Game development process of designing the content and rules of a game
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For this week's podcast, I sit down with Magic: The Gathering® | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lead Designer Eric Engelhard to talk about the set's design.
In this podcast, I respond to a post that proposed Magic should "stick to its fantasy roots." As a Magic historian, I make the case that Magic has been stretching the boundaries of what fantasy is since Limited Edition (Alpha). For those who like deep dives into Magic history, this episode is for you.
Fondée en 2013, l'ICAN (Institut de la Création et de l'Animation Numérique) se distingue par sa vision innovante de la formation aux métiers du numérique. Présente à Paris, Tours, Grenoble, Lille, Bordeaux et Lyon, l'ICAN propose des programmes de Bac+3 à Bac+5 dans des domaines porteurs et en pleine évolution : Jeux vidéo, Animation, Web & IA.L'ICAN forme les designers de demain à travers trois univers de formations : Jeu vidéo, Animation, Web & Digital. Grâce à une pédagogie active et immersive basée sur le concept « learning by doing », l'école place les étudiants au cœur de projets concrets et professionnels. Ces projets incluent la création de jeux vidéo, de films d'animation, de créations 3D et d'expériences numériques interactives, valorisés au sein du studio ICAN. Cet incubateur de talents permet aux étudiants de présenter leurs réalisations lors de concours, festivals et événements professionnels, comme les Chatons d'Or.Les formations de l'ICAN allient théorie et pratique pour une professionnalisation accélérée. En particulier pour les Mastères, l'alternance fait partie intégrante du programme pédagogique, permettant aux étudiants de combiner études et immersion professionnelle dès leur entrée dans le monde du travail. Pour les Bachelors, l'école intègre une multitude de stages, enrichissant l'expérience terrain et répondant aux exigences d'un marché en constante évolution.L'ensemble des certifications professionnelles proposées par l'ICAN sont toutes reconnues par l'État, avec des certifications de niveau 6 et 7, garantissant ainsi la qualité et la reconnaissance des parcours. La proximité avec le monde professionnel est également renforcée par des liens solides avec plus de 150 entreprises partenaires, telles qu'Ubisoft, Capital Games, et Air France. Le service Relations Entreprises accompagne chaque étudiant dans la recherche de stages, d'alternances ou d'emplois, avec un soutien sur la rédaction de CV, l'amélioration des portfolios, le coaching personnalisé et la simulation d'entretiens.L'ICAN se positionne ainsi comme un acteur clé dans la formation des créateurs de demain, offrant un environnement dynamique, innovant et stimulant pour libérer leur potentiel créatif et professionnel.Envie de donner vie à vos idées en créant des projets numériques innovants ? Rendez-vous sur le site de l'ICAN pour découvrir les formations, connaître les modalités d'admission et réaliser votre premier pas vers une carrière stimulante et créative.Les univers de formation de l'ICAN:Jeux vidéo : Formation en Game Design, Game Art, Game Programming et Level Design. De la création à la diffusion, l'ICAN couvre l'intégralité du processus vidéoludique.Animation : Cursus en Animation 3D, Motion Design, Illustration Graphique, Réalité Augmentée et maîtrise des intelligences artificielles, pour former des créateurs d'images de synthèse et de films d'animation.Web & Digital : Formation en UX Design, Communication Graphique, Design Digital, Web Design et e-Marketing, axée sur l'innovation et la gestion de projets numériques.Pour en savoir plus : Voir le site de l'ICAN : https://www.ican-design.fr/?utm_source=Azimut&utm_medium=publi&utm_campaign=NATIO|noto_032026&utm_content=publiDéposer une candidature pour l'ICAN : https://www.ican-design.fr/candidature-en-ligne.html?utm_source=Azimut&utm_medium=publi&utm_campaign=NATIO|noto_032026&utm_content=publiDemander une brochure de l'ICAN : https://www.ican-design.fr/brochure.html?utm_source=Azimut&utm_medium=publi&utm_campaign=NATIO|noto_032026&utm_content=publiEpisode sponsoriséℹ️ SUIVEZ L'ACTUALITÉ DE L'ORIENTATIONInscrivez-vous à l'Hebdo de l'orientation : https://azimut-orientation.com/abonnez-vous-a-la-newsletter/ (vous recevrez en cadeau un guide téléchargeable)
In this episode of Two and a Half Gamers, we run Steam Scanner to look at the latest PC games that are quietly exploding in revenue.Why does this matter for mobile?Because some of the biggest mobile hits originally came from PC trends first. Studios that watch Steam early often get a 12–24 month head start on mechanics that later dominate mobile charts.We break down several surprising titles, including Escape From Duckoff, which generated nearly $70M, and discuss why quirky concepts, niche genres, and experimental mechanics on Steam often become the next big opportunity for mobile studios.If you want to know what mobile games might look like in 1–2 years, Steam is still one of the best places to look.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 A $70M Steam Surprise01:05 Intro – The Steam Scanner02:05 Why Steam Trends Matter For Mobile04:15 Escape From Darkhoff Breakdown07:10 Why Weird Steam Games Win10:20 Steam Mechanics Mobile Studios Should Watch14:05 The Next Wave Of Mobile Inspiration18:20 Genre Experiments Working On Steam22:30 What Mobile Studios Usually Miss26:10 Which Games Could Actually Port To Mobile30:15 Final Thoughts & Biggest Opportunities---------------------------------------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
Send a text“So, what did you guys think”If I've asked that question once at the end of a game session, I've asked it a hundred times.Feedback, it's all about feedback.As a game master I want to know what worked, what didn't work, and did I get my ideas across to the players. Where they surprised by anything, did the rules make sense, what do they want to see more of and most importantly, did they have a good time.Recently we started a new game with our Thursday Night Game Group. Our core crew was present of course and we brought back some old players and added a few new players to the mix. We decided on playing Twilight 2000, a game from my past that Free League had picked up and made some significant changes by plugging their Year Zero engine into it.I started by reading the rules and then ran the players through the lifepath system to help them create characters and finally we played the first session. As of this recording we have 2 sessions under our belt, and I wanted to take this episode to talk to the players and get their thoughts on the game.We started this podcast to mimic those conversations we have after the games, and I can't think of a better use for it then to actually have one of those conversations.Let's start with you Mike, what did you think?[Kick to Mike]Christina, I felt like you agreed to play the game, because you'll never say no to a roleplaying game. That makes for a different view than some of the other players. What did you think about it.[Kick to Christina]
