Ludology

In this classic GameTek, Geoff shares a technique for making it simpler to calculate probabilities in your head. Duration: 06:06

Ryan and Geoff are joined by John Meindersee of Campfire Creations, to talk about the special challenges in creating digital versions of boardgames.  Campfire Creations developed the iOS version of Stone Age, and John shares the details of the challenges and opportunities that presented. Duration: 1:16:04

Meaningful decisions are what drive deep strategy games. But can there be too much of a good thing? Can having too many choices hinder our ability to make good, or any, decisions? Duration: 06:42

In this third listener question episode, Ryan and Geoff respond to a veritable panoply of user questions, and field them with their usual combination of aplomb and pithy aphorisms. Duration: 1:04:57

In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about PokerBots: How they are programmed, why they're a problem, and how to detect them. Duration: 04:54

Rules! Every game has them, but they are a big source of gamer frustration.  Ryan and Geoff put their heads together to come up with rules for rules. What makes for a good set of rules? What are common pitfalls? How should they be structured? What should be highlighted?  Duration: 01:13:35

In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about the difference between playing a human vs an AI opponent. Do we act and feel differently about the game? If so, why? Duration: 5:58

As humans we overvalue losing something and undervalue gaining it. This is called Loss Aversion, and is a well studied psychological effect. How do games incorporate Loss Aversion? How does it affect us as players, and how can game designers use it to create a more emotional and engaging experience?  When can Loss Aversion hurt a game rather than help it? Duration: 58:22

In this classic GameTek episode, Geoff discusses long games and how to keep players engaged for many hours. What are the different types of engagment, which are effective, and which are mentally taxing? Duration: 05:52

Ryan proposes a radical change to the mechanics of Trading in the Mediterranean to simplify and smooth our the gameplay, and Geoff wants to talk about it.  Will it throw the baby out with the bathwater? What is the heart of the game? Duration: 1:16:05