Jan. 9, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E1 - Overwatch and Informational Audio - Sound Design in Games
Since audio is so important to communicate critical information, it needs to be designed neatly. Cluttered audio is confusing to players. We look at examples of audio in Counterstrike and Overwatch to learn about this.
Jan. 16, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E2 - The Catharsis of Doing - Designing Emotionally Intense Experiences
Video games provide catharsis in a very unusual way from film and literature, and understanding how they do that is important for creating deep emotional experiences.
Jan. 23, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E3 - Too Soon?!? - The Challenges of Early Builds and Game Demos
Most of the time in game development, the game isn't actually in a polished and/or playable state until very close to the release date, which is why many studios are reluctant to release early builds or demos even at major marketing events like E3. Learn about the role of the build engineer!
Jan. 30, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E4 - Games You Might Not Have Tried #18 - Game Jam Edition!
Feb. 6, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E5 - The Meaning of Bandersnatch - The Philosophy of Free Will
Bandersnatch wasn't the first interactive film on Netflix, but it attracted a lot of views from its association with Black Mirror and meta-narrative attempts. What kind of commentary does it make about *us* as players and viewers?
Feb. 13, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E6 - Destiny vs. Warframe - $500 Million in Free Marketing
Ironically, many of the marketing promises of Destiny ended up being a great advertisement for Warframe. Although not without its flaws, Warframe has overall delivered a stronger gameplay experience and tonally consistent atmosphere than Destiny did.
Feb. 20, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E7 - The Mechanics of Character Design - Analyzing the Design of Marvel Puzzle Quest
Good character design should successfully capture the fantasy of *being* a particular character. Even with mechanical constraints on gameplay possibilities, compelling characters are still achievable via techniques like ludonarrative resonance.
Feb. 27, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E8 - Games You Might Not Have Tried #19 - Tabletop You Might Not Have Tried
Today we finally delve into tabletop RPGs you might not have tried, with the help of RPG designer Eddy Webb.
March 6, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E9 - Where Do Your Fortnite Dollars Really Go? - The Origin Story of Tim Sweeney
We discovered a fascinating, feel-good story about Tim Sweeney (the founder of Epic Games) and how his love for the forests of North Carolina got him into game development!
March 13, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E10 - Mechanics Shaping Story - Re-examining the Core Gameplay Loop
Good character design should successfully capture the fantasy of *being* a particular character. Even with mechanical constraints on gameplay possibilities, compelling characters are still achievable via techniques like ludonarrative resonance.
Shoutout to Paige from Demiurge Studios for helping us write this episode!
March 20, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E11 - The Importance of Not Playing Games - A Balanced Game Design Education
The famous folks who made the games of our childhood, such as the Legend of Zelda series, were inspired by their own life experiences, rather than referencing previously created games. So why is it so common for young developers to almost entirely rely on these games as their sole templates, rather than designing from a wide variety of real-life inspirations? The rise of “lifestyle games” contributes to this imbalance in how a designer spends their time. Design students should remember to seek out experiences in all their forms, if they want to truly be a crafter of experiences. It’s also a huge part of why Extra Credits often talks about subjects “seemingly” unrelated to game design--they actually do matter in the big picture of a design education. Thanks to Samuel Dassler for guest-writing this episode!
March 27, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E12 - RPG Character Sheets - Designing Gameplay Around Character Customization
As a GM, one of the coolest things you can do for your players is to pay attention to what they spend their stat points and how they build their characters, so you can create more gameplay moments that match what they're looking for (even if they don't consciously realize it!). Thanks to Eddy Webb for guest-writing this episode!
April 1, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E13 - Games You Might Not Have Tried #20 - April 1st Edition!
We bet you REALLY haven't tried some of these undercover hidden gems of the gaming world!
April 10, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E14 - Google Stadia - Is Cloud Gaming For Real?
Announced at GDC 2019, Stadia is potentially an incredible game-streaming technology that will dramatically increase convenient access to games to people all over the world and from all income levels, but will it actually stick? What barriers and hurdles does it face from ISPs and content creators?