Rewarded user acquisition and offer walls are suddenly becoming a major part of mobile game UA strategy.In this episode of Two and a Half Gamers, Matej and Felix talk with Max from MAF about how rewarded UA evolved from a questionable growth hack into a legitimate acquisition channel.Studios are now allocating 30–40% of their UA budgets to rewarded channels, and some games are scaling them even more aggressively.The conversation covers ROI timelines, retention dynamics, monetization setups, genre fit, and how rewarded playtime models are changing the economics of offer walls.If you're running UA in 2026, ignoring rewarded UA might be a very expensive mistake.
In episode 136 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with freelance game designer (and Danielle's co-designer on Tricky Kids), Steven Ungaro, who shares his “zero-to-three-games-in-a-year-hero” design journey. They discuss how discovering hobby games led him down the research rabbit hole many aspiring designers fall into, and how resources like the long-running Ludology podcast have evolved […]
Get double the episodes, and keep FUT Weekly going (for just £3 a month) by becoming a Patreon over at bit.ly/morepod. This includes an exclusive supporter podcast this week! Nepenthez makes a return to the podcast this week! He joins Ben and Josh to breakdown everything FUT Birthday, how to make the most out of it and how it could affect the rest of the game cycle. The topics covered are: 00:20 Introduction to Seb 02:32 Pound for Pound Player Nominations 09:05 Fantasy Premier League Live Cards 16:31 Future of Live Items in Ultimate Team 20:50 How Should We Engage With The Game? 27:35 Current Fantasy Players Overview 34:16 Evolutions and Their Role in Gameplay 39:29 Player Customization and Market Dynamics 48:10 Future of Evolutions in Game Design 53:54 Narrative and Player Engagement in Ultimate Team Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Mobile Game That Makes Money… But nobody understands why. Well, we kinda do. In this episode of Two and a Half Gamers, we dive into one of the strangest successful mobile games they've seen recently: Cell Survivor.The game looks confusing, the onboarding is painful, and the design feels chaotic. Yet somehow it's making serious money, especially in Asian markets.So the team breaks down what's actually happening under the hood.They discuss the game's unusual progression systems, monetization design, Asian-first market strategy, and how games like this manage to scale despite confusing UX and questionable gameplay clarity.Sometimes mobile gaming success is not about polish.It's about understanding the right audience and scaling the right mechanics.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 Chinese Humor & First Impressions01:13 Intro – What Is Cell Survivor?02:00 Why This Game Is Making Money04:10 First Gameplay Reactions06:40 Painful Onboarding Experience09:20 The Idle Reward System12:10 Asian Market Design Philosophy15:20 Why UX Doesn't Matter Here18:30 Monetization Structure21:40 Why This Works In Asia24:30 Western Audience vs Asian Players27:00 UA Strategy Discussion30:10 Dragon-Style Creative Strategy33:10 Rush Royale Comparison35:40 Final Thoughts---------------------------------------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
Zum Feministischen Kampftag sprechen wir darüber, wie Frauen die Gaming-Welt verändern – als Spielerinnen, Entwicklerinnen und Storytellerinnen. Wir werfen einen Blick auf Pionierinnen der Gaminggeschichte wie Roberta Williams oder Amy Hennig und diskutieren, wie diverse Perspektiven Storytelling und Game Design beeinflussen. Außerdem sprechen wir über den Wandel weiblicher Figuren in Games und darüber, welche Herausforderungen Frauen in der Gamesbranche weiterhin begegnen. Gaming war nie nur männlich und die Zukunft der Nerdkultur wird von vielen verschiedenen Stimmen geprägt. Quellen Entertainment Software Association (2023) – Essential Facts About the Video Game Industryhttps://www.theesa.com/resource/2023-essential-facts/ International Game Developers Association (IGDA) – Developer Satisfaction Surveyhttps://igda.org/resources-archive/developer-satisfaction-survey/ Women in Games – Industry Statistics https://www.womeningames.org The Game Awards / Naughty Dog Interviews zu Amy Hennig https://www.gamasutra.com Portal Development History – Valve Interviews https://www.pcgamer.com/portal-development-history/ Roberta Williams – Sierra On-Line History https://www.mobygames.com/person/19/roberta-williams/
◇ We chat with Tristan Zimmerman our Indie designer of the month, Jeff asks about TTRPG designer support groups, From the archive 2021: Forlornhope22 wants to know how many plot threads is too many | Hosts: Kimi, Pooja & Tristan ◇ 00:33◇ Welcome & Episode Summary 01:24◇ Announcements – Our next Game Daze will be on March 21st! 03:18◇ Indie Designer of the Month: Tristan Zimmerman (he/him) of Molten Sulfur Press https://moltensulfur.com/ 06:04◇ Mailbag 1 – We chat with Tristan Zimmerman our Indie designer of the month! 47:07◇ Mailbag 2 – Jeff asks about TTRPG designer support groups 76:22◇ Mailbag 3 – From the archive 2021: Forlornhope22 wants to know how many plot threads is too many 89:34◇ Episode Closing 92:22◇ Music ◇ Email happyjacksrpg@gmail.com or post in our Discord server to send in your own topic or question for the show! ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org
In today's episode we talk about the Importance Of Having A Writing Partner. Why should you have a writing partner? What benefits does a writing partner provide? What if I don't have a partner who is a GM? 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.
