Gabe Barrett

The Board Game Design Lab

Leisure EN ↓ 491 episodes

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

Leisure

Podcast website

boardgamedesignlab.com

Latest episode

Oct 1, 2025

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Episodes

Balancing a Game with Isaac Vega 03.10.2018

Isaac Vega , designer of   Dead of Winter ,   Ashes , and many others, talks about how to balance a game. Isaac has designed some of the best games in the world and has really figured out how to make sure a game feels balanced to its players. The post Balancing a Game with Isaac Vega appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

[BONUS] Alex Maklai on Pirate Themed Games 28.09.2018

The post [BONUS] Alex Maklai on Pirate Themed Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Augmented Reality and Board Games with Alex Maklai 26.09.2018

Alex Macklai , designer of Sea of Nadia ,  talks about  augmented reality and board games . Alex has been working on an AR-centric game for 2 years and has some interesting insight on the topic. For more info: www.maclaysgames.com The post Augmented Reality and Board Games with Alex Maklai appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

[BONUS] Curt Covert’s Best Advice after 15 Years in the Industry 21.09.2018

The post [BONUS] Curt Covert’s Best Advice after 15 Years in the Industry appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

[ANNOUNCEMENT] Ignite Conference 2018 21.09.2018

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

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 .

[BONUS] Assad Quraishi on Designing CCGs 14.09.2018

The post [BONUS] Assad Quraishi on Designing CCGs appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Playtesting with Assad Quraishi 12.09.2018

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/l...

[BONUS] Sami Laakso on How to Price a Game 07.09.2018

The post [BONUS] Sami Laakso on How to Price a Game appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Designing Expansions with Sami Laakso 05.09.2018

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 c heck out Sami’s game and expansion on Kickstarter  HERE . The post Designing Expansions with Sami Laakso appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

[BONUS] Dan Peterson on How to Present at a Publisher Speed Dating Event 31.08.2018

The post [BONUS] Dan Peterson on How to Present at a Publisher Speed Dating Event appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Removing Math from Games with Dan Peterson 29.08.2018

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 .

[BONUS] Marilia Poggiali on Bringing a Place to Life 24.08.2018

The post [BONUS] Marilia Poggiali on Bringing a Place to Life appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

The Cathartic Power of Game Design with Marilia Poggiali 22.08.2018

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 .

[BONUS] Callin Flores on Designing Super Hero Games 17.08.2018

The post [BONUS] Callin Flores on Designing Super Hero Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

How to Design a Shuffle Builder with Callin Flores 15.08.2018

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 .

[BONUS] Corry Damey on Designing Micro Games 10.08.2018

The post [BONUS] Corry Damey on Designing Micro Games appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

How to Win a Design Competition with Corry Damey 08.08.2018

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 .

[BONUS] Bez Shahriari on Standing out at Conventions 03.08.2018

The post [BONUS] Bez Shahriari on Standing out at Conventions appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Designing Family Games with Bez Shahriari 01.08.2018

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 .

[BONUS] Dr. Corey Butler on Game Rating Systems 27.07.2018

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

Player Psychology with Dr. Corey Butler 25.07.2018

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...

[BONUS] Greg Loring-Albright on the Power Games Have to Make a Difference 20.07.2018

The post [BONUS] Greg Loring-Albright on the Power Games Have to Make a Difference appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

Pervasive Games with Greg Loring-Albright 18.07.2018

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 .

[BONUS] Kirk Dennison on Pledge Managers 13.07.2018

The post [BONUS] Kirk Dennison on Pledge Managers appeared first on Board Game Design Lab .

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