April 17, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E15 - Using Narrative as Context - Balancing Gameplay and Story Elements
You can de-emphasize a story without completely removing a narrative from a game. From the Super Mario games to Portal, there are many opportunities for narrative elements to enhance the gameplay and give the player a reason to, well, keep playing!
April 24, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E16 - Technical Debt - Improving the Production Pipeline
Technical debt is what happens when problems caused early on in development aren’t dealt with until later, causing them to be significantly more difficult or expensive to address. They can affect any part of the production pipeline--what do producers need to know in order to correct these project management issues?
May 1, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E17 - Mental Health in Games - How We Can Do Better
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice offers some great examples of how to address mental illness respectfully in games, but we found some other examples in media as well as recommendations by actual psychologists. Many thanks to Heidi McDonald and Dr. Kelli Dunlap for their research and writing for this episode!
May 8, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E18 - Games You Might Not Have Tried #21 - Game Jam "Cycles" Edition!
May 15, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E19 - Game Celebrities - The Role of Game Devs in Pop Culture
Many times, the "game celebrities" we think of are the names of studios and publishers themselves, or just a small handful of historically notable names--but even these names aren't often well known outside of the gaming world. This can result in a general perception of game devs as nameless and unimportant, reinforcing power from the studio heads.
May 22, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E20 - Comfortable Play - Respecting Boundaries in Tabletop RPGs
Having mutual trust at the table means we can use tabletop RPGs to explore ideas that are uncomfortable for us. When the game is run safely, we can use these experiences to help us understand how we would confront these things in the real world, and it can give us an experience to share with others when we leave the role-playing world.
May 29, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E21 - The Kuleshov Effect - Improving Character Interactions in Games
The Kuleshov Effect first came from the world of film, but it has fascinating applications in video games when players interact with non-playable characters. Context, juxtaposition, and emotions can be used in gameplay to create psychological fidelity in addition to the technical fidelity of mocap, voice acting, and artistic design.
June 5, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E22 - Sticking to Your Guns - How the Doom and Dragon Quest Franchises Modernized
Doom (2016) and Dragon Quest XI were successful sequels/reboots with their fans because they focused on modernizing the already loved and proven atmosphere and mechanics of their original games. You don't necessarily need to add in new elements just because other games use them--find what works for your game and for your intended audience.
June 12, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E23 - The History of Roguelike Deckbuilders - From Playing Cards to CCGs and Beyond
Enter an ever-changing world full of legendary encounters and stories. Craft your cards, assemble the perfect deck and defeat the Roguebook itself... or die trying.
June 19, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E24 - Save Scumming - The Game Design of Save Systems
Let's talk about how game saving works, the different types of saved-game systems, and which types of game designs encourage the practice of "save scumming"--which we don't think is inherently a bad thing, but it can feel frustrating to players if they feel like that's their only guaranteed chance of success at a difficult gameplay situation.
June 26, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E25 - Bleed - Exploring Psychological Transference in Games
"Bleed" describes one type of emotional impact games can have on players, where empathy is high and the barrier breaks down a bit between who you are and who you're playing as. We discuss different game narrative techniques to encourage emotional bleed.
July 3, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E26 - Stop Normalizing Nazis - Socially Conscious Game Design
Historical and current political context matters in game design. Don't treat Nazis and terrorists like they are just one of several morally equivalent character skins for players to try on. Rainbow Six Siege is just one example of a game that includes thrilling PvP mechanics without normalizing morally wrong ideologies.
July 10, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E27 - The Disappointing Final Level - Making Better Endings For Better Games
By keeping a consistent tone with the gameplay, tying up all loose plot and character threads, and balancing the emotional payoff with the emotional buildup, games can have amazingly powerful endings that leave us wanting more. We look at some well-done examples like Super Mario Odyssey, Portal, and Silent Hill 2, as well as some weaker examples like the endings of Psychonauts and Assassin's Creed 1.
July 11, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E28 - Magic - Why We Play
We're kicking off a mini-series called "Learning to Play Magic" over the next few weeks to teach you how to play... with a cat! But for today, we're just talking about the design lessons you can learn from playing MTG.
