Gabe Barrett
Podcast Archives - Board Game Design Lab
The Board Game Design Lab was created for one purpose: to help you design great games people love. To accomplish that goal, this podcast interviews designers, publishers, and board game insiders on specific topics related to game design. I don't waste time talking about recently played games or pop culture. Instead, the show does a deep dive into subjects that I hope you’ll find extremely valuable as you progress through your game design journey.
Author
Gabe Barrett
Category
Podcast website
Latest episode
Oct 1, 2025
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Episodes
[ANNOUNCEMENT] Ignite Conference 2018 21.09.2018 7:09
For all the details about Ignite, check out boardgamedesignlab.com/ignite/. The post [ANNOUNCEMENT] Ignite Conference 2018 appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Take That Games with Curt Covert 19.09.2018 1:01:23
Curt Covert, designer of Tower of Madness and owner of Smirk & Dagger Games, talks about take-that games. Curt has been designing back-stabby games for years and is a wealth of information and insight on the topic. And he’s a ton of fun to talk to! The post Take That Games with Curt Covert appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Playtesting with Assad Quraishi 12.09.2018 55:28
Assad Quraishi, designer of Genesis: Battle of Champions, talks about playtesting. Assad is a professional user interface designer and has a ton of insight on testing. Resources mentioned in the show: Here is some info about James Bach: His website: http://www.satisfice.com/ Some videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=james+bach Amazing Book: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/less...
Designing Expansions with Sami Laakso 05.09.2018 52:03
Sami Laakso, designer of Dale of Merchants, talks about designing expansions. Sami recently put together a pretty substantial expansion for his own game and has a good bit of insight on the topic. And be sure to check out Sami’s game and expansion on Kickstarter HERE. The post Designing Expansions with Sami Laakso appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Removing Math from Games with Dan Peterson 29.08.2018 34:56
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 Cathartic Power of Game Design with Marilia Poggiali 22.08.2018 48:06
Marilia Poggiali, designer of San Francisco vs Fog, talks about the personal tragedies she’s experienced and how game design and starting a publishing company have helped her overcome pain and find catharsis. And be sure to check out San Francisco vs Fog on Kickstarter HERE. The post The Cathartic Power of Game Design with Marilia Poggiali appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
How to Design a Shuffle Builder with Callin Flores 15.08.2018 53:17
Callin Flores, designer of Guardians, discusses how the finer details of creating a shuffle builder. (Games like Smash Up.)Callin’s game takes the shuffle building mechanism to new places, and he has a lot of insight on these types of games. The post How to Design a Shuffle Builder with Callin Flores appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
How to Win a Design Competition with Corry Damey 08.08.2018 35:28
Corry Damey, designer of Seasons of Rice and winner of the BGDL Design Challenge, discusses how he’s managed to win 3 design competitions. The post How to Win a Design Competition with Corry Damey appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Designing Family Games with Bez Shahriari 01.08.2018 1:10:45
Bez Shahriari, designer of Yogi, discusses the ins and outs of creating a game made specifically for families. We go into why family games are so good for helping kids as they grow up, and we talk about a lot of things to consider when making these types of games. The post Designing Family Games with Bez Shahriari appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Player Psychology with Dr. Corey Butler 25.07.2018 54:54
Dr. Corey Butler, social psychologist and avid gamer, has been conducting research on gamers for a while and has some really interesting information on player psychology based on both his formal training and his research. And check out all the really cool articles and research findings on Corey’s blog HERE. The post Player Psychology with Dr. Corey Butler appeared first on Board Game Design...
Pervasive Games with Greg Loring-Albright 18.07.2018 39:41
Greg Loring-Albright is back on the show, and we’re talking about games that don’t exist on a board or even at a table. Greg has been designing games that pervade into spaces much bigger than your dining room table, and he has some really interesting insight on how and why these games work. The post Pervasive Games with Greg Loring-Albright appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
3D Printing and Game Design with Kirk Dennison 11.07.2018 48:57
Kirk Dennison of Piecekeeper Games is back on the show, and we’re talking about the various uses of 3D printing in game design. Kirk got into the world of 3D printing a while back and has found a lot of ways to put it to good use in his designs and for his company. And... The post 3D Printing and Game Design with Kirk Dennison appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Eric Lang’s Best Advice 06.07.2018 19:26
Coming to you from Dice Tower Con 2018, Eric Lang had a free 20 minutes and agreed to answer some questions, so we found a not so quiet side room to chat. Eric gives his best advice on several design topics, and he provides incredible insight that all designers need to pay attention to. The post Eric Lang’s Best Advice appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Hacking Creativity to Become the Best in the World with Gabe Barrett 04.07.2018 44:46
BGDL founder, Gabe Barrett, talks about many of the really cool and helpful creativity/productivity hacks he’s been learning about recently. He discusses some rather interesting findings that have come from researching some of the best in the world in different fields. There are also a lot of things that you’ll hopefully find encouraging. The end of this episode has... The post Hacking...
