What topics for a Game Design Podcast? The gauntlet was thrown.

What kinds of topics would you enjoy in a game design podcast? I listen to lots of podcasts, I like teaching, and game design is my thing. So, I'd been giving a lot of thought to creating a game design podcast.

Then, a few days back, I was out cycling with my wife. I nervously told her all about my ideas. I was a bit afraid she might think it was silly - a crazy waste of time. So, then I hesitantly asked for her thoughts. Of course, right then, we rode up to a narrow part in the street, so I fell behind to let the cars go by. When we were finally clear, I pulled up next to her, and she paused. She observed that Christmas is over 4 months away, so there's no reason I couldn't put out 6 episodes before then. Six! And like that, the gauntlet was thrown, once again.

Now, I have a quest. I upgraded my recording equipment, then spent a few days deciding on a first episode. My wife suggested going with a topic that I know REALLY well. That would let me focus on learning how to podcast, without also having to research a new topic. And of course, the topic I've been talking about the longest is the Paradox of Choice - plus, it is practical, has great impact, and has lots of great stories - including being a playtester for Rift. So, I designed it, wrote it, and recorded it. Then, I did more research, sat on it for a few days, and re-recorded it. And, though I'm nervous as heck, I'm also having amazing fun!

It's an exhilarating combination of three things I love: helping others, speaking, and game design. It's all I can think about! And, for episode 2, I think Designing for Feedback, and maybe for ep 3, Breaking Into the Industry. After that though, it's a wide open field. So, I'm reaching out - to see what you'd enjoy hearing about in a game design podcast.

I need some help. The gauntlet has been thrown.

Gigi

PS - Thanks to all the feedback, the podcast is now available in iTunes. Here's web links:
Ep 10 and beyond - too many to list. Web Link.
Ep 9 - What's a Game? I've Got A Great Story - Not Sure What's Next
Ep 8 - Total Biscuit, Experience, and the Indiepocalypse
Ep 7 - Not Your Average Joe - Difficulty, Engagement, and Cookie Clicker
Ep 6 - Dropping the Gauntlet! Build Your First Game
Ep 5 - By Request! The Game Design of Squares, Circles, and Triangles
Ep 4 - Our Most Important Skill? The rocket surgery of Story, Yes ... And, and Charisma
Ep 3 - Level Up! Portfolios, Finishing, and Next Steps
Ep 2 - Flow! The One Idea You Must Know
Ep 1 - How Much is Enough? The Paradox of Choice for Game Design

 

The slightly cheap answer would probably be any of the topics that Extra Credits mention can't be done in a six minute video (or just scratched the surface).

Difficulty and asymmetric balance should be good topics for an episode a piece.

 

I <3 Extra Credits. Great suggestion!
Curtiss

 

How to craft a compelling game loop. There's all sorts of ways it can be done, granted, but I'm sure you could get at least an episode or two out of just that.

 

story & mechanics & how best to achieve balance so that each support the other without destroying that balance. And how to convey/drive story without long cutscenes &/or text walls please.

Crafting a compelling story in bite sized chunks for mobile gaming that can maintain interest over a long story arc (like a comic book sort of thing, 5-10mins, satisfaction from that bit of story, but part of a larger whole that may lead to 3-4hours of your time over the course of the story arc).


If you have any notes from the iterations of games you have done it would be interesting to cover the design cycle through iterations to cover it from the initial concept to where you ended up & why.


Looking forward to hearing the series.

 

AWESOME!

I am looking forward to hearing this, very much so.

Want some topic suggestions, okay here's what I'd love to hear:
-Learning how to Learn Game Developement.
-Hiring Help.
-Getting a Job in the Industry.
-How to Localize Your Game.

 

Freemium vs Ads (& pay to remove ads) vs Pay to own as well please

 

I would suggest getting someone else involved as well, as two people will have different views on things and how to approach, it would keep it interesting and fresh.

 

If you can set up a QA system for your audience, I suggest talking about micro-transactions and having people ask about their ideas for monetization. You'll be surprised how many people think it's a good idea to let players pay for convenience or game speed instead of working that into the game options.

 

Player Retention

 

So many great ideas - monetization, transactions, retention, game loops, getting a job, learning, story, story-arcs, mechanics!!! Love it - you guys rock!