This podcast is all about the journey of the energy mechanic, from its original inception during Mirrodin design all the way to its first appearance in Kaladesh and beyond.
One of our latest design processes involves a slideshow where we show off every card in an upcoming set and make final comments before everything is locked down. In this podcast, I talk all about the evolution of the slideshow.
Three huge stories this week are reshaping the mobile and tech landscape.First, Epic and Google finally settled their long legal battle, meaning Fortnite is returning to Google Play. Even more importantly, Google is cutting store fees and allowing developers to use alternative payment providers.Second, the AI race just took a strange turn. Claude briefly overtook ChatGPT in US App Store downloads after OpenAI announced a deal with the US Department of Defense.And finally, Netflix walks away from the $82B Warner Bros. Discovery deal, leaving Paramount and Skydance to potentially reshape the future of some of the biggest entertainment IPs.This week shows one thing clearly:the platform economy is shifting.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 LancaricPodcast: Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters---------------------------------------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
What if you built a puzzle game in the most crowded genre on earth……and scaled it to 5M downloads per month?In this episode, we sit down with Vlad from Malpa Games and Ritzki from PVX Partners to unpack:Why Malpa focused on production before ideas90%+ ad revenue strategyWhy is ad tolerance in puzzles insanely highHow Cardscapes grew 200% month over monthWhy AppLovin ROAS campaigns are the scaling engineHow UA cohort financing unlocked aggressive growthThe truth about incentivized traffic in ad-heavy gamesWhy retention beats everything in ad monetized scalingThis is not a flashy hybrid casual story.This is disciplined production, AB testing, and pure operational excellence.
Send a textWelcome to You Heard it Here Last where we talk about news, you've already heard.I evidently missed this announcement in November of 2025, so when I got the email from Backerkit about an upcoming launch I might be interested in, I was surprised. Traveller 5e from Mongoose Publishing was coming to Backerkit in March of 2026. https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/4bb4fe4f-753f-484d-8133-870c7c591797/landing?ref=home-pageMy first thought was they were printing a new edition of Traveller, but then I remembered Marc Miller had produced Traveller 5th Edition in 2013. Of course, Mongoose has taken over publishing, but they are in the 2nd edition…then it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was Traveller for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition.I'm sure if I tried real hard, I could come up with something more useless, but I gotta tell you, right now I'm out of ideas. What a complete waste.Traveller is an iconic roleplaying game with specific systems that work perfectly in that science fiction world it portrays. Rewriting the entire thing for D&D 5E … Stop it. Just Stop it. I know that 5E is the biggest selling game out there and I know this is just a money grab, but Damit people, open another roleplaying game book.I typically cheer for anything that brings more eyes to our hobby, but this isn't a rising tide, it's a tsunami destroying what's good about independent games and alternatives to D&D.I'm tapping out on this one.Christina, thoughts?[Kick to Christina]Mike[Kick to Mike]You might think after my lead in I would avoid all things Hasbro, but our next article from EN World is just too interesting to pass up. We've talked a lot about AI on our podcast and in Hasbro's latest earnings call Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks addressed the company's use of AI.https://www.enworld.org/threads/hasbro-ceo-says-ai-integration-has-been-a-clear-success.717852/“We're beyond experimentation. We're deploying AI across financial planning, forecasting, order management, supply chain operations, training and everyday productivity.” Cocks said. He also broke down how creatives use the tools.Mike, AI has recently become a huge part of your life and after diving into it and embracing it in the workforce you got promoted to COO. Briefly breakdown why AI is the future, whether we like it or not.[Kick to Mike]Christina hit us with the ethical issues[kick to Christina]And there you have it, all the news, you've already heard.
D2C Trends 2026: Steering is still allowed in the US. No fees (for now). But that window is closing. In this episode, we sit down with Chip Thurston from FastSpring to break down:The current state of D2C in the USJapan's 15–20% platform feesBrazil joining the partyApple's 7-day attribution windowGoogle's 24-hour windowWhy this might actually increase D2C adoptionHow to treat web shops like e-commerce brandsWhy hybrid monetization is the real playThis isn't theory.This is how publishers are thinking about 2026.