How to Work with Artists with Adrienne Ezell 27.06.2018 1:24:24
Adrienne Ezell, professional board game artist and art director, discusses how to work effectively with artists. Adrienne has been a pro artist for 15 years and now works full time in the board game industry. We talk communication, contracts, timelines, costs, and everything in between. Link to the 3d box maker we discussed: https://www.boxshot.com/     The post How to Work with Artists...
City Building Games with Ted Alspach 20.06.2018 52:28
Ted Alspach, designer Suburbia of and founder of Bezier Games, discusses city building games. Suburbia is ranked 94th on Board Game Geek and is easily on the Mount Rushmore of city building games, so Ted really knows what he’s talking about when it comes to designing one of these types of games. The post City Building Games with Ted Alspach appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Art Direction in Games with Nolan Nasser 13.06.2018 46:32
Nolan Nasser, illustrator and founder of Deep Water Games, discusses art direction in board games. Nolan has a ton of experience in directing art for well known games and shares a great deal of what he’s learned over the years. The post Art Direction in Games with Nolan Nasser appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Designing Dexterity Games with Cody Stevens 06.06.2018 47:19
Cody Stevens, the designer of Dino Dunk, discusses dexterity games. We talk about lots of different dexterity style games, how they work, and what makes them good. The post Designing Dexterity Games with Cody Stevens appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Catch-Up Mechanisms with Joseph Z. Chen 30.05.2018 41:58
Joseph Z Chen discusses catch-up mechanisms. Joseph is a designer and indie publisher who did a fairly in-depth analysis on ways different games keep players involved until the end. We talk about several popular games and their catch-up mechanisms as well as Joseph’s personal experiences. And don’t forget to check out Joseph’s game, Fantastic Factories, on... The post Catch-Up Me...
For the Love of Board Games – A Book by Erin Dean 23.05.2018 36:00
Erin Dean, author of For the Love of Board Games, discusses her book and what she learned from the designers she interviewed. You can check out Erin’s documentary, The Board Game Boom, here. The post For the Love of Board Games – A Book by Erin Dean appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
The Indie Game Alliance with Matt Holden 16.05.2018 40:11
Matt Holden discusses the Indie Game Alliance. Matt started the IGA four years ago to help small publishers and designers get their games demoed at conventions and game stores, and it’s grown into a robust organization that offers quite a few services. The post The Indie Game Alliance with Matt Holden appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Dueling Games with Brad Talton 09.05.2018 59:04
Brad Talton, designer of BattleCon and Pixel Tactics, discusses dueling games. Brad has been creating dueling combat games for years and has found incredible success with his company, Level 99 Games. The post Dueling Games with Brad Talton appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Coming Attractions for the BGDL 04.05.2018 25:15
I’ve got some exciting announcements for the BGDL:1) I’m starting a new thing that will hopefully lead to an even greater sense of community. Today, with the incredible help of Chris Perea, a BGDL Discord server has launched which will offer you another way to interact with others in the community and will lead to…2) BGDL Game... The post Coming Attractions for the BGDL appeared...
Luck vs Skill with Richard Garfield 02.05.2018 48:26
Richard Garfield, designer of Magic: The Gathering and a ton of other great games, discusses how to use luck and skill effectively in game design. Richard belongs on the game design Mount Rushmore and has awesome insight and advice. The post Luck vs Skill with Richard Garfield appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
Multi-Use Cards with Jon Mietling 25.04.2018 52:10
Jon Mietling, designer of Palm Island, discusses how to effectively design a game with multi-use cards. Jon ran an incredibly successful Kickstarter for Palm Island which is rather innovative game that focusses solely on multi-use cards as its core mechanism. The post Multi-Use Cards with Jon Mietling appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .
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