Season 4 2013

This week, we address the rather large reaction to our previous episode.

This week, we talk about the importance of balancing a game's Depth and Complexity.

This week, we explain why settling on a story before you've started your game may be a bad idea.

This week, we do a (somewhat premature) Horror Monsters episode.

This week, we begin a series on the potential for game industry growth in new regions around the world. First up: Brazil!

This week, we entertain ourselves by pondering the question: "Should we fund a real-life Xcom?"

This week, we conclude our musing on the need for a real XCOM program.

This week, we discuss some basic story principles as they apply to games.

This week, we continue talking about effectively handling exposition in games.

This week, we explain the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.

This week, we enjoy some speculation on Sony's Playstation 4.

This week, we discuss two fundamental game design principles (the ones in the title).

This week, we begin a three week series on various topics relating to Telltalle's The Walking Dead.

This week, we talk about one of The Walking Dead's major themes.

This week, we conclude our little series about The Walking Dead's numerous strengths.

This week, we list off a few more interesting games you may not have looked into yet.

This week, we talk about how to make good stealth games.

This week, we take a look at some more Latin American nations and their potential for game industry growth.

This week, we examine the pros and cons of Firefall's loot system design.

This week, we discuss how members of the gaming community treat each other.

This week, we talk about an early example of games attempting to push boundaries and do good.

This week, we discuss the need to change the conversation around video games.

This week, we discuss Bioshock Infinite and the problem with clinging to "the brand"

This week, we discuss how to make a game challenging, yet still enjoyable.

This week, we talk about how games can be a shared experience between kids and their parents.

This week, we talk some more about the used games issue.

This week, we lay out some basic guidelines for designing a game on touch devices.

This week, we try to figure out why it is we cherish that "retro" era of games so much.

This week, we return to the subject of Game Compulsion and its causes.

This week, we offer some tips on how to be a successful indie game developer.

This week, we discuss some of the difficulties of integrating games into our education system.

This week, we discuss the importance of board games in the study of game design.

This week, we discuss a handy method for broadly defining one's characters.

This week, we bring you a fresh batch of interesting games worth checking out.

This week, we kick off a series of episodes on Choice in games.

This week, we discuss the use of the illusion of choice in game design.

This week, we attempt to reframe the question of how much choice a game needs to successfully engage the player.

This week, we conclude our month-long discussion of Choice in video games.

This week, we familiarize ourselves with an often-ignored game genre.

This week, we examine the difficult challenge of storytelling in a competitive game space.

This week, we discuss the increase in franchise scale and spectacle over time.

This week, we pull out some creepy games you REALLY may never have heard of.

This week, we begin a two-part series on the Collectable monetization model.

This week, we continue our discussion of Collectable Games, their benefits and their potential dangers.

This week, we discuss the under-appreciated role of the Community Manager.

This week, we discuss the debate over what does and doesn't qualify as a "game".

This week, we start a series looking at design problems in the US political system.

This week, we continue our series about design problems in the U.S. political system.

This week, we conclude our series on design problems in the US political system.