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Game Design Zen
Game Design Zen episodes
- 011 : League of Legends vs Heroes of the Storm!
Game Design Zen : Episode 011
Who will win? We’re just days away from seeing if SKT will once away be crowned champs as they take on new comers, Koo Tigers. So with eyes turned toward Korea, let’s have our own battle - League of Legends versus Heroes of the Storm.
- A Surprise Visit to Korea (00:40)
- League of Legends Versus Heroes of the Storm (05:40)
- Why? (10:00)
- Quality – AAA (11:05)
- Mechashark Versus MegaShark
- Graphics, Marketing, Technology
- Design (13:30)
- Flow, Paradox of Choice, Habit Loops
- Differentiators (15:45)
- Frustration (17:20)
- Last Hitting, Skill, Game Length (21:00)
- Social! (24:00)
- The Intrinsic Experience (29:30)
- Zen Moment (31:15)
- Build What The Customer Wants
The Game Design Zen Podcast is the intersection of games, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for Game developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of developing better games. Level up to zen!
34 min - A Surprise Visit to Korea (00:40)
- 010 : “Truly Unique” – An Open Response to a Crazy Letter
Game Design Zen : Episode 010
It never fails. Iâ€m chatting with friends when I stumble across the Newbie Letter. Itâ€s full of wild ideas, crazy ambitions, and most telling, the 5-year plan for a game that is ‘truly unique’. This episode is an open response.
- Something Different
- The Letter (01:45)
- Truly Unique (05:30)
- Ira Glass – My Taste Is Killer
- We Know What Good Is (08:00)
- 5 Years of Motivation (09:15)
- Making Progress (17:35)
- Once We’re Done (18:45)
- Don’t Tell
- People Can Say What They Want (21:10)
- Confirmation Bias
- Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)
- Think Fast, Think Slow (Daniel Kahneman)
- Shut Up and Watch
- Zen Moment (25:30)
- Anything Can Be Accomplished
Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.
31 min - 009 : What Is A Game? I’ve Got The Story – Not Sure What’s Next
Game Design Zen : Episode 009
What Now? I’ve got a great story, set in a far-distant future. Not sure what to do next. As crazy as it sounds, this happens sometimes. This episode explores what a game is to help us all improve our designs.
- Kenzai’s Request – More Conversational (0:40)
- League of Legends World Championships (05:15)
- “How do I fill this with something exciting?” (06:10)
- What is a Game? (08:40)
- Ted Brown’s Idea (13:10)
- Goals + Mechanics + Feedback
- Why We Care – The Definition In Our Head (18:20)
- What is a Mechanic? (20:45)
- What’s the Player Doing? (22:20)
- The Core Mechanic! World of Warcraft + GTAV
- Start With One (27:00)
- Zen Moment (28:00)
- The One Line Elevator Pitch
Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.
34 min - 008 : Total Biscuit, Motivation, and the Indiepocalypse – The Experience
Game Design Zen : Episode 008
What do Total Biscuit, Motivation, and the Indiepocalypse have in common? Even after 2 years, I hadnâ€t picked up a next gen console. Until this one, specific game was announced. $750 later it was all about the experience!
- Va Tech Hokies, Rock Band, and the PS4 (00:35)
- Experience is Everything (5:15)
- Destiny (6:00)
- GTAV (8:15)
- Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation (10:30)
- Control, fuzziness, and Chris Hecker (16:30)
- Indiepocalypse (18:20)
- Total Biscuit on Airscape (19:30)
- The Hard Truth – Jeff Vogel (21:00)
- The game nobody wanted (22:00)
- Build What Your Audience Wants
- Zen Moment (24:45)
- Shut Up and Watch
Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.
30 min - 007 : Not Your Average Joe – Difficulty, Engagement, and Cookie Clicker
Game Design Zen : Episode 007
Joe challenged me, “balanced difficulty is missing the mark.†And then, he pointed to games like Farmville, city simulators, and Cookie Clicker. He had some good points. He is not your average Joe.
- Joe’s Challenge – “Balanced Difficulty is missing the mark” (01:30)
- Joe’s Ted Talk
- Flow Revisited (03:15)
- Not Just Flow (09:00)
- Happiness – Accomplishment (09:40)
- Martin Seligman -Â Flourish
- Winning Can Be Boring (11:20)
- Raph Koster – A Theory of Fun (12:00)
- Habits (15:30)
- Charles Duhigg – Power of Habits
- Ziegarnik Effect (18:25)
- Zen Moment (26:35)
Accomplishment!
Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.