Gigi

 

You got to stop telling your crazy ideas to your wife!

I'd suggest things like crafting the core experiance, getting the scope right, when is a game finished.

 

Oh yeah, planning the size of your first project might be a good idea.

 

I think a podcast on the using social pressure to create a good game as a designer, and how best to use social pressure to create a good gaming experience. Remember, the reason the original Zelda on the NES had so many secrets that were "Guide Dang It!" moments, was to encourage people of the pre-Internet age to talk to each other and swap locations of secrets.

 

I liked this article on design anti-patterns that @Asvarduil pointed out in another thread, but I couldn't understand half of it, because I don't play the games he's referencing and don't even know what all the acronyms mean.

So, you could read through that and expand on those anti-patterns (or others you may know of), and explain them in a way that listeners can understand... there's enough material there to take you halfway through next year!

 

Thanks for the reminder. That is one of my fav LoL posts of all time! If you google, it's also one of the few times that Anti-patterns are discussed in more than a casual way. Could be a fun topic .

Gigi

 

Yeah, I post that one because I find it useful. I've seen games with those anti-patterns being used in ways that are counterproductive to the game in general. While I need to up my game, at least that list gives me ways to avoid completely sucking. Only generally sucking.

 

I wouldn't mind some heavy news of the moment stuff in an insightful way. Unity's forced switch to WebGL for instance and what that really means for the industry, the developers, and the existing content.

Also, guests. I like guests

 

I can break it down for you, g-dawg!

Translation:
Anti-patterns are game design patterns that impede the flow of the game, instead of helping. That being said, while anti-patterns exist, sometimes they can provide fun; many games actually use them when it makes the game more fun.

Anti-Pattern: Power Without Gameplay
Mechanics that are fun, typically require conscious thought from the player, otherwise the benefit of the mechanic isn't properly appreciated. (This has to do with the whole "Active vs. Passive Voice Thread" in no small part.) This can be recognized by an overly-passive mechanic having to be buffed in order for players to see the value of the mechanic. A proposed solution is to keep passive benefits small, but pair them with some active component, like Sona's Auras in League of Legends.

Anti-Pattern: Burden of Knowledge
Noob designers typically require the victim of an ability or mechanic to know all sorts of things about the ability, in order to play around it effectively. Typically, this does not work, because it's counter-intuitive. Now, all abilities require knowing something about the ability. It's possible to help the player by giving good "salesmanship" to the ability (make the effects work intuitive), and obvious options to counter the mechanic.

A dimension of mechanic design, is the ratio of "gameplay" to "amount of knowledge required to exploit said mechanic to its fullest." The first "number" should be bigger than the second.

Anti-Pattern: Unclear Optimization
Pretty much, mechanics should make it clear whether the usage of it succeeded or not. When you don't give good enough feedback, or when the actual impact to gameplay is convoluted enough that a player can't tell if they made a good play, you've bumped your head on a mechanic that provides unclear optimization.

Anti-Pattern: Pattern Mismatches
Mechanics should support the packages that they're delivered in. If you have a Knight in heavy armor, with a sword and bow, it does not follow to give the Knight the best magic spell in the game; everything about the knight telegraphs to the player that they're a durable warrior with limited ranged abilities, not a spellcaster. In short, things need to make sense.

Anti-Pattern: Fun fails to exceed Anti-Fun
No one likes getting smacked, but there are ways to create mechanics that makes the consequences go from being an inconvenience, to actually irritating. Mana Burn mechanics are great examples, as they make you less able to fight back, due to draining a resource. Players, according to this designer, need to have options and recourse, until they actually conclude the series of choices given to them, for whatever reason. (I'm not touching the "What is Fun?" minefield. Oh, no.)

Anti-Pattern: Conflicted Purpose
Mechanics are tools, and as such should have a clear use. When you have an ability that could be debated to be 'correctly' used in a large enough number of situations, you may have a tool that's too complex. Typically players feel creative when they find neat applications for a simple mechanic.

