Four of ours hosts went to the 2024 Game Developers Conference, and we lived to share anecdotes, interesting games we saw, and the highlights (and injuries) of our week! Also, Rob chases down a handful of other lovely devs to tell us the best/h

Going in Blind with Balatro

19 days ago 1h 25m

We're joined by LocalThunk, solo creator of the hypnotic deckbuilder Balatro. We discuss flauting the fashion of a genre and going into development blind, the benefits of balacing by feel, and why Balatro shouldn't exist. Show Notes: Balatro Lo

Harnessing the Algorithm with Eric Chahi

Mar 15th, 2024 1h 26m

We're joined by renowned designer Eric Chahi (Another World, From Dust) to discuss his singularly surreal VR adventure Paper Beast. We discuss building a living ecosystem born from constraints, how the craft has changed over the decades, and th

Striving for Imperfection with Jon Ingold (A Highland Song)

Feb 24th, 2024 1h 35m

We're joined by Jon Ingold, co-founder of Inkle Studios (80 Days, Heaven's Vault) to discuss A Highland Song - a wild adventure through the Scottish Highlands. We chat about creating narrative-driven games without a critical path, allowing play

Celebrating Our 5th Anniversary!

Feb 9th, 2024 1h 27m

We (belatedly) celebrate the 5th anniversary of our show with a sprawling, silly, reflective episode with a full house of hosts! Thanks for listening to us for all this time. <3 Show Notes: Bob Mould Heat: Pedal to the Metal Everest Pipkin's Th

Welcoming Rob!

Jan 30th, 2024 1h 17m

We welcome Rob Dubbin (he/they) as a permanent member of the host pool! We discuss his journey from Late Night into making games, applicable lessons learned in the writers' room, and the importance of making your own shot. Show Notes: Rob Dubbi

Using All of Your Tools with Kevin Poupard (Jusant)

Jan 12th, 2024 1h 42m

We're joined by Kevin Poupard, co-creative director of the beautiful, meditative climbing game Jusant. We discuss the pains and gains of physics, trying something new as a studio, and anthropomorphizing mountains. Plus special guest co-host Mar

Games of the Year 2023

Dec 31st, 2023 2h 54m

We sit down with our newest co-host, writer/developer Rob Dubbin, to each count down our Top 5 games of 2023, alongside picks from previous show guests and our listeners. Happy New Year! Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS): Zach: Super Locomotive Kirby's

Reinforcing Worldbuilding through Gameplay with Spoils

Dec 23rd, 2023 1h 29m

Daria Radu, Ben Wilson, and our very own Douglas Wilson join us to discuss their trick-taking card game Spoils, featured as an optional game within story-driven adventure game Saltsea Chronicles. We discuss the genesis of the game, drawing insp

"Yes, And"-ing Your Design with Albert Birney and Gabriel Koenig (Tux and Fanny)

Dec 13th, 2023 1h 29m

The creators of Tux and Fanny - Albery Birney and Gabriel Koenig - stop by to discuss their existential and hilarious adventure game Tux and Fanny. We discuss collaboration as improv comedy, the benefit of working with people from outside of ga

Plotting a Course with Hannah Nicklin and Harry Josephine Giles (Saltsea Chronicles)

Nov 26th, 2023 1h 23m

We're joined by creative director Hannah Nicklin and writer Harry Josephine Giles to discuss Die Gute Fabrik's beautiful new story-driven adventure, Saltsea Chronicles. We dig into the world-building and construction of the playable ensemble ca

Building Your Own Platform with Zach Gage (Puzzmo)

Nov 12th, 2023 1h 33m

We talk to our very own Zach Gage about his brand new games website, Puzzmo. We talk about player curiosity, newspaper games, Crosswords, and more. Show Notes: Episode 37: Designing Around Language with Zach Gage Puzzmo manifesto AVCX How Hard

Exploring Your Own Landscape with Mars First Logistics

Oct 28th, 2023 1h 14m

Ian MacLarty and Kalonica Quigley join us to discuss their open world physics simulation game, Mars First Logistics. We talk about the tech art behind the game's visual style, the procedurally generated landscape, the humor of the gameplay, and