July 17, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E29 - Letters to My Nephews #4 - Playing for the Long Game
Games can teach us to keep a good perspective on life, both when it comes to planning for the future, and when it comes to seeing the current (stressful, struggling) moment in context of its real long-term impact.
July 18, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E30 - Learning to Play Magic #1 - Core Concepts
Today, Zoey (the cat) takes us through an example game of Magic to demonstrate how phases work!
July 24, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E31 - In Defense of Imagination - When to NOT Tell the Whole Story to Players
Beautiful visuals and spell-binding stories can be found in games even without photorealistic, over-wrought intensity. We look at examples like Undertale, Dark Souls, and even Overwatch as examples of how "imagination gaps" can be intentionally designed as a jumping-off point to engage the player even more than if everything was laid out at the start.
July 25, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E32 - Learning to Play Magic #2 - What's in a Color?
Today, we dig into the lore, personality, and philosophy of all the different Magic colors, as a prelude to strategy.
July 30, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E33 - Learning to Play Magic #3 - The Stack
What is the stack? It's the mechanic that determines the order in which cards are played or take effect--how do we use this to our advantage to defeat Zoey? (Or, can we?)
July 31, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E34 - Mixed Success - Winning and Losing in Tabletop Roleplaying Games
Tabletop roleplaying games don't have an overall "win" or "loss" condition, but they do have individual moments of wins and losses that can be exaggerated and customized for more engaging gameplay.
Aug. 7, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E35 - Game Jam #4 Showcase - Theme: Connect
Aug. 8, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E36 - Learning to Play Magic #4 - Building a Deck
We talk about different MTG deck-building strategies and styles like aggro, control, combo, and mid-range--and of course, the most important strategy of all: have fun!
Aug. 14, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E37 - Diegetic UI - Realistic, or Distracting?
What makes a good UI and a good HUD? Can you make narratively immersive UI that doesn't end up distracting or confusing the player? Is it okay to just make "boring" UI?
Aug. 15, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E38 - Learning to Play Magic #5 - The Psychology of Magic: The Gathering
Learn how to read the state of the game board and predict your opponent's probable next moves based on what they just played!
Aug. 21, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E39 - The Prisoner's Dilemma - The Game Theory of Decision-Making
Why is cooperation so difficult? Why do people make choices that seem to be worse for everyone involved, including themselves? Welcome to The Prisoner's Dilemma.
Aug. 28, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E40 - Content Curation - Why Digital Game Stores Are So Selective
We discuss the various design considerations that go into running a digital games storefront, from functionality to relevancy, and shed some light on the game certification process for consoles in particular.
Sept. 12, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E41 - A Rebuilding Year - Navigating the Ups and Downs of Creative Careers
Games teach us that it's okay to make mistakes, that we'll inevitably mess up in the game just like we mess up in real life. How does one pick themselves back up after an unexpected disappointment, crisis, or failure in achieving their creative goals?
Sept. 25, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E42 - The Real Core Loop - What Every Game Has In Common
We've talked about specific core loops of games before, but there's a core loop that every game shares: The Real Core Loop. Very creative name, I know. But understanding this loop can help reveal what kind of game you're creating & how to minimize frustration on the player's end.
Oct. 2, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E43 - User Generated Content - The Upsides and Pitfalls to Level Editors
User-generated content is one of the top ways to engage players and adds a lot of replayability to a game but it comes with some challenges. How do you ensure that players see the cream of the crop and allow players to bring their own unique perspective to the game? How do you make modding tools accessible to players?
Oct. 9, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E44 - The Kobayashi Maru - No-Win Scenarios in Games
Ah, the infamous Kobayashi Maru. The no-win Star Trek scenario is actually more common in video games than you might think. When games employ random elements, you increase the odds of creating a scenario where before the player even touches the controller, they have already lost. That must be a huge game design mistake, right? Well... It's not always so simple.
