Ludology

In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a look at the debate that raged in the 1990's between Narratologists and Ludologists. Duration: 05:59

Geoff is pleased to welcome Scott Rogers, designer of video games such as Darksiders and God of War, and author of the books Level Up! and Swipe This! The discussion centers around the concept of a 'level' as popularized in video games. Why is it such a popular way to organize games? What advantages does it give the designer? And what is the analog in the boardgame world? Duration: 01:16:05

In this classic GameTek, Geoff looks at how a good analogy can dramatically simplify learning a game. Duration: 06:00

Mike and Geoff take a deep dive into the Antoine Bauza game Seven Wonders. What works? What doesn't? What drove the design decisions? Duration: 01:16:26

In this classic GameTek, Goeff talks about how innovative a game can really be. Duration: 06:14

Mike and Geoff welcome guest Emerson Matsuuchi, designer of Specter Ops and VOLT Robot Battle, to discuss hidden and programmed movement in games. Why use these techniques? What are good and bad examples? Duration: 01:14:11

In this classic GameTek, Geoff discusses a game designed to explore the relationship between rules and morality.  Duration: 6:15

Inspired by an article by Matt Thrower, Mike and Geoff talk about games that try to tackle controversial topics, and why there aren't more of them. Duration: 1:05:35

In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a look at what factors make a game 'mean'. Duration: 06:18

Mike and Geoff are joined by guest Rich Sommer, host of the Cardboard! podast and star of stage and screen to discuss games receiving mainstream acceptance.  Is it good for the hobby to have games go mainstream? If so, what can designers, publishers, and hobbyists do to make that happen? Duration: 01:05:09