Game development process of designing the content and rules of a game
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This podcast talks about a tool we use to playtest new mechanics.
We design a lot of mechanics. Most don't make it to print. Why? That's my topic for this podcast.
Send us a textWelcome to you heard it here last where we talk about news, you've already heard.Well it's finally happened. I don't want to talk about it. I said you can't make me talk about it. But I guess when I started down this podcast road it kinda became my job to talk about it. So here we go.Tariffs.https://www.enworld.org/threads/do-tariffs-apply-to-rpg-books-maybe-maybe-not.712908/EN World posted an article titled Do Tariffs apply to RPG Books? Maybe, Maybe Not.The article discusses an official exemption list which declares that "printed books, brochures, leaflets and similar printed matter in single sheets, whether or not folded" and "printed books, brochures, leaflets and similar printed matter, other than in single sheets" are exempt from Tariffs.This of course made people excited.But then the other shoe dropped.US Customs and Border Protection, in November 1989 said“In our opinion, heading 9504 provides the more specific description of the merchandise in issue. The modules enhance fantasy game play; they were not designed for passive reading.”There are additions to this statement that basically define that rulebooks used for TTRPGs are not books, but games and therefore subject to Tariffs.The rulings are 35 years old and have everyone confused. Many companies are looking for clarification and hoping that their may be more rulings on what is subject to Tariffs, specifically the 145% Tariffs regarding China.To make this even more confusing I give you the landmark decision on June 28, 2024, In which the Supreme Court overruled the 40-year-old precedent of Chevron deference, which required courts to defer to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes.In laymans terms the Supreme Court said that only the Legislative Branch of the Federal Government can make Federal Law. And only the President can issue and executive order. Laws cannot be made by agencies within the federal government.In other words, the ultimate decision regarding TTRPG tariffs doesn't lie with the US Customs, but with the President and the United States Congress.The article ends with an excellent statement and what I believe is the key to all of this. “Whatever the tariffs, what is necessary for trade is stability.”It's kinda hard to plan for the future when the future changes everyday.And now for something completely different (I hope I don't get sued for that)https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2025/05/rpg-travellers-new-campaign-the-singularity-evokes-sci-fi-grandeur-on-kickstarter-now.htmlhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jtas3/traveller-rpg-the-singularity-campaign?ref=discovery&term=Traveller&total_hits=85815&category_id=34Traveller, the Sci-Fi roleplaying game currently published by Mongoose Publishing has just launched a Kickstarter for their new massive campaign “singularity”. It's been a minute since we have had one of these huge, multibook campaigns for Traveller and this one looks to be pretty cool. The RPG will take you to the Throneworld of the 3rd Emperium, let you peruse the archives of Reference, chart the Sylean Main. And, put charted space in your wake.I only hope it's organized better then Pirates of Drinax.
In this episode, I walk through many of the design issues that occur during vision design.
Someone on my blog asked me if I ever designed any Magic formats. It turns out that I have, so I spent a podcast episode talking about them.
