Jan. 9, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E1 - God Does Not Play Dice
This week, we address the rather large reaction to our previous episode.
Jan. 17, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E2 - Depth vs. Complexity
This week, we talk about the importance of balancing a game's Depth and Complexity.
Jan. 23, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E3 - How to Start Your Game Narrative
This week, we explain why settling on a story before you've started your game may be a bad idea.
Jan. 30, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E4 - The Beast Macabre
This week, we do a (somewhat premature) Horror Monsters episode.
Feb. 6, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E5 - Global Games: Brazil
This week, we begin a series on the potential for game industry growth in new regions around the world. First up: Brazil!
Feb. 13, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E6 - Funding XCOM (Part 1)
This week, we entertain ourselves by pondering the question: "Should we fund a real-life Xcom?"
Feb. 20, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E7 - Funding XCOM (Part 2)
This week, we conclude our musing on the need for a real XCOM program.
Feb. 27, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E8 - More Than Exposition
This week, we discuss some basic story principles as they apply to games.
March 6, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E9 - Word Choice
This week, we continue talking about effectively handling exposition in games.
March 13, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E10 - Intrinsic or Extrinsic
This week, we explain the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.
March 20, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E11 - Why Console Specs Don't Matter
This week, we enjoy some speculation on Sony's Playstation 4.
March 27, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E12 - Differences in Scale vs Differences in Kind
This week, we discuss two fundamental game design principles (the ones in the title).
April 3, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E13 - Raising the Dead
This week, we begin a three week series on various topics relating to Telltalle's The Walking Dead.
April 10, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E14 - For Whom the Bell Tolls
This week, we talk about one of The Walking Dead's major themes.
April 17, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E15 - Minority
This week, we conclude our little series about The Walking Dead's numerous strengths.
April 24, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E16 - Games You Might Not Have Tried #5
This week, we list off a few more interesting games you may not have looked into yet.
May 1, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E17 - Like a Ninja
This week, we talk about how to make good stealth games.
May 8, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E18 - Global Games: Mexico, Argentina & Chile
This week, we take a look at some more Latin American nations and their potential for game industry growth.
May 15, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E19 - The JCPenney's Effect
This week, we examine the pros and cons of Firefall's loot system design.
May 22, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E20 - Toxicity
This week, we discuss how members of the gaming community treat each other.
May 29, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E21 - Dansky
This week, we talk about an early example of games attempting to push boundaries and do good.
June 5, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E22 - Moving Forward
This week, we discuss the need to change the conversation around video games.
June 12, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E23 - In Service to the Brand
This week, we discuss Bioshock Infinite and the problem with clinging to "the brand"
June 19, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E24 - When Difficult is Fun
This week, we discuss how to make a game challenging, yet still enjoyable.
June 26, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E25 - Not a Babysitter
This week, we talk about how games can be a shared experience between kids and their parents.
July 3, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E26 - Used Games
This week, we talk some more about the used games issue.
July 10, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E27 - Designing for a Touch Screen
This week, we lay out some basic guidelines for designing a game on touch devices.
July 17, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E28 - A Little Bit of Yesterday
This week, we try to figure out why it is we cherish that "retro" era of games so much.
July 24, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E29 - Game Compulsion (Part 3)
This week, we return to the subject of Game Compulsion and its causes.
July 31, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E30 - So You Want to be an Indie
This week, we offer some tips on how to be a successful indie game developer.
Aug. 7, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E31 - Games in Education
This week, we discuss some of the difficulties of integrating games into our education system.
Aug. 14, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E32 - A Case for Board Games
This week, we discuss the importance of board games in the study of game design.
Aug. 21, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E33 - Myers Briggs and Character Creation
This week, we discuss a handy method for broadly defining one's characters.
Aug. 28, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E34 - Games You Might Not Have Tried #6
This week, we bring you a fresh batch of interesting games worth checking out.
Sept. 11, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E35 - The Feeling of Agency
This week, we kick off a series of episodes on Choice in games.
Sept. 18, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E36 - The Illusion of Choice
This week, we discuss the use of the illusion of choice in game design.
Sept. 25, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E37 - How Much Agency Do Games Need?
This week, we attempt to reframe the question of how much choice a game needs to successfully engage the player.
Oct. 2, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E38 - Negative Possibility Space
This week, we conclude our month-long discussion of Choice in video games.
Oct. 9, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E39 - Overlooked
This week, we familiarize ourselves with an often-ignored game genre.
Oct. 16, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E40 - Competitive Storytelling
This week, we examine the difficult challenge of storytelling in a competitive game space.
Oct. 23, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E41 - Spectacle Creep
This week, we discuss the increase in franchise scale and spectacle over time.
Oct. 30, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E42 - Games You REALLY Might Not Have Tried
This week, we pull out some creepy games you REALLY may never have heard of.
Nov. 6, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E43 - Collectable Games (Part 1)
This week, we begin a two-part series on the Collectable monetization model.
Nov. 13, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E44 - Collectable Games (Part 2)
This week, we continue our discussion of Collectable Games, their benefits and their potential dangers.
Nov. 20, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E45 - Community Management
This week, we discuss the under-appreciated role of the Community Manager.
Nov. 27, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E46 - What Is a Game?
This week, we discuss the debate over what does and doesn't qualify as a "game".
Dec. 11, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E47 - Incentive Systems and Politics (Part 1)
This week, we start a series looking at design problems in the US political system.
Dec. 18, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E48 - Incentive Systems and Politics (Part 2)
This week, we continue our series about design problems in the U.S. political system.
Dec. 25, 2013, midnight 0.0
S4E49 - Incentive Systems and Politics (Part 3)
This week, we conclude our series on design problems in the US political system.
