Game of Life Podcast

Bert Schepler is a hobbyist game blogger, who has reviewed over 200+ table-top games on his website ⁠bert.games.⁠ We talk about what makes a host of different board games from ⁠Tesla vs. Edison⁠ to ⁠Wingspan⁠ to ⁠Alice is Missing⁠ fun. Bert also gives insight into the games he's designing, and advice for how to start making games yourself.

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If you liked the episode, please like & subscribe to the show!

Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng

Email: [email protected]

"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sophia Deng⁠⁠⁠⁠; visuals by ⁠⁠⁠Alonzo Felix⁠⁠⁠; music is from Anchor.

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Timestamps

(01:10) How bert.games started

(03:53) What makes a table-top game good or fun

(07:39) Popular board games

(10:38) Game mechanics

(17:01) How to casually make games

(18:57) Evolution of table-top games and predictions

(23:04) Quick-fire round: Strangest, most creative, GOAT games

(26:25) 2 final questions

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Bert's recommendations - Board games

Fire Tower

The Fog: Escape from Paradise

Tesla vs. Edison (Bert's GOAT indie game pick)

Gloomhaven (Bert's GOAT overall game pick)

Alex Mullen is a 3-time world memory champion, doctor and co-founder of Mullen Memory. To give you a sense of what being a memory athlete means: Alex is the first person to memorize the order of a deck of playing cards in under 20 seconds and the first to memorize more than 3,000 decimal digits in one hour.

We talk about memory palaces, Alex’s brain, and Mullen Memory, a company he started with his wife Cathy to teach people memory techniques for everyday use. By picking apart how Alex memorizes things, I got a deeper sense of how important visualization and stories are to remembering. At multiple times in the conversation, Alex mentions that he didn't have a good memory before being a memory athlete -- that his success is attributable to his growth mindset and hard work. It's a reminder for us all that we're capable of things we may not be able to imagine.

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If you liked the episode, please like & subscribe to the show!

Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng

Email: [email protected]

"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by ⁠⁠⁠Sophia Deng⁠⁠⁠; visuals by ⁠⁠Alonzo Felix⁠⁠; music is from Anchor.

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Timestamps

(01:02) How Alex got into memory competitions

(06:28) Memory palaces and other memory systems used

(21:38) Training for memory competitions

(26:04) Drawing from psychology vs. neuroscience with Alex's practice: deliberate practice, growth mindset

(35:41) Why start Mullen Memory?

(43:25) 2 final questions

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Alex's recommendations

"⁠Feats of memory anyone can do" (TED talk that got Alex into memory competitions)

Moonwalking with Einstein (Book)

Rebecca Power is the co-founder of Hoax, an interactive design studio. Hoax's flagship product is The Racket, a noir-inspired, immersive cocktail party game which can be played by groups of 15 to 250 people.

Rebecca takes us through how she and her co-founder Justin crafted the identity-bending and empowering game that is The Racket. She also shares observations from running The Racket over 400 times -- the surprising types of people who usually win the game, and what social status dynamics emerge out of each playgroup. And if Rebecca is herself both designer and the host - the woman in the red dress - of each game, how has the The Racket changed who she is?

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If you liked the episode, please like & subscribe to the show!

Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng

Email: [email protected]

"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by ⁠⁠Sophia Deng⁠⁠; visuals by ⁠Alonzo Felix⁠; music is from Anchor.

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Timestamps

(04:26) The Racket's origin story and starting Hoax

(13:34) Design philosophy of The Racket

(24:46) Observations about social status and social dynamics from The Racket

(40:30) Impact of the game on Rebecca's personal identity - perception, success, feminism

(59:59) 2 final questions

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Rebecca's recommendations

Race for the Galaxy (board game)

Hearts (card game)

Brick (film)

Noir: A Novel (book)

Finite and Infinite Games (book)

Miguel Sicart is a play scholar and a Professor in the Department of Digital Design at the IT University of Copenhagen, where he is the Head of the Center for Digital Play.

Miguel and I talk about game design and the agency of play.  We also talk about how everything - humans and what we make - are in cultural conversation with each other.  Hidden throughout the episode are a number of provocative moments worth listening for, as we discuss the monoculture of Silicon Valley, the capitalist nature of software and play as subversion.

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If you liked the episode, please like & subscribe to the show!

Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng

Email: [email protected]

"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by ⁠Sophia Deng⁠; visuals by Alonzo Felix; music is from Anchor.