The clubhouse welcomes Ashley Phipps, producer for the game Clock Out at 2, to discuss the topic of mental health and discrimination.Mental Health and DiscriminationGame DesignGamingNarrativeClock Out at 2 Demo - Borderless Studios, SteamWhat to know about microaggressions - Anna Smith Haghighi, Medical News TodayQueerty Gamers - Queerty GamersSpooktober 2023 Clock Out at 2 Build - itch.ioDepression Quest - Zoe QuinnAdventures with Anxiety - Nicky CaseFight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn: How We Respond to Threats - "Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc", Simply PsychologyGood Reps for Mental Health depictionFinal Fantasy XIV - SquareEnixThe Cosmic Wheel SisterhoodTales of Arise - SteamAshley PhippsGuestProducer and Community Manager with 10+ years of experience in project management and leadership. Producer for the game Clock Out at 2.External linkWebsiteInstagramClock Out at 2
Send us a textI think it was the James Bond Roleplaying game, or maybe it was Twilight 2000. My memory is a little fuzzy on this one, but there was a point in my roleplaying past where I started running adventures set in the modern era,And I loved it.Traditionally table top roleplaying games have focused on the Fantasy. Tolkien's world or some variation of it has the been the centerpiece for TTRPGs from the beginning and many of you have never ventured outside of that setting. Other games over time have added settings some historical like Call of Cthulhu, some futuristic like Traveller, but many have just avoided the modern era.While there are a lot of games out there that do have a modern setting most of you don't play them. Games like Delta Green, Twilight 2000, Feng Shei, World of Darkness, Everyday Heroes, GURPS, Kids on Bikes, Double Zero, Masks and Kult are all built on modern settings and I would argue that instead of being afraid of running games in a modern setting you should embrace it. I find it much easier to run games in modern settings and with just a few tweaks here and there you can have some amazing adventures.On this episode Christina and I are going to talk about running games in Modern settings and give you some tips and tricks that can help you keep your games running smoothly.Christina was Masks the first game you ever ran in a modern setting?
Inspired by this year's "Nuts & Bolts" column, I walk through how mechanics are created.
In this podcast, I talk about times we decided to reuse mechanics and times we chose to tweak mechanics into something new.
In which John, Ben, and Jess roll up characters for three different OSR systems: Dungeon Crawl Classics, Dolmenwood, and Shadowdark, bringing Sindar, Hrannick, and Korv to life. As they fill the sheets out, they explore how every detail sparks anticipation for play, and how what's left off of a character sheet can reveal clever, intentional design.Dungeon Crawl ClassicsDolmenwoodShadowDarkCheck out John's new podcast: Zombie StrainsContact Us!splatbookpod@gmail.comThe Splatphone!Roll For Topic
In this episode Zackavelli talks about the 3C's Game Design Framework Skip to Body of Episode: 6:15 Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/GDFG Join the discord and talk with the community about making video games! Link: discord.gg/2C8eTsU Follow Zackavelli on Twitter @_Zackavelli_ Twitch: www.twitch.tv/zackavelli_ Intro music by: Avaren Outro remix by: Mugamoomoo
In today's episode we talk about creating boundaries in story creation. How do you put boundaries in story creation? Why should you put boundaries up? What happens without boundaries in story creation? 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.
Send us a textWelcome to you heard it here last where we talk about news, you've already heard.We are starting with a special request from Christinahttps://www.mythicalmeats.com/snacks/dungeons-dragons-variety-pack/She sent me this link along with the following sentence; “I will say I just got a targeted ad for official D&D branded 'adventure snacks' and was overcome by the need to rant at Hasbro.”The Advertisement in question is for Mythical Meats (A bold name) and their “about page” says it all; “Fueled by a passion for jerky and a love for legendary creatures, we at Mythical Meats weren't content with the ordinary. We embarked on a quest, channeling our creative energy to transform exotic meats into the most beloved mythical beasts! From the fearsome Dragon and Yeti to the majestic Pegasus and Mermaid, our creatures cover land, sea, and sky. Each bite of our snack sticks is a delicious adventure, bursting with flavors inspired by our favorite fantastical beings.”For the D&D Branding each class has its own special jerky snack.Christina the floor is yours,[Kick to Christina]Continuing with our hatred of Hasbro we have another story about D&D.https://www.enworld.org/threads/wizards-of-the-coast-says-that-china-tariffs-will-have-minimal-impact-on-d-d.713072/Wizards of the Coast has announced that the ongoing trade issues with China will have minimal impact on Dungeons and Dragons.Now we have avoided discussing the Tariff's and Trade Issues on this show for a couple of reasons. One, avoid politics, it's a show killer and two, it's just too early to know exactly what kind of impacts the tariffs and trade issues will have in the long term.We have seen some smaller companies close recently and I know that many have struggled to figure out future printing options to avoid raising costs. But the Wizards of the Coast announcement just feels smarmy.Of course, the tariffs won't affect them. We have already shown that the vast amount of product they are selling is digital and not print. Tariffs have nothing to do with digital products. When everything you make is sold through D&D Beyond and your future is based on micro-transactions you have nothing to worry about. You could argue that the announcement was meant to ease uncertainty being felt by customers, but to me it feels like their marketing people wanted to make sure they took advantage of real-world issues affecting many in the gaming space.Christina, what do you think?[Kick to Christina]And there you have it, All the news, you've already heard.