Anti-Pattern: Anti-Combos
A key part of choices are when you have multiple possibilities, each with their own drawbacks. An Anti-Combo occurs, when the player's ability to compete diminishes due to poorly thought-out interactions between abilities. For instance, a crowd control ability that breaks itself, or a character mechanic for the Heavy Knight that prevents his ability to be a good fighter, as a result of fighting. In short, abilities are tools that need to be productive, not counter-productive.

Anti-Pattern: False Choices
A: Deceptive Wrong Choice
A mechanic is a tool that solves some situations. A deceptive wrong choice is a mechanic set up to appear to be a valid answer to some problem, but that no entity in their right mind should ever get affected by if anyone with two brain cells to rub together sees the mechanic in action. The tool in short is actually always wrong, but attempts to pass itself off as valid.

B: Ineffectual Wrong Choice
Similarly, an ineffectual wrong choice comes from a tool that against masquerades as being useful, only to be completely unrewarding. This pattern most often directly leads into the Unclear Optimization and Anti-Combo patterns above.

Anti-Pattern: HAHA UR A N00B LOL!
Insulting the player is just childish. Sure you may laugh at it, but you're still a dick.

Anti-Pattern: Non-Reliability
Mechanics are tools to help players solve problems. When tools are unreliable, they become frustrating, or good things to simply ignore in favor of more reliable alternatives. To compensate, you - again - have to over-buff the mechanic to be useful.

 

How about this logo? It was created by Peter Simon at peterfolio.com.



Gigi

 

Looks good. Maybe some smaller pebbles in the stack to emphasise more the difficulty of gaining & maintaining the balance?

Will you sign off each episode with a game design haiku?

 

I like the image a lot but the text seems thrown on top.

 

One little test: scale it down to about a quarter that size and see how it looks (which is what it's likely to be in a podcast app).

 

Want to see it? I just got the email from Apple - the Game Design Zen podcast is LIVE! (visions of Young Frankenstine - ITS ALIVE! MY CREATION IS ALIVE!) It's got 2 episodes. Thanks for all of your input! Please review, subscribe, or share your thoughts .

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/game-design-zen-design-life/id1028932466

PS - Share in the general discussion forum here.

Gigi

 

Congrats! Downloading now, and I look forward to listening to this on my drive!

 

@Gigiwoo - Thoughts on the first two episodes:

1 - I don't use Apple stuff. I direct linked. (Side-note: want to listen to a podcast without going through iTunes? This SuperUser question has good info; specifically, use this little utility with the iTunes link, to get redirected to the real host of the podcast.)
2 - You've got a pretty awesome voice for podcasting. It works well.
3 - "We're livin' here in Allentown." Why have you not covered that song? You're capable of singing, and doing it well. I was in band for a reason.
4 - I hadn't thought of the idea of an "opportunity cost" for an action. That was very useful.
5 - The "Distraction" as the anti-pattern to Flow. You touched a nerve.

I think that every game design anti-pattern in the article above, was notable because it's a cognitive distraction. "I have this ability, why didn't it work right? This game sucks." "Why does the Knight have the Ultima spell? That's really amateur; this game sucks." "Auras are useless, there's no point to them. Because [class] is built around auras, they need to buff them, otherwise I just won't play that class. Oh, and there are only three viable classes, not the four they mentioned. Ergo, the game sucks."

That's totally the jumping off point for game design anti-patterns; all of those "concrete" anti-patterns start as cognitive distractions, that get more annoying, until you're forced completely out of flow, and the game loses its value to the player as a result.

This is also why mismatched graphics are the earmark of a bad/incompetently-developed game; in The Hero's Journey, my most recent and best game, I had a generally consistent visual style; everything interactable was a 2D sprite, but backgrounds were composed of 3D blocks. While some people didn't like the visuals, it wasn't a deal-breaker; it was internally consistent, they could suspend their disbelief. The trees - those god-awful, face-melting trees - however, always drew a comment or two, and I'm convinced had I taken more time to replace them, and possibly re-design levels to use a better tree, I could have had a slightly better overall rating on THJ. TL;DR - The mother of all "game design anti-patterns" is lack of internal consistency. The evil step-sister of game design anti-patterns is outright deception. If you have to choose between something that's not as [adjective] as you like, and something nonsensical, better by far to go with the thing that's not as [adjective] as you like. If you're tempted to lie to your players, stop and rethink everything.