Get double the episodes, and keep FUT Weekly going (for just £3 a month) by becoming a Patreon over at bit.ly/morepod. This includes an exclusive supporter podcast this week! A brand new guest on this weeks content episode joins Ben whilst a jet lagged and poorly Josh rests up. Seb, a game designer for Football Manager makes his first appearance to talk about two brand new Ultimate Team concepts that have arrived this week. The topics covered are: 00:20 Introduction to Seb 02:32 Pound for Pound Player Nominations 09:05 Fantasy Premier League Live Cards 16:31 Future of Live Items in Ultimate Team 20:50 How Should We Engage With The Game? 27:35 Current Fantasy Players Overview 34:16 Evolutions and Their Role in Gameplay 39:29 Player Customization and Market Dynamics 48:10 Future of Evolutions in Game Design 53:54 Narrative and Player Engagement in Ultimate Team Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Your favorite Blerds are back bringing you all of their thoughts on everything happening in nerd culture. This week, Shannon, Jaja and James discuss a variety of topics including recent Pokemon presents. They're also talking about the success of Resident Evil 9, anticipation for the upcoming Wolverine game and other news from the video game industry. They're also talking about the unexpected updates on the Paramount, Warner Bros and Netflix love triangle. Plus much more! Make sure to rate, review and subscribe on Youtube, Apple podcasts, Spotify or your podcast app of choice. 00:00-Nerdy Things 10:53-Video Game News and Announcements 22:06-Pokemon: The Future of the Franchise 23:32-Resident Evil: A New Era 27:17-Wolverine's Anticipated Release 28:15-Sony's Shifting Strategy 33:48-Loot Boxes and Legal Challenges 37:08-Leadership Changes at Xbox 42:22-AI in Game Development: A New Era 43:56-Challenges in the Gaming Industry 45:48-The Future of Game Design 48:47-Upcoming Game Releases and Events 50:53-Paramount's Acquisition of Warner Bros 54:58-Expectations for Avengers Doomsday 57:14-First Look at God of War Live Action 01:02:01-Upcoming Releases and Events Follow Us! https://linktr.ee/blerdsnerds National Resources List https://linktr.ee/NationalResourcesList Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK56I-TNUnhKhcWLZxoUTaw Email us: Blerdsnerds@gmail.com Follow Our Social: https://www.instagram.com/blerdsnerds/ https://twitter.com/BlerdsNerds https://www.facebook.com/blerdsnerds https://tiktok.com/blerdsnerds_pod Shannon: https://www.instagram.com/luv_shenanigans James: https://www.instagram.com/llsuavej Jaja: https://www.instagram.com/jajasmith3
The play element at the heart of our interactions with computers—and how it drives the best and the worst manifestations of the information age. Whether we interact with video games or spreadsheets or social media, playing with software shapes every facet of our lives. In Playing Software: Homo Ludens in Computational Culture (MIT Press, 2023), Miguel Sicart delves into why we play with computers, how that play shapes culture and society, and the threat posed by malefactors using play to weaponize everything from conspiracy theories to extractive capitalism. Starting from the controversial idea that software is an essential agent in the information age, Sicart considers our culture in general—and our way of thinking about and creating digital technology in particular—as a consequence of interacting with software's agency through play. As Sicart shows, playing shapes software agency. In turn, software shapes our agency as we adapt and relate to it through play. That play drives the creation of new cultural, social, and political forms. Sicart also reveals the role of make-believe in driving our playful engagement with the digital sphere. From there, he discusses the cybernetic theory of digital play and what we can learn from combining it with the idea that playfulness can mean pleasurable interaction with human and nonhuman agents inside the boundaries of a computational system. Finally, he critiques the instrumentalization of play as a tool wielded by platform capitalism. Rudolf Inderst is a professor of Game Design with a focus on Digital Game Studies at the IU International University of Applied Science, editor of “Game Studies Watchlist”, a weekly messenger newsletter about Game Culture and curator of @gamestudies at tiktok. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
The play element at the heart of our interactions with computers—and how it drives the best and the worst manifestations of the information age. Whether we interact with video games or spreadsheets or social media, playing with software shapes every facet of our lives. In Playing Software: Homo Ludens in Computational Culture (MIT Press, 2023), Miguel Sicart delves into why we play with computers, how that play shapes culture and society, and the threat posed by malefactors using play to weaponize everything from conspiracy theories to extractive capitalism. Starting from the controversial idea that software is an essential agent in the information age, Sicart considers our culture in general—and our way of thinking about and creating digital technology in particular—as a consequence of interacting with software's agency through play. As Sicart shows, playing shapes software agency. In turn, software shapes our agency as we adapt and relate to it through play. That play drives the creation of new cultural, social, and political forms. Sicart also reveals the role of make-believe in driving our playful engagement with the digital sphere. From there, he discusses the cybernetic theory of digital play and what we can learn from combining it with the idea that playfulness can mean pleasurable interaction with human and nonhuman agents inside the boundaries of a computational system. Finally, he critiques the instrumentalization of play as a tool wielded by platform capitalism. Rudolf Inderst is a professor of Game Design with a focus on Digital Game Studies at the IU International University of Applied Science, editor of “Game Studies Watchlist”, a weekly messenger newsletter about Game Culture and curator of @gamestudies at tiktok. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology
The play element at the heart of our interactions with computers—and how it drives the best and the worst manifestations of the information age. Whether we interact with video games or spreadsheets or social media, playing with software shapes every facet of our lives. In Playing Software: Homo Ludens in Computational Culture (MIT Press, 2023), Miguel Sicart delves into why we play with computers, how that play shapes culture and society, and the threat posed by malefactors using play to weaponize everything from conspiracy theories to extractive capitalism. Starting from the controversial idea that software is an essential agent in the information age, Sicart considers our culture in general—and our way of thinking about and creating digital technology in particular—as a consequence of interacting with software's agency through play. As Sicart shows, playing shapes software agency. In turn, software shapes our agency as we adapt and relate to it through play. That play drives the creation of new cultural, social, and political forms. Sicart also reveals the role of make-believe in driving our playful engagement with the digital sphere. From there, he discusses the cybernetic theory of digital play and what we can learn from combining it with the idea that playfulness can mean pleasurable interaction with human and nonhuman agents inside the boundaries of a computational system. Finally, he critiques the instrumentalization of play as a tool wielded by platform capitalism. Rudolf Inderst is a professor of Game Design with a focus on Digital Game Studies at the IU International University of Applied Science, editor of “Game Studies Watchlist”, a weekly messenger newsletter about Game Culture and curator of @gamestudies at tiktok. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society
This episode is special. We sit down with Akin Babayigit — early Facebook gaming, Audience Network launch team, King, co-founder of Tripledot, investor at Arcadia — to talk about what actually builds winning game studios.We go deep into:Why Pixelflow explodedWhy Match Villains keeps growingWhy China, Turkey & Vietnam are aheadWhy copying doesn't kill winnersWhy are ads misunderstood?Why execution beats everythingAnd why is there no such thing as an “end game” in your careerThis is not surface-level advice. This is 15+ years of pattern recognition distilled into one conversation.
Most cultural institutions know games matter. Very few know what to do about it. Kristian Volsing is one of the people who figured it out — and built the path in real time.As part of the V&A's contemporary design team, Kristian co-curated Design/Play/Disrupt, one of the most significant museum exhibitions ever dedicated to game design. He navigated studio NDAs, convinced the National Gallery of Art to lend a Magritte for a game show, and flew a colleague to Kyoto — where Nintendo showed her exactly one meeting room.In this conversation, we go deep on what it actually takes to build a sustainable games program inside a cultural institution: why live events beat collection-building as a starting point, how to work with an industry that guards its IP fiercely, and what experimental game designers actually need from institutions like yours. If you're a champion inside an organization who sees the opportunity but doesn't yet have the authority to act on it — this one is for you.(00:00) - Why Cultural Institutions Can't Afford to Ignore Games Anymore (01:36) - Kristian Volsing's Path From Film Student to V&A Curator (05:27) - How a New Director Opened the Door for Digital Design at the V&A (09:20) - Inside Design/Play/Disrupt: Why Depth Beats the "50 Games on a Wall" Approach (17:32) - Nintendo, NDAs, and What It Actually Takes to Partner With Game Studios (27:55) - The Hard Truth About Collecting and Preserving Digital Work (40:50) - Where Your Institution Should Start: Practical Advice From Someone Who Built the Path For more insights, signup for my newsletter.Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts' past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.
The Magic Dojo was the very first major online gathering spot for the Magic community. In this podcast, I speak with its creator, Frank Kusumoto, to talk all about it.
This podcast is a companion to this year's "Nuts & Bolts" column. I talk all about how to slowly add mechanics to your set.
Mobile revenue barely grew in 2025. Downloads fell on both app stores. Meanwhile 200,000+ new games launched across iOS and Google Play. The market is saturated and attention is fragmented.The only category that keeps expanding across downloads, revenue and time spent? Strategy. Especially 4X. Deep systems, high LTV, long retention curves. That's where scale still exists.The lesson is simple. You can launch another puzzle game. You can chase trends. Or you can build depth and monetization power. In 2026, monetization design and category selection matter more than ever.---------------------------------------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 – Strategy Is Still Expanding (Hello Kingshot)00:30 – Fresh Game Launches This Week01:15 – Tencent x Blockblast Talks01:55 – ByteDance Selling Moonton?02:20 – Sensor Tower State of Gaming 202603:05 – 55K Games Launched… Downloads Falling03:30 – Rainbow Six Mobile Goes Global03:50 – Agatha Christie & Survivor Partnerships04:10 – Playtika Earnings Breakdown---------------------------------------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 today's episode we talk about Red Herrings. What are red herrings? Why would you use them? How can these improve your story? What are some pitfalls with using red herrings? 