In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks podcast, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Cory Stadther, Director of Downloadable Content at LifeBoat, and Dominik Blanchet, Assistant Director of Downloadable Content at LifeBoat. During the discussion the group discusses Minecraft in Education, the AUHSD Reinventing Communities project, creating a Game Design pathway, parent concerns with gaming, the benefits of gaming, and the upcoming AUHSD Reinventing Communities Minecraft Build Challenge.
This podcast is part three of three on my series about the 20 worst mechanics of all time, based on my talk at last year's MagicCon: Las Vegas.
In this episode, I walk through the history of Magic and talk about how communicating with players has changed over the years.
Leaks DIRECTLY from Game Design about the future of Wrath of Khan and the augment expansion! Plus tips and tricks on how to navigate this first month of grind.
In today's episode we talk about consuming new media for game ideas. What are various types of media we can pull from? What are some examples of things we've watched? What can we learn from these different types of media? 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.
New episodes posts every Wednesday at 12PM CST/10AM PST! This show is possible thanks to the support of our Patrons. Consider becoming one today at https://www.patreon.com/nartech JOIN OUR DISCORD! Get in on the action and discuss all things PlayStation and gaming with fellow fans. It's the perfect place to talk games, music, movies, and of course the podcast! https://discord.gg/cEvKzqm Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/nartechgaming Email/Tweet us your thoughts & suggestions: X (formerly Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/TriangleSqrd Email: trianglesquaredpodcast@gmail.com PSN ID's: Add us! Brett - Chaimera086, Sol - MeteoricDemise, Chris - Figz21k ------------------------------------- 0:00 - What We've Been Playing 3:15 - Reconsidering Bethesda's Game Design 39:43 - Claire Obscur Expedition 33 Impressions 1:15:21 - Enjoying Forza on PS5 1:12:24 - Brett Finishes Indiana Jones 1:21:08 - Marathon Alpha Impressions 1:37:14 - Gears of War: Reloaded Coming to PS5 1:39:01 - Which Xbox Games Need Remastered? 2:12:04 - Sackboy Steps Down as PlayStation Mascot 2:16:16 - Grand Theft Auto 6 Discussion 2:40:47 - PlayStation Plus Games for May 2:43:32 - Borderlands 4 Date Moves Up 2:46:15 - Xbox Price Increase 2:58:16 - Is Gaming Getting Too Expensive? -------------------------------------
The days of linear career paths are over. People are switching jobs more often, making their career journeys more complex than ever. In fact, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that people only stay in their jobs for an average of four years. That much change and complexity can be intimidating for students and professionals to navigate. How, as an educator, do you get your students ready to enter their own careers, when it may feel like a quest without a map? Enter: Jessica Lindl. Jessica Lindl is the author of The Career Game Loop: Learn to Earn in the New Economy and VP of Ecosystem Growth at Unity Technologies. She has over 20 years of experience running various education and impact business ventures and P&Ls. Over her career, she has focused on empowering millio ns of learners building careers and businesses with technology. In her work at Unity Technologies, Common Sense Media, GlassLab and LRNG (now part of Southern New Hampshire University), Scientific Learning, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, she has worked to improve learning outcomes and earning potential for all learners worldwide by blending effectiveness with ground-breaking engagement. In this episode, we chat with Jessica about her new book, The Career Game Loop. We discuss helping students upskill and achieve their career goals using gaming principles. Covering everything from quests, levels, and community, Jessica shares how you can prepare your learners for the careers of their dreams. Want to learn more about Jessica's book? Get all the details here. Check out resources from Jessica's team at Unity here. Connect with fellow educators in our CERTIFIED Educator Community here. Don't miss your chance to register for our annual CERTIFIED Educator's Conference here.