Oct. 16, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E45 - Did Level Scaling Break Games? - Leveling in Open World Design
With whole new worlds open for exploring, game designers ran into a quick problem: how do you make sure new players don't run into a difficulty brick wall, and experienced players don't have to wade through trash mobs? Games like Oblivion and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey tried to fix this problem by simply scaling enemy difficulty to grow along with the player. But is that really the best solution? Or does level scaling doom open worlds to a same-y slog?
Oct. 23, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E46 - Reciprocity in RPGs - How to Share the Spotlight
Welcome back to our guest writer Eddy Webb! After his last episode, Eddy's been doing some thinking about failure in tabletop RPGs. More specifically, how failure can bring everyone at the table closer together. How? Through the principle of reciprocity. Letting yourself fail can help let another player shine and just by offering the spotlight to someone else, you can build a better play experience for everyone.
Oct. 30, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E47 - The Perfect Horror Protagonist - Writing a Character for Fun & Terror
For All Hallow's Eve, we're reviving an old episode from the dead: How to make a proper horror protagonist! It's been six years since we've talked about horror protagonists and the games industry has given us more examples of prime horror examples. So let's talk about the main points you should follow to write up a great horror protagonist.
Nov. 6, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E48 - Game Jam Showcase #5 - Passage
Nov. 13, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E49 - Get Hired: Portfolio Design - How to Build a Portfolio
If you want to get a job in the games industry (or most any creative industry for that matter), then you’re going to need a portfolio. Why? Because they’re the second step towards getting you an interview. So we're going to teach you some of the basics when it comes to putting together that amazing portfolio for the dream job!
Nov. 20, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E50 - Credits are not "Extra" - Why Game Credits Matter
It's important to give credit where credit is due, but doing so might be trickier than some people might realize. Games take a long time to create and people may come and go on a project or be moved around to different departments. And the lead artist in one studio might not do the same tasks as a lead artist in another studio. This all makes credits very complicated! But that doesn't mean we can give up on credits either. Credits should not be "extra".
Nov. 27, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E51 - Loading Screens - The Waiting Game
Nothing is more frustrating than a game crashing behind a loading screen, or the game grinding to a halt as you have to travel in-between areas. Even as tech gets stronger, our games get bigger, so it doesn't look like loading screens are disappearing anytime soon. But do they have to kill the pacing of the game and bore your player to death? We don't think so! We talk about a few examples of loading screens done right and how to engage your player during the waiting game.
Dec. 4, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E52 - Imposter Syndrome - Fake It Till You Make It
Imposter Syndrome is the psychological phenomena of thinking that you're less capable or deserving of your achievements that you are, leading you to think that you must have "fooled" your way into your position or success. And it is SUPER common in creative fields, including the game industry. Where does this phenomena come from, why is it so harmful, and how can we prevent it?
Dec. 11, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E53 - Because Games Matter - J.J.'s Story
J.J. was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was 7. The hospital can be a scary place for a child, but it was in C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital that J.J. was introduced to video games. An activity therapist named Jerry Reed presented J.J. with Pitfall. Video games impacted J.J.'s life so profoundly to the positive, J.J. became a Certified Child Life Specialist at the very same hospital, 20 years later.
Dec. 18, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E54 - Because Games Matter - Victoria's Story
Victoria was always a curious child, but an undiagnosed anxiety disorder and ADHD gave her a rough start. It was difficult to make friends and at school she was known as the weird kid. After she was diagnosed, medication helped! But she still struggled socially. But after her parents read about Game to Grow, they decided to give it a shot. D&D allows kids like Victoria to explore social situations in a structured, no-risk environment and soon, Victoria was breaking out of her shell.
Dec. 25, 2019, midnight 0.0
S10E55 - Because Games Matter - Jacob's Story
Our final story also comes from C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Jacob was born with primary ciliary dyskinesia which means spending an hour every day receiving treatment to help prevent lung infections. During those treatments, Jacob was able to help pass the time by playing games. But when a tumor was found in Jacob's kidney, he had to stay at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. The week leading up to surgery was long, boring, and isolating. But the Child Life Specialists at the hospital changed all of that by visiting with toys and games. Games that gave Jacob something to look forward to and helped give Jacob hope.
