Design Thinking Games
Design Thinking Games is an indie game design, play-testing, and user experience podcast that examines the player experience of different types of games.
Episodes
Listen now (26min) | In their fourth season finale, our heroes reflect on the complexities and achievements of their journey in game design. They discuss their experiences making 'Thirst,' and share their insights and aspirations. What happens next changes everything. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 00:15 - Reflecting on Our Game Design Journey
- 01:32 - Thirst Game Development Updates
- 03:25 - Futur...
Listen now (42min) | Our heroes in the final interview of the season clamber before Isaac Vega of the Rose Gauntlet Foundation, who shares his 13-year journey in the board game industry, transitioning from a game designer to a publisher. The Rose Gauntlet Foundation's mission is to foster diversity and inclusivity within the gaming community. He offers insights into the financial and strategic aspects of game publishing and em...
Listen now (50min) | Our heroes encounter Sabrina Culyba, a seasoned game designer and founder of the studio Ludoliminal. Culyba shares her journey from designing digital games to creating board games, emphasizing her passion for experience design. She speaks about her first published game, Diatoms, and imparts a crucial lesson: the importance of crafting memorable experiences, whether digital or analog. Culyba's narrative inc...
Listen now (34 min) | John De Campos, founder of Terrible Games, shares his journey from a comic book-obsessed child to an independent board game publisher, designer, and illustrator. Our heroes glean insights on the comparisons between self-publishing and traditional publishing, and the creative collaborations involved, into building a brand, maintaining a small business, and the importance of community and collaboration in c...
Listen now (31 min) | Midway on their journey, our heroes are reality-checked by Luis Alejandro Martinez Flores (LAMF Games), the creator of Fluffy Dragons. He recounts his pivot to a simpler, more accessible, easier-to-produce game after industry research. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 00:07 The Birth of Fluffy Dragons
- 00:25 From Heavy to Light: Game Design Journey
- 01:52 Earl...
Listen now (35 min) | TIn this episode, our heroes embark on a creative odyssey, gleaning insights from Jack Malacat’s unconventional journey into game design. They unravel the tapestry of Malacat’s experiences, from hosting lively parties to crafting the darkly engaging ‘Serial Killer’ game, navigating the realms of business and imagination. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 00:00 - Introduction to...
Listen now (41 min) | This fork in the road takes our heroes before an aspiring professional gamer to understand the core element of the player experience: the player. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 00:00 - The Man, the Brand, the Gay Edgelord
- 01:10 - Baby Chad’s Exposure to Games
- 02:02 - Zelda Left the Right Impression
- 02:50 - The Physicality of Early Video Games
- 04:20 - How the Dynamic of Chad’...
Listen now (34:50 min) | For Why Games' founder advises our heroes to endeavor to provide real value to one's community so that the community will turn out. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 00:37 - Kervin discusses his journey into TikTok and board game design
- 01:31 - Inspiration for creating a Allow Me to Mansplain
- 04:52 - Why "For Why Games"?
- 06:21 - Marsh Hallow
- 09:07 - Explanation of roll-and-...
Listen now (38:36 min) | A clear path forward to funding begins to emerge, but it is a long road. Our heroes sit at the feet of the designers of X: Seekers of Fortune, Joel and Danny (Mega Moth Studios), who have been on this journey much longer, and have much to share. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 00:27 - Mega Moth Studios
- 01:58 - Navigating creative differences
- 04:50 - First principles and th...
Listen now (33 min) | There is much for our heroes to learn, so first they must seek out Hannah Strack - the Supreme Design Queen, creator of Trash Cult - and pay homage. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 00:22 - Trash Cult
- 01:07 - Starting FoxHen Creatives
- 08:57 - Marketing a game
- 12:53 - Talking numbers around marketing and ad spend
- 17:53 - How to get in contact with FoxHen Creatives
- 18:55 - D12 <...
Listen now (21 min) | Thought surely dead, our heroes return from the Outer Rim to kick off a new season of game-design interviews. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 00:34 - Game of the Year
- 02:20 - Tim on Super Mario Brothers Wonder
- 03:56 - Michael on Baldur's Gate 3
- 04:26 - Our Tiktok algorithms
- 05:48 - What we've been playing
- 06:42 - Tim on Dave The Diver
- 08:50 - Thirst, our game!
- 11:01 - What t...
Listen now (41 min) | After playing a game with the three-headed dragon, and dreaming that night of LARPing, our heroes wake to find an old man Matthew Visyak who says, "It's dangerous to go alone!" Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 04:13 Final Fantasy
- 06:01 Breath of Fire 4
- 06:28 The Last Ninja
- 06:40 Simon's Quest
- 12:33 Dice Invasion
- 12:49 It's Kind of a Fun Story
- 13:39 Gloomhaven
- 23:57 The ...
Listen now (19 min) | Design Thinking LARPing is a fully immersive, fully cast, tongue-in-cheek radio play about LARPers taking over a gaming convention. Join Tim, Michael, and Rapid Protobot on this adventure. Read the transcript.
Support the show on Patreon!
Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast.
Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames.
Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames.
Tim Broadwater is @uxbear on Twitte...
Listen now (61 min) | Heeding the warning from the space wizard, our heroes make camp for the night in a nearby cave. They soon discover that the cave is inhabited by a three-headed dragon named PopHaus, who just wants to play a new game called It's Kind of a Fun Story! Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 02:44 Final Fantasy VII
- 03:30 Crash Bandicoot
- 04:06 Dream Phone
- 05:22 Mouse Trap
- 09:06 Animal Cros...
Listen now (53 min) | After parting ways with their old friend, our heroes travel until they encounter Connor Wake, a tabletop game wizard from outer space! Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- The Mind
- Roads & Boats
- Scythe
- Framework
- Into the Breach
- Herbacious
Support the show on Patreon!
Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast.
Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames.
Subscribe on Twitch ...
Listen now (62 min) | On their epic quest our heroes encounter an old friend, Aaron H., and they talk about his recent gaming conquests in Stillfleet. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- Stillfleet
- The Rain Thieves
- Dune
- Float City
- Fun City Podcast
- Strings
- Roll 20
- Malinger
- Robot Factory
- The Art of Game Design: Book of Lenses
- The Game Design Workshop
- Candyland
- Moats in the Eye
- Splendor
- Galaxy Trucker <...
Listen now (48 min) | Bidding the family of designers good morrow, our heroes find respite, a cozy moment to decompress with Scalisco Games founder Dan Scalise and talk about their new game: Corgi's Cozy Hike. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 00:59 Dog Gone Seattle.
- Lots: Corgis Cozy Hike
- 1:26 Candy Crush
- 02:53 Final Fantasy
- 03:11 Game of Thrones board game
- 03:11 Avalon
- 03:11 Resistance
- 03:28 Among...
Listen now (54 min) | As our heroes sneak their way past the battlefield, they encounter a small family of game designers. Laura Rodriguez and daughter Adriana Bailey discuss the making of their new game Dice Invasion. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 01:53 Theater LARP
- 07:18 Designing a LARP
- 10:13 Aspire SRD
- 11:00 Caltrop Core
- 16:24 Her Odyssey
- 19:35 Solo-Journaling RPGs
- 21:47 Galatea
- 25:07 Diversi...
Listen now (57 min) | With the Forest of Trees behind them, we stumble upon a battle - but a mysterious game designer on the periphery explains that it's just a Boffer LARP. S. Kaiya J. discusses game design, the Aspire SRD, Diversity Saves, and the complexity of LARP design. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 01:53 Theater LARP
- 07:18 Designing a LARP
- 10:13 Aspire SRD
- 11:00 Caltrop Core
- 16:24 Her Odys...
Listen now (60 min) | As our heroes just set out on their new gaming quest, they encounter Nick Finck, "The Director of the Forest of Trees." Nick discusses being a UX professional, advisor, mentor, coach, speaker, and founding Craft & Rigor. Read the transcript.
Things discussed on this episode:
- 15:25 Dungeons & Dragons: First Edition
- 19:37 Mazes and Monsters
- 21:02 The Real Housewives of D&D
- 21:39 Digital D&D
- 21:51 D&D ...
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