Send us a textIn 2003 Shane Hensley and Pinnacle Entertainment released a brand-new generic roleplaying game. The game was called Savage Worlds and it kinda made a splash.The game emphasized speed of play over detail. That may not seem like much today, but at the time it was revolutionary. You see Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 was also released in 2003, which would go on to birth Pathfinder. Steve Jackson Games had 5 years' worth of source books available for their Generic Universal Roleplaying System. The market at that time was filled with games like Hero, Shadowrun, and Rolemaster,In other words, in 2003 we were at the height of crunch in our roleplaying games.And when I say crunch I am not talking about the candy bar.I'm talking about games with rules, hundreds of pages of rules. I'm talking about math, lots and lots of math. I'm talking about tables to cross-reference everything your characters might do. You see at the turn of the century most TTRPG's were focused on simulations. Trying to make the games as real as possible and to do that, you gotta lean hard into the rules.Shane Hensely changed that with Savage Worlds. By focusing on streamlining the systems and making sure your games were moving fast and your players where having fun he opened the doors for massive changes in how we see our roleplaying games.I would argue that Savage Worlds help bring about D&D 5e, Blades in the Dark, Powered by the Apocalypse, Mork Borg, and basically anything today that is considered rules light.I'm not the only one that thinks Savage Worlds is an impressive game.The game received the 2003 Origin Gamers' Choice Award for best role-playing game. Scott Taylor for Black Gate in 2013 rated Savage Worlds as Honorable Mention #1 in the top ten role-playing games of all time.But now I have to admit my own stupidity.When Savage Worlds came out in 2003 I wasn't interested. I saw it as a direct attack against my favorite game GURPS so I lifted my nose and kept playing GURPS. It wasn't until recently that I started diving into Savage Worlds and man did I miss the boat on this one.In this episode we are going to review Savage Worlds and talk about the game, the game system, why it's cool and why you should give it a shot.Mike, when did you first play Savage Worlds?[Kick to Mike]Christina, What about you?[Kick to Christina]
In episode 114 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Ace Ellett, half of Bluefish Games – the company he and his wife Anna founded as a result of their love for escape rooms and puzzles. Danielle and Ace talk about what went into the fictional world of Hincksville and the character Bluefish […]
The gang interviews Chris Totten, Associate Professor of Game Design at Kent State University and the creator of recent Game Club pick Kudzu. This far-ranging conversation touches on GB Studio development, game design as a field of study, publishing indie games, introducing Gen Z students to retro gaming, a possible Kudzu sequel, and many other topics.This episode has a transcript! You can download the PDF here.Browse some of Chris' other projects at the Pie for Breakfast website.You can also follow him on Bluesky. As always, find links to our social media and more at: http://homebrewgameclub.com
There are many questions that we ask ourselves throughout our lives—one of which is "do games need remakes?". This week, Aaron and Gerry are joined by Joe (formerly of Mega Boobs) to not only answer that question, but also to chat about some good remakes, some bad remakes, and ones that were totally unecessary. Plop them buds into your ears and get ready to rumble.
