Getting2Alpha

Erin Hoffman is a game designer and fantasy novelist - with a passion for social activism and projects with a purpose. She's currently lead game designer at GlassLabs, a Gates-foundation initiative where she creates assessment-based learning games for underserved niches. Erin has deep insights into the nature of games and learning - and powerful ideas about how game design can impact the world.

Jesse Schell is a visionary game designer and educator whose work spans from theme parks to educational games. In this conversation, he unveils the enchanting origins of his passion for transformational entertainment. Jesse shares the art of prototyping and playtesting, stressing their impact on game design. He discusses the innovative fusion of physical and augmented reality in educational tools, like the Happy Atoms project. Finally, he highlights the importance of flexible team dynamics and self-awareness in fostering creativity and collaboration.

Chelsea Howe wears many hats: indie game designer, community organizer of local game jams & QGCon, a Creative Director of Electronic Arts Mobile, creator of successful mobile games, and champion of underdogs and outsiders everywhere. She's not afraid to speak her mind and cut to the chase - a woman after my own heart :-) She's fascinated with the role of love in game design, and the submission to ritual that's embedded in free-to-play gaming. Always stimulating and original, Chelsea is a force of nature - and a rising star in the gaming industry.

Tracy Fullerton is a player and maker of games. Her most recent game, “Walden,” puts you - the player - inside Thoreau’s Walden Pond experiment. Tracy runs the USC Digital Media and Games program - the top game design school in the country, according to the Princeton Review. We co-taught multi-player game design when that program was first getting started - and Tracy has gone on to train innovative designers like Jenova Chen - creator of Journey. She's an accomplished and insightful designer and educator, and one of my all-time favorite people on the planet.

Laura Klein a customer development ninja. She runs the “Users Know” website, and wrote UX for Lean Startups. In this episode, we explore design-led growth hacking, ninja user research techniques, and how to turn your hot idea into a high-learning MVP. Find out how to create better products with Laura’s special blend of Lean UX with smart customer research.

Dan Cook is a pioneering co-op game designer, co-founder of Indie game studio Spry Fox, author of the legendary Lost Garden website, and a truly inspiring and insightful guy. Dan has a deep understanding of social dynamics in online gaming - our conversations blow my mind on a regular basis. Come along as Dan takes us on a whirlwind tour of indie game design life, remote collaboration, and the magic of small groups for getting things done.