In the end, what killed THJ as a game was the lack of clear goals and feedback. I relied too much on text that no one bothered to read. Very few players soldiered on to the end of that game as a result. I tried to avoid making the game too difficult, and failed at points on that as well...so, that's also a thing.

 

First off, I'm only interested in hearing about topics you know really well. If you have to do research for more than gap filling / alternate opinions / double-checking then (as a well experienced guy myself) why would I listen to you rather then look those things up myself? (Edit: Actually, I guess this isn't strictly true as long as you can add your own worthwhile spin or interpretation.)

Which brings me to my second point/question: Who's your target audience? What's the goal of the podcast? If you can lock those down in detail then "what topics should I cover?" should be a relatively straightforward research question - "How can I best reach my goal for my audience?" (Of course I'm pretty sure you already know this stuff and that's probably why you're here - the target audience includes us and you're answering your research question by seeing what we're interested in.)

 

I usually just listen to stuff while im working. Maybe you could just upload it to youtube as well since it might be easier rather than having to download something.

 

You don't have to download anything; if you go through the link to Gigi's blog, it has a web player interface that you can just hit play on and listen. (If you want to see how I managed that, simply go to Gigi's Blog, where the podcast is hosted.)

 

Your voice is rather perfect for radio.

Content-wise everything seems a bit drawn out:
- The initial story goes for too long, the point that comes at the end of the story is good, but I started to zone out before you got there.
- You make the same point more times than you need to.

Note this is how it feels for me: I do tend to prefer things that get to the point quickly.

Still very professional product, well done.

- John A

 

Listening now. Great job! As far as feedback goes, I agree exactly with JohnnyA. Having said that, I'm pretty familiar with the subject matter myself, so it may well not have felt that way if it were something I was less familiar with.

 

You guys are kind. Thank you so much for the great feedback. Plus, the guidance that maybe it's too wordy. I've been listening to lots of podcasts - some of they are highly polished, some of them are more conversational. I am still finding my own style.

Gigi

 

I'd love to see some of unity's rock stars as guests.

 

I gotta work up to interviews. Step 1 - learn to spell podcarts! Step 2 - Record one episode. Step 3 - delete dat junk! Step 4 - ?@!?#@1*( - uphill, both ways, in the snow! Step 5 - Start over. Step 6 - Release 2 podcasts, get it live, and toast to small victories! Step 7 - Finish 6 podcasts - "Woot! Dere it is!" - Take that wife! Step 8 - Interview.

Definitely on the list .

Gigi

 

I'm liking the episodes & will pass the link to my design teacher. This is a personal preference but is it possible to put small breaks in, sort of like how TV shows build in cuts where ads can be inserted? I don't want ads but I've found that I've heard something that sets off a train of thought & later find I missed 10minutes as I went down the rabbit hole. Small breaks every 7-10 mins would provide a pause break where I know i can pause without breaking the flow of dialogue, & knowing that a break is coming up means I'm less likely to have my mind wander (again, like TV where we know an ad is coming up so wait until then to go put the kettle on).

 

I think that the podcast is an interestning idea and I like the small stories that come with it.
Aside from what other people have said, I thought I might add some thoughts of my own about it:

- I noticed that the sound sometimes went over the limit, which maybe is because of the microphone you're using? or perhaps it's a setting on the microphone/software? (try changing the gain or maybe add some kind of wind filter?)

- One thing that I think was very good with the flow episode was that you had an image ready to look at for visualisation.
While I had thought of the "flow-chart" before, I didn't really have a physical picture of it until now.
However, I found that it was a bit hard for me to follow your discussion when you wanted me to work with my hands and that section felt a bit more suited for a physical/video lecture, since it would then engage the audience quite well, whereas in this case I felt I lost a bit of focus during that part.

In general I think that this is a very good start and I whish you best of luck with it.