Show Notes: Steven Chao, a US-born second-generation college student, shares his experiences growing up in South Carolina and feeling overwhelmed upon arriving at Harvard in 1988. He found solace in joining the Collegium Musicum, a classical musical singing group at Harvard, which helped him find his footing and connect with people from his class. From Biochem to Game Design to Consulting Steven majored in biochemistry, which expanded his social circle and helped him find happiness. Steven's parents were both PhDs and pushed him into the MD PhD program. However, he faced challenges in medical school and research, leading to questions about his path and the decision to pursue a career in computer gaming. Steven talks about his experience working in the sound and asset acquisition field at Activision in LA. He initially had a great time there but ultimately decided that it wasn't the long-term solution for him. He returned to his PhD program and he pinned his hopes on becoming a doctor. During the last half of the MD program, Steven realized that he didn't want to be a researcher or go into medicine. He found an opportunity to explore other careers beyond medicine or research through a sub-intern at McKinsey. The McKinsey Years Steven joined McKinsey full-time in 2001 and worked in the Boston office. The bulk of his work was in the payer and provider space, mainly health insurance and hospital systems. He spent about four and a half years at McKinsey, starting from scratch with no business background, which proved difficult. Steven's PhD focused on biology, not analytical skills, but rather gene genetic rearrangement and plasmids, and he felt lost at the beginning of McKinsey. At the same time, he also participated in the mini MBA program in Austria. Despite meeting great friends at McKinsey, his work was hit or miss. Steven talks about a few of the McKinsey projects he worked on and how a pharma project with Jeff Elton piqued his interest in returning to biopharma. He later worked with Kim Packard, who was his first and best mentor at McKinsey. Steven was late to promotion and advancement, and in 2004, when his wife became pregnant, he gave up his job and started considering what he would do next. Boutique Consulting, Life Sciences, and Biotech Companies In 2004, Steven joined a small consulting group at an investment bank called Leering Swan, which focused on life sciences and biotech companies. This was a better fit for Steven, who had always wanted to leverage his love for science. He joined the firm and was assigned to a project in Parkinson's disease. The experience was mind-blowing, as he interviewed world experts in this space. He was hooked within a week and found the career to be a good fit for him. The combination of his love for science and medicine, without needing to do research or have a career in clinical practice, was perfect, as he loved learning about different aspects of medicine, and the variety and diversity of the day-to-day work. Founding ClearView Steven left Leering Swan with two other people in 2008 to co-found ClearView. ClearView was born of the same concept as Leering Swan, but focused on life sciences, biotech, pharma, private equity clients, diagnostics companies, and strategic consulting. Steven's primary hat was recruiting, and he continued to love every second of doing so. ClearView Healthcare Partners is now a well-known, private consulting firm with several 100 employees. The company has a growing presence in London, India, San Francisco, New York, and Boston. Family Life and a Love of Musicals On the personal side, Steven has a family of four children, three girls and a boy. They also have two in college and two still in high school. The oldest is a sophomore at Harvard. Music has always been a significant part of their family. They have a love for Broadway musical theater, and they have spent a lot of time attending performances. Their youngest son is doing a local production of Hadestown in Wellesley, and their oldest is performing at the Agassi theater in a production of 9-5, the film with Dolly Parton, which has themes of female empowerment. Timestamps: 04:50: Transition to Medical School and Early Career Challenges 13:14: Joining McKinsey and Early Consulting Experience 23:20: Discovering a Passion for Biopharma Consulting 30:04: Founding ClearView Healthcare Partners 37:27: Personal Life and Family Featured Non-profit: Hi. This is Steve Chao, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is the Merriemack Repertory Theater. My wife and I love live theater. The MRT is a fantastic organization that puts on plays and musicals every year, serving a wide catchment area in and around Lowell, Massachusetts. I was actually introduced to the MRT via a fellow class of 92 Carrie Suzawa, married named Michael. And you can learn more about the work of the MRT through the website, mrt.org. And for now, here is Will Bachman with this week's episode. To learn more about their work, visit: https:mrt.org.
On this episode of On Board Games, Erik is joined by Marc Specter of the Grand Gamers Guild to talk about games (and other things) they've played including: Galactic Cruise Buffet Boss The Plum Island Horror Kokeshi You can get a discount on Zencastr.com using this link. (20:58) Then, they discuss the impacts the current 145% tariff on Chinese goods has on the boardgame industry. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 is part one of three on my series about the 20 worst mechanics of all time, based on my talk at last year's MagicCon: Las Vegas.
This podcast is part two of three on my series about the 20 worst mechanics of all time, based on my talk at last year's MagicCon: Las Vegas.
