentless content drops make it the most stable revenue engine in the Playrix portfolio. Gardenscapes and Homescapes are steady, but Township is the new king.Gacha Spikes & Declines: Pokémon TCG Pocket, Honkai Star Rail, and the MiHoYo/HoYoverse catalog are defined by spikes and dips—each banner, new set, or collaboration moves millions, but overall trends are down.Supercell's Double Life: Brawl Stars is declining after a wild 2024, but Clash Royale's merge tactics update drove a surprise revenue spike. Clash of Clans and other classics are still stable, with web shop dollars boosting the baseline.Key Takeaway:The market is bigger, richer, and more dynamic than ever—but the winners are the ones playing the portfolio game, pushing multi-game launches, and finding new ways to own the top 25. If you want to break in, you better bring more than one hit.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Overview of Mobile Game Revenue Trends05:02 Top Grossing Games Analysis08:24 Game Dynamics and Market Competition11:10 Impact of Updates and Marketing Strategies14:02 Emerging Games and Future Predictions17:22 Regional Performance and User Engagement20:13 Concluding Thoughts and Future Insights---------------------------------------Jakub RemiarGame design consultanthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiarPlease share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me
In episode 120 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Pete Petrusha of Imagining Games about adapting the Eisner award-winning Image comic series, CHEW, into a Forged in the Dark foodie crime drama TTRPG! They discuss several delicious topics including the concept of meeting needs and answering questions with your game designs (what's something I […]
Design and implementation steps for creating a pellet eating maze game in MonoGame with C#. Source code – https://github.com/levidsmith/KnoxGameDesign/tree/master/pellet_eating Links and Notes MonoGame – https://monogame.net/ Visual Studio – https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/ Ghost behaviors – https://pacman.fandom.com/wiki/Maze_Ghost_AI_Behaviors Podcast theme music – Ride by Pocketmaster
Welcome to Season 11! We are starting off with a delightful visit from Matteo Menapace, co-designer of Daybreak (Instagram: @ma.tteo.me). We talk about cooperative games, teaching game design, Matteo's future projects, and of course his experiences at the Spiel des Jahres last year. Witch Hunt/Making History Backerkit: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/central-michigan-university-press/witch-hunt-1649-making-history-a-game-double-featureBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/Sign up for an online game design class here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulations/certificate-in-applied-game-designAll episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/Beyond Solitaire Merch: https://sirmeeple.com/collections/beyond-solitaireEnjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt Dungeons And Dine. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
Today, we break down Granny: the solo-developed mobile horror hit that racked up a billion downloads and $50,000 daily ad revenue with no UA, no team, and nothing but YouTube virality.You'll learn:The secrets behind Granny's viral growth and billion-plus downloadsWhy four simple interstitials are better than banners, IAP, or rewarded videoHow meme culture, Let's Plays, and YouTube Shorts keep the DAU highHow a lack of mediation and adops left $50 million on the tableWhat makes Granny so replayable—and why nobody's cloned the formulaThe untapped goldmine of horror games on mobileKey Takeaway:You do not need a team, UA, or even high production values to win. Build for memes, embrace virality, and never underestimate the power of a good scare on mobile.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop--------------------------------------PVX Partners offers non-dilutive funding for game developers.Go to: https://pvxpartners.com/They can help you access the most effective form of growth capital once you have the metrics to back it.- Scale fast- Keep your shares- Drawdown only as needed- Have PvX take downside risk alongside you+ Work with a team entirely made up of ex-gaming operators and investors---------------------------------------Vibe. Vibe is the leading Streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses looking for actionable advertising campaign performance.https://www.vibe.co/---------------------------------------For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.Our sponsor FastSpring:Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 yearsThey power top mobile publishers around the worldLaunch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let's not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Granny: The Horror Game04:26 Game Mechanics and Design Exploration07:27 Gameplay Experience and Strategies10:26 Monetization and Revenue Insights13:26 Multiple Endings and Replayability16:23 Personal Reflections on Horror Games19:22 The Evolution of Granny: From One to Two21:50 Connecting the Dots: Granny and Slendrina Lore23:57 The Passion Behind Game Development26:42 Analyzing Download Trends and User Engagement31:08 Revenue Insights: The Financials of Granny Games35:17 Optimizing Ad Placements for Better User Experience36:18 Game Design and Monetization Strategies37:29 Understanding Ad Mediation and Revenue Loss39:52 Calculating Potential Revenue Losses42:00 Leveraging YouTube for Marketing44:09 The Impact of Horror Games on YouTube46:05 Challenges in the Horror Game Genre50:01 Future of Horror Games and Closing ThoughtsMatej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultanthttps://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultanthttps://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultanthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiarPlease share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me
Fumito Ueda, the creator of Shadow of the Colossus, has called it folks. The age of game mechanics is over! Pack it up folks, we're all out of ideas. This week on the podcast, we chat about philosophy, the creation of art, and some video game movie news that has us both excited and miserable! Show notes: - "‘The age of game mechanics is over', claims Shadow of the Colossus director Ueda from" VideoGamesChronicle - Music from Brad Sucks
In this podcast, I sit down with Andrew Brown, the set lead designer of Edge of Eternities, to talk about the making of the set.