 

I like the concept and enjoyed the episode quite a lot, for me it was a little too long and a little long winded, but that is a style thing and as you say you are finding your style. I think you should experiment with lots of different styles/lengths of episode/pace. The difficulty being different people have different needs here. One suggestion - its a bit more work, but you could edit down to a bite sized summary for the time-poor customers, in addition to your main longer podcast. Kind of like how some papers/magazines have executive summary articles at the front - "leaders". Another suggestion, and this is hard, you should consider experimenting with humour. Its an important minor aspect in many serious podcasts I love such as "freakenomics" or "More or less", not everyone is a comedian, but if you pull it off once per episode you are on to a winner.

Overall very good, your content is excellent, and at the end of the day - that is most important. I particularly look forwards to your episode on flow, useful stuff. There is a lot that could be examined in this podcast - I'd like to hear about how some specific aspects of game design have evolved over time, citing examples of games from past present and future - e.g. the different approaches to interactive dialog over the years - and where it might go in the future, or how designers have managed game difficulty - the evolution away from "N lives" and a score. Loads of scope, you are on to something,

Finally - should we have a thread here to discuss the subject of the podcast, we can all listen to your podcast and then argue (I mean debate) the topic here?

 

This is a good suggestion. As you say in your Flow episode, the human brain is a pattern recognition machine. Tying images to concepts will make it easier to retain those concepts...usually. However, that's still important. If you tie a picture of Mr. T pointing his finger at me, for instance, as the image for "Distraction is the Anti-Pattern to Flow", that's easy - after all, it's hard for a human neck to sustain that much high-specific-gravity metal.

 

I'm still finding my voice. Which makes your feedback doubly awesome. You all rock!

I released a 3rd episode - in iTunes or on the website. This time, I tried to relax - to feel more conversational. It felt more natural. Title: GDZ 003 : Level Up! Portfolios, Finishing, and Next Steps

Gigi

 

Just finished podcast 001. I really like it. It's very interesting.
The only thing I have noticed is your "voice dynamic". To me it sounds like you are telling fairy tale

Keep it up,
Shadow

 

Great way to put it. All of the individual words are spoken a bit slowly and with clear emphasis. That has the up side of making everything sound... well, clear. On the downside I did catch myself thinking "I know where this is going, hurry up and get there!" (Again, being familiar with the subject matter would be an influence on that. If it was new to me the speed might be good as it'd allow me digestion time.)

I like the "fairy tale" description because its the kind of voice and speaking style I associate with reading bedtime stories.

 

I haven't read the whole thread but I have some feedback on the audio side. I hope it's helpful in some way:
You've got some notable clipping in your audio right at the beginning where you say "welcome to the third...". I can't tell if in your setup that is best solved by getting a bit farther away from the microphone or lowering the recording levels. I'd try the last thing first because the distance to the mic affects the sound of your voice and I think that aspect already works quite well. I'd try to record with the levels for the mic set a bit lower and then apply a compressor and maybe normalization in the post effects. Check out the video that xboxahoy did on voicerecording:

Are you using a pop-filter? If not it might be worth a try.

 

"Fairy Tale"? Lulz. I do have a pop filter, and will check out the video. I've been working on ep 4, so I'll use that to check my vol levels. I'm grateful for all the feedback!

Gigi

 

What's the most important skill for game designers? The 4th episode explores the rocket surgery of Communication including Yes ... And, Story, and Charisma. Good communication. Better games!

Web Link ---- iTunes Link

And, cause it's relevant.



Until someone gets hurt, it's all fun and games.
Gigi

 

@Gigiwoo

I found my attention waning at a number of moments and if this is something that isn't just my own personal preference (I have a short attention span), then it may make your broadcast more effective if you speak a bit faster and a bit more naturally. There are some moments: 21:00-21:47, 26:00, 26:30 where you just sound very natural, and I find that in these moments you suddenly re-grab my attention.

Outside of this more 'style' comment...

Dude! You made some sick points! Firstly, the "and" thing. I'm actually going to try to look at using this in conversation. I am probably a major, major offender in the use of "but" and I can see how switching to a more positive word here can really change what someone hears (and effectively what you're saying).

The real winner is the story section. I love it. Breaking down story into those 3 really core, fundamental points is just ... useful. You frame it in a way that's just simple enough to intuitively grasp and immediately apply. The rules correctly apply to games as abstract as Tetris to as narrative heavy as Fallout and almost everything in between.

Good job man.