A new Nintendo is on the way, and your nice hosts talk about both it and the world it's being born into. It kicks off a longer than usual episode where Lydia just wants a way to experience horror games, Mark has an unpopular opinion, and Stephen thinks players have too much agency already.0:31:57Let's PlaysEndoparasiticmizizizizitch.ioLet's Plays: A Copyright ConundrumAlexandra ChampagneSlaw Why I am Hesitant to Declare Let's Plays as Fair UseAquasonReddit1:17:44Responsive Game DesignWhat Capcom Didn't Tell You About Resident Evil 4Game Maker's ToolkitYouTubeWe should talk.Carol Mertz
What if a cozy puzzle game could generate $80K/day — with 89% of that from ads? Dreamy Room is the breakout hit you didn't see coming. It's not Royal Match. It's not hypercasual. It's deterministic puzzling at its finest — and it's scaling fast.We break down why Dreamy Room is crushing downloads, how its simple-but-hard core loop drives ad revenue at scale, and why it's one of the most innovative ultra-casual games of 2025.
Send us a textWelcome to you heard it here last where we talk about news, you've already heard.Professor Dungeon Master on his YouTube channel Dungeon Craft announced that the New D&D 2024 Players Handbook only sold 3,773 books in its opening week. That's right, what was announced as the fastest selling D&D book in history only sold 3,773 physical copies. The rest of those sales were digital over on DnD Beyond.https://youtu.be/hmTKrCeaFC8?si=rJ_LZ4RbK8YAHAYDHe followed that news up with a recent report that DnD Beyond has officially locked down their digital products.https://youtu.be/ndrfwFakQto?si=t9TfCEb9hntPTNNaThis is a quote from the DnD Beyond Support Page;“All digital content will only be available to view and use on the D&D Beyond website. An account will be needed to access the content. So, if you delete your account you will lose the content.”https://dndbeyond-support.wizards.com/hc/en-us/articles/7747225184788-Unlocked-Content-and-D-D-Beyond-Account-DeletionNow this isn't anything new to those of us who hate DnD. I learned this difficult lesson when I deleted my DnD Beyond Account during the OGL scandal. Remember kids, if you buy from DnD you don't own shit. You only rent it and they will take their ball and go home leaving you high and dry if you disagree with them.What's this mean for the ttrpg hobby? What's this mean for the business of ttrpg's? What's this mean for WoTC? Good thing I have Christina here to answer those questions.Christina, weigh in with a quote from Emmanuel Kent[Kick to Christina]I led with the DnD Beyond story so I could follow up with this one.https://www.enworld.org/threads/shadowdark-setting-looks-set-to-be-2025s-first-million-dollar-ttrpg-crowdfunder.712281/Shadowdark is an OSR style game from Kelsey Dionne that made a splash on Kickstarter in 2023 when it raised 1.4 million dollars. That is a massive payday for an independent game and got a lot of people dubbing it the D&D killer. Now that wasn't fair because it had nowhere near the market share that D&D had, but it is a cool game and a great independent game story…and then Shadowdark created a campaign setting. On March 11th of 2025 Shadowdark released Western Reaches on Kickstarter. It is a sandbox campaign setting for Shadowdark.It made a million bucks in less than 12 hours.Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast my be trying their damndest to kill TTRPG's, but the hobby aint dead. Far from it. With news like this it proves that the gamers out there are looking for a roleplaying product they can trust now that D&D has continued to stab them in the back and spit on their corpses.Throw away your D&D and play and support games made for you by people who like you.At least that's my thoughts.Christina?[Kick to Christina]An there you have it, All the news you've already heard.
Meta just changed the game for ad monetized mobile apps — and if you're not testing AdROAS campaigns yet, you're already behind.In this 2.5 Gamers solo deep dive, Matej walks through exactly how to set up Meta's new AdROAS campaigns, how to unlock the hidden value in your ad impressions, and why this is a must-have in your UA strategy for Android in 2025.