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 episode, we break down War Inc: Rise, the new title from the studio behind Art of War: Legions - a game that previously generated over $150M.The gameplay? Solid.The systems? Efficient.The monetization? Confusing.The UA strategy? Questionable.We dive into:Why War Inc feels like Battle Legion + Lucky Defense combinedHow Fastone Games recycled their old IP smartlyWhy ad monetization is almost nonexistent (and why that's crazy)The missed Applovin opportunityCreative strategy mistakes that cap scaleWhether this can become their next big hitThis game should be scaling 2–3x harder. It's not. And the reason is simple.War Inc is actually good. Clean core loop. Smart recycling of IP from Art of War. Efficient production. Even layered modes like Lucky Defense built in.But here's the problem.They barely monetize through ads. They don't push AppLovin. They're still heavy on Facebook and Google. And their creative playbook looks like 2021.The lesson? In 2026, you can't just build a good game. You need the full growth stack aligned. Miss one piece of the puzzle and you cap your scale.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 LancaricJoin our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 – “Why Isn't This Game Bigger?”02:00 – First Impressions & Battle Legion Comparison06:30 – Core Loop Breakdown (Merge + Army Builder)10:30 – Gacha System Explained (And Why It's Weird)15:30 – Limited Banner Strategy & Power Units18:30 – Lucky Defense Mode Inside War Inc23:00 – Why Co-Op Actually Matters26:00 – Comparing It to Art of War: Legions30:00 – Revenue & Spend Deep Dive ($40K/Day Reality)33:30 – Retention, Payback & Scaling Limits36:00 – Creative Strategy Review (What's Missing)39:00 – The Ad Monetization Mistake41:30 – AppLovin, Blended ROAS & The Missed Scale43:00 – Final Verdict: Great Game, Capped Growth---------------------------------------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 a text“As the four of you move into the open cavern you see a large Goblin on the far side. He turns and raises a club banging his crusty and broken shield. Three more goblins step from the shadows, their bows raised.”Bob who was playing a first level fighter smiled. “This is perfect. Four Goblins against our Four 1st level characters. Let's Do This! I charge forward with a war cry.”20 minutes later as the players all sit in disbelief, their characters dead or dying with no possibility of survival. “What the hell just happened” they mumble as they start working on new characters.What happened is that no matter what the book says about Challenge Ratings, there is no such thing as a balanced encounter.On this episode Mike, Christina and I are going to talk about Balancing Encounters in your games. Why there is no such thing as a balanced encounter and the difference between a Roleplaying and Gaming at the table.Mike, this is your favorite thing to say, so why don't you kick us off.[Kick to Mike]Christina, you are heavy on the story telling side or what I like to call Roleplaying. I know you believe that the only way to balance encounters is between your ears.
I also built a playable during the recording! Playables are no longer optional. If you're running on AppLovin, Unity, ironSource, or any SDK network and you don't have playables, you're leaving scale on the table.https://playablemaker.com/25gamers/ build your playables now!In this solo episode, I break down:• Why top games produce 60 playables per month• The real playable testing structure• Why “just wrapping your tutorial” doesn't work• Template strategy vs gameplay fidelity• How to iterate instead of building from scratch every time• And I built a playable live on cameraThis episode is a teaser for the upcoming Playable Bible.If you want to scale outside Meta/Google/TikTok in 2026, this is mandatory.
In episode 135 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with freelance game designer Kristen Mott, whose game design journey began with creating games for her kids to play at home to supplement homeschooling. We talk about how kids are great built-in playtesters, how her children's interests were her thematic inspiration for designs, what kids learn […]
Explanation of recreating the classic snake game for QBasic called Nibbles in MonoGame.Steps: Moving blocks. Add snake body. Limit snake length. Adding collectibles. Adding levels, Game States. Sound Effects. Title Screen, Options, Pause. Links
AI game creatives just made another massive leap. In this episode, we break down 127 new creatives across Dark War, Top Heroes, Township and more and the quality jump in just one month is honestly insane.We're talking:• Full anime-quality world model sequences• AI influencers everywhere (grandmas, gamers, street interviews)• 50+ completely different “games” promoted under one title• Movie-level 4X fantasy ads• Hyper-niche creative strategy instead of broad targetingThis is not an incremental improvement. This is a structural shift in how UA works. If you run paid UA, creative production, or mobile marketing… this episode is mandatory.
We tend to run long, so this tangent from our Starfleet Academy episode was cut out. If you want to hear a little chatter about comics and RPGs, then it's here.
We tend to run long, so this tangent from our Starfleet Academy episode was cut out. If you want to hear a little chatter about comics and RPGs, then it’s here. [ Full Show Notes ]The post Casual Tangent: Akira and Game Design first appeared on Nerd & Tie Network.