30 min - 006 : Dropping The Gauntlet! Build Your First Game
Game Design Zen : Episode 006
My wife dropped the gauntlet – “6 episodes by Christmas!†This episode explore the gauntlet that leads to building your first game, with some inspiration, practical advice, and real life stories.
- My Wife Threw the Gauntlet (02:10)
- How To Build Your First Game? (04:45)
- The Gauntlet (05:15)
- 12 Week Challenge
- Don’t Tell
- One Mechanic (09:50)
- Moment To Moment
- Technology (15:56)
- Juice (16:55)
- Marin Jonannson & Petri Purho – Juice It Or Lose It
- Audio – BFXR.net
- Zen Moment (23:25)
- Shia’s – Just Do It
- Audio shared with Creative Common’s Attribution License – source -Â https://vimeo.com/125095515
Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.
26 min - 005 : By Request! The Game Design of Squares, Circles, and Triangles
Game Design Zen : Episode 005
What should I talk about? When I asked my friend, there was no hesitation – “Squares, Circles, and Triangles.†I asked, “Really?†And he answered, “It was my favorite! You said it would change the way I saw the world, and it did.â€
- Definitely – Squares, Circles, and Triangles (01:50)
- Interest Curve (03:08)
- First Idea -Â 8, 8, 8, … (05:18)
- Second Idea – 1, 2, 3, … 9, 10 (06:15)
- Initial Spike (07:10)
- God of War 3 – Kratos vs Poseidon (09:20)
- Convexity (10:35)
- Quests in World of Warcraft
- Squares, Circles, and Triangles (14:36)
- Chris Solarski – Aesthetics of Game Art and Game Design
- Circle (16:18)
- Square (17:15)
- Triangle (17:45)
- See It In The Music (20:05)
- Zen Spot – J J Abrams – Mystery Box (25:50)
Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.
The interest curve – initial spike, rising spikes, and a climax (ending immediately afterwards)
32 min - GDZ 004 : The Most Important Skill? The Rocket Surgery of Story, Yes And, and Charisma
Game Design Zen : Episode 004
What is our most important skill? Though we need creativity, logic, and business, the path to excellence is the rocket surgery of Story, Yes And, and Charisma. This episode tackles practical ways to communicate better.
- Building Games is the new Rocket Surgery (00:45)
- Dunning Kruger – Unskilled and Unaware (03:25)
- Listening & Jesse Schell (04:40)
- Tell Me (05:30)
- Yes And (08:00)
- Story (18:30)
- Question/Challenge
- Emotional Struggle
- Galvanizing Conclusion (preferably with a twist)
- Charisma (25:40)
- Nod Less (and slower)
- Pause
- Down Notes
Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.
31 min - GDZ 003 : Level Up! Portfolios, Finishing, and Next Steps
Game Design Zen : Episode 003
How can you level up? Whether breaking in, or looking for the next opportunity, we pursue excellence through deliberate practice – building a portfolio of finished projects. Stand apart, improve, and level up.
- The Hiring Perspective (02:30)
- Joel on Software – Smart and Gets Things Done
- Luck (05:30) – Lucky Luck and Prepared for Opportunity
- Networking (06:50)
- Portfolio (08:45)
- Dropping the Gauntlet (12:15)
- What Gets In Our Way (18:00)
- Perfection
- Sunk Cost Fallacy
- Loss Aversion
- Art, Coding, and The Design Guy (23:45)
- The Dream (26:25)
- Zen Spot – College or Not? (28:25)
Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for developers, artists, and designers including the art, science, and business of better games. Level up to zen.
33 min - GDZ 002 : Flow – The one design idea you must know
Game Design Zen : Episode 002
What is the one thing you must know? When we play games, we become so involved in the activity that nothing else seems to matter. Minutes can be so intense they feel like an hour, and yet, hours can fly by in minutes. That experience is flow, and itâ€s the reason we play. In this episode, we discuss what flow is, why it matters, and the simple recipe we can use to promote it in our games. Then, we discuss a brand new visualization that makes it easier to remember : Flow Space.
- What Flow Looks Like (01:25)
- The State of Flow (04:00)
- Clear Goals (08:40) – Explicit, Implicit, Player Driven Goals
- Feedback (14:40)
- Balanced Difficulty (18:00)
- No Distractions (21:45)
- Zen Spot – Flow Space (25:00)
Game Design Zen is the intersection of game design, life, and the pursuit of excellence. It is the #1 resource for all things Game Design including the science, art, and business of developing better games. There is always room to level up.
The Flow Diagram
35 min
About Game Design Zen
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Games, Life, and Pursuit of Excellence