Ludology

Ryan and Geoff are joined by special guest Giles Pritchard to discuss the use of games in the classroom. Both Ryan and Giles teach kids ages 8-11, and have extensively used games to augment the traditional curriculum. Geoff has taught no one, and is happy to moderate and share embarassing stories about his childhood. In addition, Ryan discusses his new venture Games Teach, which is designed to spread the use of games by creative teachers, and is launching on Kickstarter on September 18th. Duration 1:22

Ryan and Geoff continue brainstorming on Trading in the Mediterranean, trying to zero in on how different types of governments and social factors can be incorporated into the design. Duration: 28:00

After a brief summer break, the Ludology team is back! In this episode, Ryan and Geoff discuss Roll and Move games, including their history, what they do well, and what they do poorly. What attempts have been made to bring roll and move into the modern era? What has worked and what hasn't? Is there a place for roll and move in the game designer's toolbox? Duration: 1:14:00

Ryan and Geoff continue their development of Trading in the Mediterranean, working to flesh out how to include 'ideas' in the game. Duration: 48:00

Ryan and Geoff talk about maps, geography, and spatial relations in game design. Duration: 1:25:15

In place of the 'Classic GameTek' segment that we normally post in between full episodes of Ludology, we are posting some bonus content about the design process for Trading in the Mediterranean. Make sure you let us know what you think about Ryan's "interesting" idea for voyages! Duration: 38:00

In this episode, Ryan and Geoff discuss different approaches to starting a new game design. And then, they embark on a grand project of their own, designing a game of their own! Duration: 1:04:30

In this classic GameTek segment Geoff talks about NP Complete problems in mathematics, and the ways that certain problems can be transformed into others. Duration: 06:00 (Yes, I know there was no GameTek Classic 35. Real Life got in the way a few weeks ago, and I decided to keep the numbering in sync with the Ludology numbering for simplicity)

Ryan and Geoff take a close analytical look at Alan Moon's Ticket To Ride, and lift up the hood to figure out what makes it tick.  What design decisions set it apart from similar games?  How does it draw on Moon's earlier work? And what does it do better than other mainstream euro games like Settlers of Catan? Duration: 01:15

In this episode Ryan and Geoff analyze the environment that games create. Some games tend to be very competitive and tense, and others light and social. What pushes gameplay in these directions? What should game designers look for if they want to create a specific environment for the players? Duration: 1:30:53