Finding the Fun

David and Roh discuss the resurgent controversy surrounding politics in games. What does it mean for a game to be political? Should politics play a role in games?

Special guest Noelle Brandmier joins us to discuss Wine & Game Pairing and the environment of play! How does environment influence our play experiences, for better of for worse? How do we create ideal play environments for ourselves?To learn more about Wine & Game Pairing, visit and follow Noelle at:www.wineandgamepairing.comTwitter: @WineGamePairingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wineandgamepairing/

Roh and David discuss how experiencing, performing and composing music influences their ideas about game design.

David and Roh discuss some games they have played recently, sharing design thoughts on specific game elements and moments that stood out to them. The games mentioned in this episode are: Super Mario Odyssey, Baba Is You, Stardew Valley, and Minit.

David and Roh look back on previous topic discussions, offering new thoughts and answering listener questions along the way. Topics revisited are: Games as Art, Game Reviews, Violence in Games, and Difficulty in Games.

Are you trying to break into the game industry? Have you ever been frustrated or confused by the hiring process? David and Roh share their experiences from the employer perspective to demystify the process and offer actionable advice for aspiring game devs.

A new From Software game has sparked discussion on the role of difficulty in games. What is difficulty? How do difficulty options impact different kinds of players? What is a game designer's responsibility to providing difficulty options in their work?

Roh and David talk about some game designers we admire and what they appreciate about them.

Roh and David tackle the difficult issue of violence in videogames. What is it, is it a problem, and how can we approach it as game designers?

Roh and David sit down with Robert Mostyn, co-founder of Roc Game Dev and Digital Games Hub Coordinator at RIT, to talk about growing the Rochester game dev community.