⚔️ O que move o seu jogo? Descubra os Componentes do Game Design! Você já parou para pensar que o seu personagem, o ouro na mochila e até aquele dragão ancião são, tecnicamente, a mesma coisa? No novo episódio do Forja, exploramos o livro Games Without Frontiers, de Aki Järvinen, para entender como os Componentes funcionam como os recursos vitais de uma partida. Eles são a base da motivação dos jogadores e o coração dos desafios que enfrentamos na mesa. Quer elevar o nível do seu design de RPG ou entender melhor a mecânica por trás da diversão? Esse episódio é para você. Apoie nosso projeto em https://apoia.se/rpgnext e ajude o RPG Next a continuar criando conteúdo épico! Marque aquele amigo mestre ou jogadora que precisa ouvir isso. Com a participação de: Rafael 47; Vitor; Padrinho Bruno. Uma produção RPG Next. NOVIDADE!!! Para tornar a sua experiência ainda mais fácil e prática, agora disponibilizamos nossos conteúdos exclusivos do Apoia.se também no Spotify! Assim, você pode acessar tudo em um só lugar, sem precisar alternar entre plataformas. Quer saber como ativar essa opção e ouvir nossos episódios exclusivos diretamente no Spotify? Acesse este artigo com o passo a passo: https://suporte.apoia.se/hc/pt-br/articles/30944727495579-Ou%C3%A7a-%C3%A1udios-exclusivos-da-APOIA-se-no-Spotify Obrigado por apoiar nosso trabalho! Seu suporte faz toda a diferença. Boletim Informativo RPG Next https://bit.ly/boletim-informativo-rpg-next O RPG Next agora tem um grupo oficial no Telegram! Venha trocar ideias, compartilhar suas aventuras e se conectar com outros jogadores apaixonados por RPG. Entre agora e faça parte dessa comunidade épica: https://t.me/RpgNextOficial . Acesse nossos conteúdos antecipados e exclusivos pelo APP do Apoia-se Disponível para Android e iOS! Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apoiasemobile&pli=1 iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apoia-se/id1665747795 Quer jogar RPG sem precisar montar grupo ou preparar nada? Agora você pode! Encontre todas as vagas on-line com Mestres de Aluguel no site do RPG Next e entre de cabeça em aventuras épicas conduzidas por narradores experientes! O serviço é pago e funciona por assinatura mensal, com cobrança exclusivamente via cartão de crédito. ♂️ O Mestre de Aluguel conduz toda a sessão — você só precisa escolher o sistema, montar seu personagem e se divertir! No site, você encontra um vídeo de apresentação e todas as informações sobre como participar, bem como link público para o grupo de WhatsApp de cada Mestre de RPG. Confira as mesas disponíveis agora em:https://www.rpgnext.com.br/categoria-produto/servico-de-mestre-de-aluguel/ https://www.rpgnext.com.br/produto/dungeons-and-dragons-starter-set-heroes-of-the-borderlands/ https://www.rpgnext.com.br/produto/dungeons-dragons-rpg-players-handbook-2024/ https://www.rpgnext.com.br/produto/dungeons-dragons-rpg-dungeon-master-guide-2024/ https://www.rpgnext.com.br/produto/dungeons-and-dragons-monster-manual-2024/ https://www.rpgnext.com.br/produto/dungeons-dragons-rpg-dungeon-masters-screen-2024/ APOIE NOSSA CAUSA! Nosso Plano de Assinaturas do APOIA.SE! Acesse e veja nossas recompensas para os apoiadores. https://rpgnext.com.br/doadores/ COMPARTILHE! Se você gostou desse Podcast de RPG, então não se esqueça de compartilhar! Nosso site é https://rpgnext.com.br, Nossa Campanha do APOIA.SE: https://apoia.se/rpgnext Facebook RpgNextPage, Grupo do Facebook RPGNext Group, Instagram RPG Next Oficial, Bluesky rpgnext.bsky.social, Canal do YouTube, Vote no iTunes do Tarrasque na Bota e no iTunes do RPG Next Podcast com 5 estrelas para também ajudar na divulgação! DEIXE SEU FEEDBACK! Se quiser deixar seu feedback, nos envie um e-mail em contato@rpgnext.com.br ou faça um comentário nesse post logo abaixo. Seu comentário é muito importante para a melhoria dos próximos episódios. Beleza? Muito obrigado pelo suporte, pessoal! Links para MÚSICAS e SFX sob a licença Creative Commons Freesounds.org – https://www.freesound.org/ Tabletop Audio – http://tabletopaudio.com/ Kevin MacLeod em Incompetech – http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free Free PD - https://freepd.com/ Alexander Nakarada - https://alexandernakarada.bandcamp.com/ Free Stock Music - https://www.free-stock-music.com Contato Instagram / Facebook / Bluesky / TikTok / YouTube
In this podcast, I talk about a core element of every design: making sure your creatures can get through and help the game end.
This podcast is another in my quest to record a podcast about every Magic expansion. This time, I talk about Mirrodin Besieged, the second set in the Scars of Mirrodin block and a set with one of the most unique Prereleases of all time.
In this episode of Enterprise Sessions from the University of Bristol, Professor Michele Barbour sits down with Dr. Richard Cole, Lecturer in Digital Futures within the Department of Classics and Ancient History, for a fascinating deep dive into the unexpected synergy between ancient narratives and cutting-edge technology. Discover how Richard's journey from historical fiction to virtual reality and AI-powered gaming led to the creation of the Bristol Digital Game Lab, a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration between academia and the gaming industry. From algorithmic bias to postnatal depression, learn how game jams and immersive storytelling are being used to tackle complex societal challenges.
Send a textWelcome to you heard it here last, where we talk about news, you've already heard.First up we are looking at EN Worlds results from their fan vote Most Anticipated Games of 2026. Malcolm and I talked about our favorites a few weeks ago, but now we have the official results from EN World.https://www.enworld.org/threads/here-are-2026s-most-anticipated-ttrpgs-as-voted-by-you.717141/The top 10 fan voted games are interesting for a number or reasons. We have some new players to the game world, some old favorites getting a face lift and at least one that left me scratching my head.But let's get the Doctor's thought's first. Christina, what stood out to you on EN World's Top 10 List of Most Anticipated Games for 2026.[Kick to Christina]Mike, I know you have opinions, what did you pull from this?[Kick to Mike]In business news Drive Thru RPG announced an increase in it's print on demand prices.https://www.enworld.org/threads/drivethrurpg-print-on-demand-prices-increasing-again.717604/This comes on the heels of last March's almost 50% increase in printing costs. Drive Thru's announcement indicates that there will be a 3 – 5 percent increase in costs for their print on demand service. This increase went into effect on February 1st, 2026. The announcement places the reason for the increase squarely on the shoulders of rising costs of materials, from paper to ink to labor.Mike, I know the printing world is something you keep an eye on, so what observations do you have for the laymen out there wanting to get books printed?[Kick to Mike]Christina, is the future of TTRPG's digital and what does that ultimately mean for the hobby?[Kick to Christina]And there you have it, all the news, you've already heard.
