Design Theory Archives - Board Game Design Lab

Emerson Matsuuchi, designer of Century: Spice Road, discusses how to use math to design better games. We talk about game balance, spreadsheets, mathematical models, and more. The post Using Math to Design Better Games with Emerson Matsuuchi appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Stephanie Kwok, designer of Ducks in Tow, discusses the process of simplifying a game down to its best possible version. Stephanie is both a designer and a publisher, so she offers both perspectives as we talk through ways to trim, cut, slice, and dice a game so that its most fun parts shine through. The post How to Simplify a Game with Stephanie Kwok appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Justin Gary, designer of Ascension, discusses what goes into both designing and publishing games that continue to have new content. We talk about content creation, different types of expansions, reinventing the fun for a game, and more. The post Designing Games in a Series with Justin Gary appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Rachael Blaske, owner of Five24 Labs, discusses everything that goes into designing and publishing games that can fit in your pocket. We talk about design constraints, managing expectations, marketing, and more. The post Designing and Publishing Small Box Games with Rachael Blaske appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Phalgun Polepalli, founder of DICE Toy Labs in India, discusses the process of defining your target audience and creating products for them. We talk about market research, community building, figuring out your ideal customer, and more.  The post Designing Games for a Specific Audience with Phalgun Polepalli appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Brad Talton, founder of Level 99 Games, discusses what goes into designing a game that lasts. We talk about creating games that are easily expandable, are easy to get into but provide depth for long-time players, and creating worlds that players want to keep coming back to. And be sure to check out Level 99’s latest... The post Designing Games that Last with Brad Talton appeared first on Boa...

Hankerin Ferinale, founder of Runehammer Games, discusses what board game designers can learn from the world of tabletop RPGs. Hankerin is one of the most creative people I know, and he’s been creating RPG content for years. He has a ton of insight on how RPG concepts can improve board games. The post What Board Game Designers Can Learn from Tabletop RPGs with Hankerin Fe...

T.C. Petty III, designer of VivaJava, discusses how to create positive player interaction in your game. Most games have a tendency to focus on negative interactions between players, but it doesn’t have to be that way! The post Creating Positive Player Interaction with T.C. Petty III appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Ignacy Trzewiczek, founder of Portal Games and designer of Robinson Crusoe, discusses his company’s motto: Games that tell stories. We go in-depth into Ignacy’s design process, talk about his most popular games, and get to the heart of what it looks like to create games that have players leaving the table with a story to tell. The post Designing Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trze...

Charlie Cleveland, professional video game designer and founder of Unknown Worlds Entertainment, discusses the crossover of video games and board games and what board game designers can learn from their digital counterparts. And be sure to check out Charlie’s game, Vampire Vendetta, on Kickstarter HERE. The post What Board Game Designers Can Learn from Video Games with Charlie Cleveland appe...

Tim Eisner, designer of Tidal Blades, discusses the design process for creating big games. Tim is a master of designing games that take up a bunch of space on your table, but his games are also super approachable. The post Designing Big Games with Tim Eisner appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Adam McCrimmon, CEO of XYZ Game Labs, discusses how to design games with non-gamers and new gamers in mind. Adam’s company focuses on gateway games, and they’re constantly trying to get more people into the hobby. And be sure to check out Adam’s game Arch Ravels which is on Kickstarter HERE. The post Designing Games for Non-Gamers with Adam McCrimmon appeared first on Board Game...

JB Howell, designer of Flotilla, discusses the three types of creativity and how they relate to game design. JB is an up and coming designer who I believe will be a household name by the end of this year, and we go into a lot of the ins and outs of his own creative process. The post The Three Types of Creativity with JB Howell appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Dave Schultze, designer of Gridopolis, discusses how to design a game that not only spreads out on the table but also goes up. Dave has worked for companies like Lego, Hasbro, and Mattel designing toys and games and has a ton of knowledge on how to design three-dimensional games. The post Designing 3D games with Dave Schultze appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Derek Funkhouser, designer of Walking Dead: Something to Fear, discusses how to design games that create magic moments. Derek is the lead developer at Skybound Games and loves designing so that players enjoy awesome moments that they’ll talk about for years to come. The post Creating Magic Moments with Derek Funkhouser appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Ian Zang, developer for Deep Water Games, discusses 4 different types of gamer experiences. Ian has simplified and categorized different ways that people experience games, and he shares a lot to think about as designers. The post 4 Types of Gamer Experiences with Ian Zang appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Joe Slack, college instructor of game design, discusses the ins and outs of teaching game design to other people. Joe recently went full-time in the gaming industry and is focussing on helping others learn how to bring their games to life. And be sure to check out Joe’s board game design course HERE. The post Teaching Game Design with Joe Slack appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [BONUS] Patrick Rauland on Designing Asymmetrical Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [BONUS] Bill Lasek on the 5 Starting Points for Design appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [BONUS] Tim Fowers on Connecting with Gamers appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Dustin Staats, founder of Board Gaming with English, talks about using and designing games in the classroom. Dustin has taught all over the worlds and regularly uses games to reinforce different concepts his students are learning. The post Gaming in the Classroom with Dustin Staats appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Calum Taylor, designer of Motora, talks about balancing luck with player agency. It’s good to have luck to keep a game unpredictable, but if it goes too far, players will feel like the game is playing them. You need to make sure players feel in control while also allowing for cool “plot twist” moments. And be sure... The post Randomness and Player Agency with Calum Taylor appeare...

The post [BONUS] Isaac Vega on Working on Games in a Series appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Dan Peterson, head developer at Mayday Games, talks about how to streamline a game by removing math. We discuss why this is important in today’s market and various ways on how to do it effectively. The post Removing Math from Games with Dan Peterson appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The post [BONUS] Dr. Corey Butler on Game Rating Systems appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .