Ludology

In this special GameTek, Geoff sits down with Micha Le Bourhis of Asmodee Research to discuss how Asmodee scientifically studies people's interactions with board games. For more information, go to the Asmodee Research website here (French only, at the time of this episode release): https://www.game-in-lab.org/

Elizabeth Hargrave (@elizhargrave) joins Gil and Emma to discuss the design of her hit strategy game Wingspan. We start by discussing engine-building games, but we'll also touch on the benefits of a rigorous playtest schedule, the best ways to prepare a prototype, scaling to a good player count, working with Stonemaier Games, and the range of things people can really say with flowers.

Scott tells us about Icehouse, the real-time game that's celebrating its 30th birthday this year, and whose distinctive plastic pyramids launched an entire game system.

Jeroen Doumen, co-founder of Splotter and co-designer of games Food Chain Magnate, Antiquity, and Roads & Boats, joins Gil and Emma to discuss the design of unforgiving games. What choices do you have to make when making a game that can be harsh to mistakes? We also talk about testing, publishing, and of course, hamburgers. You can reach Jeroen by emailing him at [email protected].

Geoff discusses an unusual and somewhat tragic condition in sports called "The Yips." Is it mental, or does it have a physiological basis?

Gil, Emma, and Scott talk about fun and meaning in games. What is fun, and how can we achieve fun in our games? What are games that try to balance fun within a more serious topic? And how about games that are not meant to be fun at all; how do they provide meaning for their players? During the episode, Scott discusses Marc LeBlanc's 8 Types of Fun, which you can read more about here: https://theangrygm.com/gaming-for-fun-part-1-eight-kinds-of-fun/ Note: In the last 20 minutes of the episode, be advised that we discuss games that deal with traumatic subjects, like the deaths of close family members.

Scott discusses the history of the legendary deduction game Cluedo.

After 200 episodes, Geoff has decided to step back from Ludology to focus on game design and book writing. So we've gathered previous co-hosts Ryan Sturm and Mike Fitzgerald, as well as future co-host Emma Larkins and future contributor Professor Scott Rogers, for a big slam-bang going away party! You'll continue to hear Geoff with his GameTek segment every 4 weeks. And if you'd like to stay in touch, follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gengelstein

Geoff discusses the art of x-ray diffraction, and how it relates to board games.

Gil and Geoff discuss uncertainty in games, using Greg Costikyan's _Uncertainty in Games_ as a guide. What kinds of uncertainty are there in games? How do they affect the game experience?

Scott takes a deep dive into the twisted and fascinating history of the game Othello.

Gil and Geoff are delighted to be joined by Anthony Giovannetti, one of the designers of the popular video game Slay the Spire, a deck-building rogue-like dungeon crawl. How did the board game concepts of deckbuilding translate into a computer game? What advantages did the solo roguelike format give the designers?

Geoff takes a look at the long history of drinking games.

Gil and Geoff welcome Mikael Jakobsson and Rick Eberhardt from the MIT Game Lab to discuss their research into colonial themes in board games, and the game design workshops they run in former colonial countries.

Scott Rogers is back with a new Biography of a Board Game, this time looking at Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity.

Gil and Geoff welcome guests Allison Parrish and Tim Szetela, designers of Rewordable, to discuss word games. What particular design techniques are required for this type of game?

In this GameTek, Geoff explores the connection between Ritual and Play.

Gil and Geoff discuss valuation within games - what are the different ways of determining resource value? How does value flow and change over the course of play?

In this new interview, Geoff talks with Nolan Bard from Google Deep Mind and Jakob Foerster from Oxford University about their proposal to use the card game Hanabi as the next frontier in Machine Learning and AI research. The original paper can be found at https://arxiv.org/abs/1902.00506.

Gil and Geoff are live at ToyFair NY with the designer of Fog of Love, Jacob Jaskov. What was his development process like for this innovative design? What does that tell us about creating narrative inside games?

Scott Rogers is back with the biography of Merchant of Venus!

Gil and Geoff welcome back Stephen Buonocore from Stronghold Games for their traditional annual State of the Industry discussion. What trends did we see in 2018? What do we see for the future of tabletop gaming?

In this classic GameTek Geoff talks about ties and tie-breakers. What makes a good tiebreaker?

Gil and Geoff talk about Game Loops and how they can be designed to accomplish a variety of goals.

In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about the work of Thomas Schelling.

Gil and Geoff welcome Scott Rogers to discuss party games. What features make for a good party game? What are the dos and don'ts for designers?

Scott Rogers is back with Part 2 of his Eurogame-Ameritrash series!

Gil and Geoff discuss the idea of Ludonarrative Dissonance. What is it? How can it sink a game or make it soar?

In this classic GameTek, Geoff looks at the criminally under-used "I Cut, You Choose" mechanism.

Gil and Geoff are joined by game and puzzle designer Mike Selinker to discuss the relationship between puzzles and games.

Scott Rogers takes a look at the origin of the term "Eurogames".

Gil and Geoff welcome designer Corey Konieczka to discuss his new "Unique" game, Discover: Lands Unknown. What is it like to design a game that will have a unique combination of components in each copy? How does it impact playtesting and production? Duration: 47:14

In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a look at a recent study about who wants to play games - and why.

Gil and Geoff take a look at game balance. What is it, exactly? Duration: 54:34

In a spooky Biography of a Board Game, Scott Rogers takes a look at Chill: Black Morn Manor and Betrayal at House on the Hill.

Gil and Geoff are joined by Isaac Vega, designer of Dead of Winter and Neon Gods to discuss ways to integrate story into the board games. Duration: 55:25

In this classic GameTek, Geoff dives into the details of the AI that defeated the top poker players on the planet.

Gil and Geoff discuss hard incentives vs soft incentives. What makes people want to play a game? What makes them have fun? What makes them want to play again? Duration: 56:12

Professor Scott Rogers is back with the biography of Twilight Imperium. Duration: 10:20

Gil and Geoff are delighted to welcome Jamey Stegmaier from Stonemaier games. We discuss life after Kickstarter, and Jamey's design philosophy. Duration: 58:18

In this classic GameTek, Geoff looks at the relationship between luck and strategy. Duration: 6:20

Gil and Geoff deconstruct the new Wolfgang Warsch game The Mind. What makes it tick? What does it do right, and what does it do wrong? Duration: 1:02:19

Scott Rogers is back with a look at the history of Pandemic! Duration: 5:17

Gil and Geoff once again welcome Ryan Sturm to recap the development of Trade on the Tigris. Duration: 1:17:14

In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about the Talmud, and it's relation to game rules.

Gil and Geoff broadcast live from Gencon with super-special guest Ryan Sturm! Duration: 51:31

Gil and Geoff are joined by special guest Suzanne Sheldon to talk about Roll and Write games! What makes them tick? What special design considerations are there? Duration: 1:03:49

Scott Rogers is back with another Biography of a Board Game! This time - Kill Dr. Lucky from James Earnest!

Contest results! Gil and Geoff wade into an incredibly strong field to pick the top 16 entries in the latest theme/mechanism competition. Who will end up on the top of the heap? Duration: 59:05

In this classic GameTek, Geoff discusses design considerations for real time games. Plus a coda! Duration: 9:11