Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication

In episode 149 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with Zac Loveless, game designer and owner of Lovemore Games, about how anything can provide inspiration; for instance, a random Instagram post about beetles that was the catalyst for our featured game, Jewel Box.

 

Major topics include the differences between educational games vs. games you can learn from, the knowledge you gain from creating a themed game, how to decipher and apply playtest feedback, incorporating classic mechanics into something new, and “theme” collectors.

 

We also dig into how to come up with a name for your game, the origin behind Lovemore Games (as opposed to Loveless Games), symbiotic publisher/designer relationships, designing around a theme or mechanic before gameplay, and why butterflies are, in theory, the most well-liked insect.

 

Featuring: 

Zac Loveless - Guest

Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 148 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with Jason Wong, the designer of PocketParks, a set-collecting card game featuring all 63 US National Parks, with gameplay inspired by Chinese Mahjong.

Jason has visited all 63 US National Parks (he has a water bottle full of stickers to prove it), and featured his own photography from those trips in the game. We talk about how noticing the similarities and differences in the parks inspired the game, drawing on Mahjong and classic games for mechanics, choosing what information to include on cards, and why he chose a tin for the packaging.

We also discuss using crowdfunding as a tool to understand your audience, the importance of getting outside for your mental health (did you stand up from your desk today?), why it is important to play published games, and how a game can inspire people to explore the real world!

Featuring: 
Jason Wong - Guest
Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 147 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with the designer of Lava Run, Louie Loops, whom listeners may also recognize as the professional crocheter and content creator behind the YouTube channel “Louie’s Loops” and Club Crochet.

 

Louie shares how childhood game-making and a creative challenge called “New Game” sparked his interest in design, and how he eventually merged his love of crochet with game design to create “craftable games.”

 

We discuss turning frustration into creative inspiration, balancing strategy and randomness, comeback mechanics, expansions, and what happens after a game is published. Louie also shares what it’s like to launch a game with an existing audience, market to non-gamers, and enter a new industry as a beginner after being an expert in his craft.

 

Featuring: 

Louie Loops - Guest

Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 146 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with Ionah Nguyen, a Seattle-based board game designer and founder of the board game studio Brainy Hearty.

 

Ionah is also the co-founder and CEO of Everjoy Global, a company dedicated to bringing Vietnamese tabletop games to international publishers and distributors by creating opportunities for Vietnamese designers to gain visibility and connections in the industry.

 

In this episode, we discuss how games can be used to preserve tradition and bridge cultures through play, accessibility feedback from playtesters, colorblind adjustments, the unique production challenges of manufacturing handcrafted game components, and some of the barriers to entry encountered by international designers.

 

Featuring: 

Ionah Nguyen - Guest

Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 145 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with game designer and owner of Ludoliminal, Sabrina Culyba, about the story behind her completely accurate, family-friendly dinosaur game Uh Oh, Dino!

Sabrina shares how after spending 13 years in the video game industry, she found her way into tabletop game design through a game design contest that challenged participants to create a game from a random bag of components. We talk about how playing games with her young daughter inspired her passion for designing family games, and why cooperative games have become such a meaningful way to bring players of different ages together.

The episode also covers the impact of tactile components when designing and games for children, balancing cooperative games, self-publishing, how everyone has a "dino era," and the differences between playtesting with children and adults.
 

Featuring: 

Sabrina Culyba - Guest

Danielle Reynolds - Host