On episode 219 of the Gaming Meal Podcast, Erick, Manny, Cesar and Myka go over this week's appetizer (gaming news) where we talk about Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order chaos, and EA canceling more projects and cutting more people.For the main course, we talk about the recent renaissance we have been noticing with game design. A lot of games with ‘older' designs that haven't been relevant in a long time have been leaving great impressions and are even GOTY material. From Astro Bot, a 3D platformer winning GOTY last year to the recent Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a turn based RPG, making shockwaves.For more information, visit us at www.TheGamingMeal.com and please follow us on socials at: BlueSky at gamingmeal.bsky.social, X at x.com/GamingMeal, Twitch at www.twitch.tv/gamingmeal, and Facebook at www.facebook.com/gaming.meal.14. Thanks for listening, please share and subscribe to the Gaming Meal!Music credit goes to SubspaceAudio, celestialghost8, Worlfgang, and mutkanto.
What a treat we have today, we have Non-Breaking and Stephen Rangazas, the designers for Combat Commander: Vietnam. You don't want to miss their only podcast where they talk about taking Chad Jensen's classic to Vietnam.
Five great games were created for Knox Game Design 2025. Thanks to everyone who attended the kickoff and created a game. Great job everyone! Reality Breach by Jeffry Reality Breach is a browser-based bullet hell game with an alternate reality theme and cell-shaded graphics. Players take on the role of a “Reality Architect” who must … Continue reading Knox Game Jam 2025 – Knox Game Design, April 2025 →
When Richard Garfield first made Magic, he liked to say it was "a game bigger than the box." In this episode, I walk through what exactly that phrase means and the challenges of making a game that accomplishes this.
This is part two of a two-part series on the aesthetic profiles. This time, I talk about Mel, the player who aesthetically appreciates mechanics.
Our guest Louis Castle helped invent real-time strategy games with Command and Conquer and has a BAFTA for Boom Blox. Now leading Childlike Wonder Games, we discuss casino ethics, switching to real-time and building toys - this week!Top 8 Highlights[00:00:00] – Lifelong Learning: The Key to Game Design Success Louis Castle opens the episode by emphasizing the importance of constant learning as a game designer, citing curiosity and adaptability as essential traits.[00:06:00] – Founding Westwood Studios & Creating the RTS Genre Louis reflects on co-founding Westwood Studios, the groundbreaking work on Command & Conquer, and helping define the real-time strategy genre. [00:10:00] – Game Design vs. Casino Game Ethics He explains how game design in the casino industry is more ethically regulated than video games, raising concerns about manipulation in mainstream game design. [00:17:00] – A True Multidisciplinary Game Maker Louis shares how he started as both an artist and programmer, contributing art, code, and design to early Westwood projects. [00:27:00] – Westwood's Mission: Make Complex Games Accessible From Eye of the Beholder to Dune II, Louis discusses how Westwood focused on turning deep mechanics into real-time, accessible gameplay. [00:41:00] – Technical Wizardry: Building Custom Operating Systems Louis describes how he built custom OS-level tools and game engines to push hardware limits, including 60 FPS variable frame rate systems in the ‘80s. [00:44:00] – Childlike Wonder Games: His New Studio & GenAI Vision He announces his new studio, Childlike Wonder Games, and its mission to create strategy games that let players use generative AI to customize gameplay. [00:56:00] – The Wild Ride: Selling Westwood 4 Times Before EA Louis recounts how Westwood was acquired four times—eventually landing at EA—and how he handled all the financial and legal negotiations himself. Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron MarroquinFind us at www.thefourthcurtain.com Join our Patreon for early, ad-free episodes plus bonus content at https://patreon.com/FourthCurtain Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfeVideos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtainFollow us on twitter: @fourthcurtainEdited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com Audio Editor: Bryen HensleyVideo Editor: Sarkis GrigorianProducer: Shanglan (May) LiArt: Paul RusselCommunity Manager: Doug ZartmanFeaturing Liberation by 505
In today's episode we talk about ending a game off that's the rails. How do you end a game that's off the rails? How does a game get into this state? How can you avoid going off the rails? 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.