Thinking Inside the Box with Patrick Traynor (Patrick's Parabox)

Oct 7th, 2023 1h 3m

We're joined by Patrick Traynor, creator of Patrick's Parabox, a mind-bending recursive puzzle game about boxes within boxes. We discuss following your gut to what a game wants to be, being part of the puzzle design community, and our core phil

(Rerun) Maximizing Minimalism with Disc Room

Aug 25th, 2023 1h 39m

We're taking a small summer break, so please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from 2020 with a new introduction from Doug! The ENTIRE all-star Disc Room team - Kitty Calis, JW Nijman, Doseone, and Terri Vellmann - stop by for a rowdy disc-uss

Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol)

Aug 11th, 2023 2h 27m

We're honored to be joined by Gilles De Coster, host of our favorite Belgian reality TV game show - De Mol - to talk about the process, inspirations, and execution of the sublime game design behind its thrilling, subversive challenges. We spend

Developing Your Taste with Abhi (Venba)

Jul 28th, 2023 1h 5m

We're joined by Abhi to discuss Venba - Visai Games' short narrative cooking game about family, love, and loss. We discuss uniting narrative and gameplay, making a very personal game in a commercial industry, and creating a cooking experience w

Making a Case for Intuition with Andrejs Kļaviņš (The Case of the Golden Idol)

Jul 14th, 2023 1h 29m

We're joined by Color Gray Games' Andrejs Kļaviņš to discuss their deeply rewarding detective game The Case of the Golden Idol. We discuss building on the game's cross-media inspirations, finding the 'aha!' moments in playtesting, and trusting

Collaborating in Character with Ashly Burch and Guerrilla Games (Horizon)

Jun 30th, 2023 1h 28m

We're joined by actor Ashly Burch and Guerilla Games' Ben McCaw and Jochen Willemsen to deconstruct their deeply collaborative work on the Horizon game franchise - building the character of Aloy, the role of performance capture, and carving out

Exploring Your Curiosity with Rita Orlov (PostCurious)

Jun 16th, 2023 1h 12m

We're joined by Rita Orlov to discuss her PostCurious catalog of captivating narrative tabletop puzzle games, including her journey from physical and fine art into games, why designers love bouldering, and trusting players to summit her puzzles

Answering Your Questions without a Guest (June 2023 Edition)

Jun 2nd, 2023 1h 33m

Four of our hosts get a little loopy answering questions submitted by our listeners, from how we all met, to our favorite game controllers, to the importance of mechanics vs vibes. We plan to do more of these episides once in a while, so let us

Finding Hope in Loss with Red Hook Studios (Darkest Dungeon II)

May 19th, 2023 1h 19m

We're joined by co-founders Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa to discuss Red Hook Studios' new roguelike road trip of the damned, Darkest Dungeon II. We explore heroism by contrast, the delicate stakes of making an unforgiving game more forgiving

Doubling Down on Intuition with Kenny Sun (Mr. Sun's Hatbox)

May 8th, 2023 1h 5m

We're joined by Kenny Sun (Twinfold) to chat about his slapstick, roguelite platformer Mr. Sun's Hatbox. We talk about the benefits of setting a prototype down for a while, what humor can let you get away with, and trusting your instincts. Show

Loving Mondays with Cosmo D (Betrayal at Club Low)

Apr 21st, 2023 1h 19m

We're joined by Greg “Cosmo D” Heffernan to discuss his IGF-winning, dice-fueled fever dream Betrayal at Club Low. We explore his fascinating journey from making music to making games, balancing for transparency, and letting your love of the pr

On top of the Fires of Hell w/ Daniel Benmergui (Storyteller)

Apr 9th, 2023 1h 14m

We're joined by Daniel Benmergui (I Wish I Were the Moon, Fidel Dungeon Rescue), creator of the narrative-weaving puzzle game Storyteller. We discuss the challenges of designing playful and snappy interaction, wrangling cause and effect, and ma