episode

Forging Heroes (Brian Feeney)

We embark on an epic quest as Riot Games' own Brian 'FeralPony' Feeney joins us to share the secrets of designing characters for hero-based games. Do you like MOBAs? Hero shooters? Class-based RPGs? Rad games in general? Then you should listen to this episode!

With Brian's help, we dig into concepting and playtesting new characters, making sure each one stands out in your roster, how to set yourself to effectively balance them after they launch, and much, much more.

Grab your magic sword, pull up a chair, and prepare thyself, for this is our most heroic episode yet!

Questions? Comments? Calls to adventure? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on Apple Podcasts!

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Header image from League of Legends by Riot Games

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episode

Party Games (Matthew Moore)

Let's get this party started! We're joined by friend of the show Matthew Moore (Do Better Games) to discuss what goes into making a great party game — and what the heck a party game even is, anyway. Topics include the importance of quickly teachable gameplay, simultaneous play, and support for large groups of players, along with the variance kinds of creative expression possible in party games.

Questions? Comments? Want to invite us to your party (yes please)? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on iTunes!

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Header image from Drawful by Jackbox Games

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episode

Designing for Narrative (Lucas JW Johnson)

This month we're joined by the brilliant Lucas J.W. Johnson as he gives us a crash course in narrative design! Join us as we learn about the importance of having a consistent theme, how to craft gameplay that makes sense within your story, and the different writing tools available to make sure that every kind of player is able to appreciate your game's narrative.

(Long-time listeners will notice that we already talked about Mysterium back in episode 8. Well... we talked about it again. Maybe we had some new thoughts this time? Hey, it's a free podcast, cut us some slack!)

Questions? Comments? Want to tell us a story of your own? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on iTunes!

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Header image from Divinity: Original Sin by Larian Studios

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episode

Prototyping & Iterating

This month we cover one of the most important skills for a game designer: how to prototype and iterate on your game ideas! We discuss tips for getting something playable at fast as possible, how to run effective playtests, and why killing your darlings doesn't have to be painful, before capping things off by sharing some of the best tools for tracking your game's development.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions for new episode topics? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on iTunes!

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Header image from an early prototype of Asterogue by Real Human Games

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episode

Voices of Game Design

We're doing something a little different this month! Instead of tackling a topic ourselves, we've invited ten of our favorite designers onto the podcast to share their personal game design processes and philosophies. Whether you're interested in mobile games, VR, tabletop games, narrative design, escape rooms, or just listening to talented people share their secrets, you're not going to want to miss this one!

Huge thanks to all of our guests for taking the time to share their thoughts. You can find them online at:

Jonathan Ying - Tabletop game designer (4:35)
Kyle Pulver - Retro-awesome action game designer (10:57)
Laura E Hall - Escape room and live experience designer (15:20)
Owen Harris - VR and experimental game designer (24:25)
Pat Kemp - Mobile and console game designer (28:20)
Alexei Othenin-Girard - Game designer and educator (32:25)
Jacob Burgess - Narrative designer and voice actor (38:50)
Sig Gunnarsson - Digital-tabletop hybrid game designer (43:00)

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