Amber Johnson is an Associate Professor of Simulation and Game Development at Wake Tech Community College. She has worked in the game industry as an artist and level designer since 2007. She began teaching at Wake Tech in 2014, developing a curriculum that utilizes modern game asset creation techniques. She currently teaches courses in digital art, game programming, photogrammetry, tech art, and VR. On top of teaching, she does freelance work in photogrammetry and 3d renderings. At SONA, Amber presented her project “Crafting the Unreal”, which reimagines Edgar Allan Poe's Ligeia as an immersive surrealist stop-motion VR experience by combining the tactile, dreamlike aesthetics of traditional stop-motion animation with the interactivity of VR. see more at amt-lab.org
In episode 113 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with Nicole Amato about transitioning into tabletop design after starting out as a video game journalist, small local game jams leading to big opportunities and how people choosing to use your innovative game mechanic in their prototype is flattering! They also chat about […]
Send us a textI couldn't tell you the date, but I remember sitting in my parent's basement, my buddy Dave was over and spending the night. We were staying up late, drinking why too much Dr. Pepper and eating all the popcorn we could get our hands on. We were watching late night movies and having a blast like most 10-year-olds.That's when we watched what I would later figure out, was my first Post Apocalyptic Film…The Omega Man with Charlen Heston.It wouldn't be my last.The idea of a world where all the people were gone and you could just run around and grab whatever you wanted was pretty cool for a 10 year old. I have to admit it was pretty cool as a 16 year old as well when I watched Night of the Comet.Since then, I have seen them all…Ok, not all of them. But, from The Last Man on Earth, to A Boy and His Dog, from Death Race 2000, to Road Warrior, and from Escape from New York, to finally Children of Men (which by the way is the best post-apocalyptic movie every)We could spend hours or maybe even days talking about the post-apocalyptic genre. From Books, to films, to computer games and yes, table top roleplaying games. But Mike, Christina, and I are going to try our best a focus on the genre concepts of the post-apocalyptic scene and how to bring them into your roleplaying games.Let's start with you Mike, Do you remember your fist taste of the Post Apocalypse?
This podcast is part one of a two-part series on the aesthetic profiles. Up first, I talk all about Vorthos, the player who aesthetically appreciates flavor.
In this podcast, I talk about the team that figures out what in-Multiverse Magic sets we'll be doing in the future.
Hey All, It is not just me on today's episode! We have an incredible guest joining us with Tom Huges Lead Narrative Designer (Great Ape Studios) I really enjoyed this ep as we take a dive into his career and how he has developed from Game Design into that of Narrative Design. For more LD Info join the Mailing List: https://bit.ly/4eNPm8X ----------------------------- Game Dev Heroes ------------------------------ Vote for me - https://bit.ly/3E4Oa4L ---------------------------- Reachout to Tom ---------------------------- BlueSky: @tomhughesdesign.bsky.social Portfolio: https://www.tomhughesdesign.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhughesdesign/ ------------------------------ Let's Design Books ~------------------------------ Ebook - https://bit.ly/39BakJD Physical Books - https://bit.ly/3mfOsbS ---------------------------------- Level Design Kit ---------------------------------- Purchase now: https://bit.ly/4gYaJ9d ----------------------------------- Contact Me ---------------------------------- Website: https://www.maxpears.com/ Email: leveldesignlobby@gmail.com Twitter: https://x.com/MaxPears Bluesky: https://bit.ly/42HX9Tt
This podcast is part three of a three-part series walking through the three psychographics. Today, I explore the psychological analysis of Spike.
In this podcast, I sit down with the creative lead for Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Lauren Bond, to talk about the worldbuilding and creative execution of the set.
In this podcast, I sit down with Tarkir: Dragonstorm Set Design Lead Adam Prosak to talk about the set's design.
This podcast is part two of a three-part series walking through the three psychographics. Today, I explore the psychological analysis of Johnny and Jenny.
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