In this podcast, I see if I can talk for 30 minutes about the Magic card back. (Hint: I did it.)
Episode 175 – Game Design vs Level Design, by Dwiz Reading performed by Nick LS Whelan. The original post can be found on Dwiz' blog, A Knight at the Opera. Help offset our hosting costs with a donation on Ko-Fi! The music is a selection from “Journey of Solitude,” composed and performed by Russel Cox, … Continue reading "Episode 175 – Game Design vs Level Design, by Dwiz"
In this episode, we're diving into the world of game design with Kate Edwards, a trailblazer who's been shaping the industry for over 30 years! As the CEO of Geogrify and a visionary behind game culturalization, Kate's work has helped developers create immersive experiences that connect across cultures. From her role in the IGDA to being inducted into the Women in Games Hall of Fame, Kate's expertise and energy make this conversation one you won't want to miss!Learn more about KateLearn more about usJoin the next episode of the Indie Game Lunch Hour LIVE every Wednesday at 12pm EST on our Discord channel to answer your own burning questions and be immortalized in the recordings.
Send us a textYou know that news crawler that pops up in the right-hand corner of your computer screen for those of us two dumb to turn it off. Well, an article popped up that got my interest.The 15 Best TTRPGs For One-Shot SessionsMSN pulled an article from CBR that listed the 15 Best TTRPGS for One-Shot Sessions. It lists games like Crash Pandas, Alien, Mork Borg, Blades in the Dark and Dread. It also has D&D listed along with Call of Cthulhu. It's just interesting to see an article about TTRPGs dropped in a main news media feed and then to see so many independent games getting equal time as D&D is fantastic.Christina? Does this mean anything for the independent TTRPGs or am I just reading too much into it?[Kick to Christina]In other behind the scenes news Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford who until recently were the Creative Director and Game Director respectively at Wizards of the Coast have taken positions with Darrington Press. It looks like both Perkins and Crawford both left Wizards with the intent to retire, but were lured back into the business by Darrington Press.https://www.enworld.org/threads/chris-perkins-and-jeremy-crawford-join-darrington-press.713839/What does this mean for Daggerheart…and why the hell would anyone come out of retirement. I can only think of three things that could get me out of retirement, A lot of Money, a lot of power, or a lot of promises. Preferably it would be a combination of all three. And speaking of Daggerheart the reviews are, well, not encouraging. Seems to be too finicky, lots of math for no reason, and very slow combat. I haven't played it yet, so don't shoot the messenger.Christina, thoughts on Daggerheart?[Kick to Christina]What do you think it means that Perkins and Crawford joined Darrington Press? And that's it, all the news, you've already heard.
In today's episode we talk about Daggerheart campaign frames. What are campaign frames? How can they be used to improve game planning? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In this podcast, I sit down with Ethan Fleischer, the vision design lead for Edge of Eternities, to talk about the making of the set.
In this podcast, I talk about an R&D expression, "The juice isn't worth the squeeze."
In episode 119 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Ann Journey about what inspired her to create a game about going back in time to see the dinosaurs, rather than bringing them here to the modern day and age. (Because that never goes well!) They talk about revisiting and combining concepts […]
On this episode of On Board Games, Erik and Bruce talk about games (and other things) they've played including: Hot Streak Arydia Western Legends Codenames Duet Forgotten Ruin You can get a discount on Zencastr.com using this link. (29:48) Then, they what makes a game timeless? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Inverse Genius: http://www.inversegenius.com/ Patreon account: http://www.patreon.com/obg Twitter: @onboardgames RSS Feed: http://onboardgames.libsyn.com/rss Email us: onboardgamesmailbag@gmail.com On Board Games Guild at Board Game Geek
This podcast explores how each of the colors interacts with enchantments.
In this podcast, I walk through the history of how we've used colorless in design.
This podcast explores how each of the colors interacts with creatures.
In this podcast, I talk about how it's not enough for a mechanic to be good in a vacuum.
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