Cheryl Platz, Cheryl Platz, former UX Director for Riot Games, Scopely and Author of "The Game Development Strategy Guide," returns to The Product Experience to explore how video game design principles can transform product development. From her time at Riot Games and Marvel Strike Force to teaching at Carnegie Mellon, Cheryl shares hard-won lessons about player motivation, onboarding, and building products that thrive. Discover why competition is no longer the primary driver of modern gaming, how a children's game taught her about gendered design assumptions, and how she turned a catastrophic server outage into a UX win that made Reddit happy.Chapters06:03 Game development is cloud services plus filmmaking07:08 The problem with silos in game studios08:24 “Modern” games: live service, messy business models, shifting tastes09:58 Defining a game: players decide if you got it right11:41 Motivators of play and why they matter to product people12:26 Disney Friends: the moment a playtest rewrote the design17:19 Classic vs modern motivators: what technology changed20:41 The research that challenged the “games are competition” assumption22:36 Why game lessons translate to enterprise software (and where gamification goes wrong)25:19 Pro-social design: trust, safety and communities at scale28:33 Designing for companionship and shared experiences34:43 Onboarding as growth strategy, not a “nice to have”37:38 Journey mapping 100 levels: making invisible drop-off visible39:25 On-demand learning beats one-and-done tutorials41:58 Advice for people trying to break into games during layoffs44:36 Turning a sixth anniversary outage into a UX win Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.
If the majority of mobile casuals' target audience takes Ozempic, what effect does that have on games? No one's asking these questions, so welcome to the Game Economist Cast. Weight loss drugs, AI copilots, and gambling apps dominated the most expensive media real estate on earth, and games were barely in the frame. In this episode, we unpack what that signal means for interactive entertainment, Eric uncovers Riot's 2XKO downsizing to Google's Genie 3, and the future of engines. Phil previews his GDC talk on the economics of a billion-dollar cosmetic economy, Chris breaks down his attempt to design and publish a trading board game, and we ask a harder question: in a world of Ozempic and infinite AI supply, what actually happens to gaming demand? We discuss: • The 2XKO reset and the economics of niche within niche genres • Team size, burn rate, and why a 160-person fighting game team changes the break-even math • Free to play cosmetics versus box price DLC in a capped DAU genre • Why betting apps can out-monetize most games on ARPDAU • How appetite suppression might reallocate time, spending, and loop sensitivity • Genie 3 and the cost curve of game production • Engines as rule governance layers in a probabilistic content world • Cosmetic economies as foundational theory • Scarcity, signaling, and equilibrium pricing in digital status markets • Price discovery, private information, and turning trade into tabletop play Listen now! Chapters (00:00:00) - Do Dicks Make You Smarter?(00:03:14) - the economics of a billion-dollar game economy(00:05:21) - The Economics of Cosmetics(00:06:29) - Let's Talk Economics with Game Developers(00:08:36) - 2xKo Cut Their Team In Half(00:09:42) - 2xKO: A Niche Within a Niche(00:12:23) - On 2xK's Failed Fight(00:15:53) - Brawlhalla's $200 Million Run Rate(00:18:48) - How to Find Your Love of Gaming(00:20:59) - Do You Think Every Minute Played Playing Video Games Is Being Used for(00:21:49) - Tunic: A Masterclass in Game Design(00:23:41) - June's Journey: The Most Complex Game Ever Made(00:24:24) - June's Journey: The Hidden Objects Theme(00:26:20) - Phil Philonomics: No One Plays Games Together(00:30:28) - I Made a Board Game Without Money(00:33:16) - Super Bowl Gambling(00:34:29) - The Future of AI Ads(00:36:47) - Weight Loss Pills and Gaming(00:43:24) - Do You Think Being a Whales Is Harder Than Being a(00:44:01) - Gambling Apps vs. Sports Betting(00:47:42) - Is AI a Threat to Video Game Companies?(00:54:05) - Will AI Make Games More Cost Effective?(01:00:23) - B2B vs. Mainstream(01:00:39) - Game Economics
In this podcast, I sit down with Jadine Klomparens, the play design lead for Lorwyn Eclipsed, to talk about how the set was structured and balanced.
Every year, my oldest daughter Rachel and I attend BroadwayCon, a convention dedicated to Broadway, and each year I make a podcast about it, taking all the things I learned and comparing them to Magic design. This podcast is about this year's trip.
This week on the pod, I speak with @PamWallsGameDesign about game design, making life work as a full-time independent game designer, and that time she made a game for Bush's chili. Check out The Blue Way: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/790bcea3-7482-4f7c-91cf-dc12da16cfeb/landing?ref=home-pageBeyond 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/All episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.comEnjoy 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
Laptop Radio chats with Brian AI on Why Founders Should Study Game Design.
In this podcast, I sit down with Neale LaPlante Johnson, the creative lead of Lorwyn Eclipsed, to talk all about the worldbuilding for the set.
I spent eight years working on the Pro Tour overseeing the feature matches and final-day video coverage. Those eight years just happened to overlap with the greatest run in professional Magic where Pro Tour legend Kai Budde won seven Pro Tours in five years. This podcast honors Kai, who sadly passed away last week, talking all about that epic run.
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