I would love to hear another episode on communication. Recently, my (largely failed) effort in gamedev has taught me that I communicate poorly. Originally, I wrote some of it off as "I'm bad at ui" but I've been learning that how you communicate with your players is far more than just layout and graphic design. It's really everything, from UX to font choice to mechanics and control, even down to the code itself. All of these things get better if you improve how you communicate your ideas.

 

@frosted - Thanks for the kind words! I'm excited by this week's responses. In fact, I'm rather inspired!

Thank you so much!
Gigi

 

Gigi, some thoughts on the new podcast!

1. I liked how the intro was truncated, and as a result how you broke right into the podcast. It was a nice touch; instead of imitating radio, you were delivering information more efficiently. Props to you.
2. I liked that you provided an outline with times for sections; it makes giving feedback to you easier, as well as allowing me to find parts of interest more easily (especially Story.)
3. I disliked how the Dunning-Kreuger section flowed; I felt the part at the end was more concise than the intro section was, and would have been a stronger introduction. It felt like I had to slog through the admittedly good story of your med school experience, to get to the useful, powerful idea: as a designer, we should ask open-ended, non-guiding questions like "Tell Me" that lets our players tell us about what we've created. I suggest shortening the story to more efficiently deliver the idea, before delivering the name for the idea coupled to the actual idea.
4. I disliked the story section, because I felt that your outline gave more potent direction on creating a story, than how the podcast delivered it. The story part all sort of blended together and didn't feel like it yielded an appreciable conclusion (other than the complaint about "I'm in Blackrock Mountain, and there's a boss...and...ummm...I'm gonna beat him!" as an example of how not to do a story.) Your discourse on stories came off...actually, how my story in The Hero's Journey came off, come to think of it. I hope you share any thoughts or conclusions you have on how better to deliver some idea, there's a chance for two people to improve in one fell swoop!
5. I liked the Charisma tips, particularly the part about nodding less; it's something that I think I do that causes anxiety and a 'rushed' feeling in other people.

All in all, this podcast was a marked evolution from the first three, and I felt those were pretty strong as they were! If I had to sum my thoughts up for you (taking some cues from the thoughts I gave to you just now

1. Get to the point more quickly; the details are useful, but too many are distractions. This breaks the flow.
2. Outlines of where things are in this medium is good for both the listener and you.
3. Topics with interrelated parts could do with being a bit "sharper" in each of their parts; I should be able to easily tell when you're talking about setting up a challenge or question, the emotional struggle, and a galvanizing conclusion with some twist; if it blends together too easily something's wrong. This could be caused by not getting to the point fast enough...
4. Your stories are powerful tools to drive the concepts you're trying to teach home, but be mindful of how much you give! Too much of a good thing, isn't.

 

Gigi my man, this is wonderful. You certainly have that 'radio voice', it certainly sounds nice coming from listening to XFM everyday, with ricky gervais's punch drunk voice. I havent actually finished the first episode yet, but I thought I should make a comment before I listen to them all and then listen to something else and forget to say anything, so I'll guess I'll edit this with my thoughts in a bit. But so far, very very good. Will you later have established guests on, from the forums?

 

@Asvarduil - Thank you kindly for the feedback! I continue to evolve, improve, and most importantly, to push myself to release!

It's a new skill - interviewing is quite different from speaking. I'm researching that now, with the goal of learning how to conduct interviews, which will likely involve a few practice throw-away interviews. When I'm skilled enough, I'll begin interviews!

----

I'm tickled pink by how much I enjoy this, that I've put out 4 full episodes already, and by all of the wonderful feedback. You guys rock!

Gigi

 

I guess a big factor that will go into that is how you want the interview to come across, whether its informal or formal, whether its a series of questions or just game design chatter, theres a lot to it.
I think two examples of the opposite directions you can go in are these, despite not being game dev related.
The co-optional podcast- This is a great example of the very informal interview where its just riffing on base topics which can easily go off tangent to create new topics.
Desert Island discs- You may not have heard of this one, but its kind of an old BBC interview show. The idea of this one is that its quite a bit more formal, where the person being interviewed is always asked the same set of questions, although then smaller questions can branch off the main ones, they do always return to the standard.

Keep up the good work, Im halfway through the flow podcast now