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Timestamps

(01:16) Miguel's Zoom backgrounds

(10:18) Crash course on game design 

(18:04) Games in constant conversation with the world 

(19:58) How to build software   

(32:17) Play design and why play matters  

(39:53) AI 

(50:50) Agency of play 

(53:56) 2 final questions 

(56:13) Content recommendations for people in tech to be more expansive

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Miguel's recommendations - General

Hey Robot by Frank Lantz (game)

Presenter Slides (game)

The Quiet Year (game)

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Miguel's recommendations - For tech people who want more liberal arts thinking

Tech Won't Save Us (podcast)

Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House by Audre Lorde (book)

Poetry of Wisława Szymborska

Cat in an Empty Apartment by Wisława Szymborska (poetry)

They Live (film)

Or go to your local bookstore and buy a random book of poetry :)

Cody Matthew Johnson is a musician, audio producer and composer for games, film and other media.  Most notably, he composed songs for Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry 5.  He is also the founder and CEO of Emperia Group,  a full-stack audio solutions company specialized in interactive media like video games.

Cody walks through the music composition process of his songs, "Subhuman" (Devil May Cry 5) and "Saudade" (Resident Evil 2), and we definitely get in our feels unpacking the poetic lyrics in those two songs.   We also talk about Cody's desire to drive innovation in the music industry, and his thoughts about the future of AI tools for creating music. 

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If you liked the episode, please like & subscribe to the show!

Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng

Email: [email protected]

"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by ⁠Sophia Deng⁠; visuals by Alonzo Felix; music is from Anchor.

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Timestamps

(02:46) Cody's musical journey

(05:22) Songs vs. scores

(09:10) Songwriting process for "Subhuman" on Devil May Cry 5

(17:04) Songwriting process for "Saudade" on Resident Evil 2

(27:35) Composing for video games compared to other media

(32:02) Why Cody started Emperia Group

(36:05) Future of music and music technology

(45:57) 2 final questions

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Cody's recommendations

Nintendo Switch (console)

Overcooked (game) on the Nintendo Switch

Cult of the Lamb OST by River Boy 

A Plague Tale: Requiem OST

Finishing Move Inc. (electronic artist)

Suddi Raval is a musician and audio director, who has been making music for games since 1994.  We talk about fart sounds in Lego Indiana Jones, how hardware used to constrain the expression of sounds in video games, and the difference between making music for games vs. films vs. DJing.  Suddi was an early member of the UK Acid House scene (Hardcore Uproar, anyone?),  so we push the bass there.  Warning:  Suddi and I make some funny sounds at each other.

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If you liked the episode, please like & subscribe to the show!

Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng

Email: [email protected]

"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by Sophia Deng; visuals by Alonzo Felix; music is from Anchor.

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Timestamps

(02:00) Acid House origin story 

(11:07) How game sounds were constrained by hardware

(18:56) Fart sounds in Lego Indiana Jones 

(20:24) Difference between making music for games vs. film vs. DJing 

(24:12) Role at stealth games studio  

(34:50) 2 final questions 

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Suddi's recommendations

Last of Us

Red Dead Redemption 

Grand Theft Auto 

Portal

Sound Synthesis (musician) 

Anthony Rother (musician) 

Paranoid London (musician)

Posthuman (band)

Bicep (musician)

Alex Lee is Digiday's senior games and e-sports reporter.  We talk about the evolution of the e-sports industry, games journalism, and the business and money around the games industry.  Since Alex was a Super Smash Brothers tournament player, of course, we have to chat about all things Smash.  This interview took place in November 2022. 

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If you liked the episode, please like & subscribe to the show!

Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng

Email: [email protected]

"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by Sophia Deng; visuals by Alonzo Felix; music is from Anchor.

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Timestamps

(00:47) Tournament-level Super Smash Brothers

(04:55) Why Nintendo games will never have big e-sports scenes

(07:05) Evolution of the e-sports industry

(12:48) E-sports and games journalism – problems, coverage

(28:08) Mario Kart World Championship

(30:49) Quick fire round:  Everything Super Smash Brothers

(37:01) 2 final questions

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Alex's recommendations

Candy Crush

Jonathan Knight is the Head of Games at the New York Times.  He's had a multi-decades long career in games, and we dig through his learnings from working on games like Sims 2, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Words with Friends, and working with people like Mitch Lasky and Will Wright.  We also talk about the interesting opportunity for games at The New York Times, the global sensation that is Wordle, and Jonathan's outlook on the future of games. 

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If you liked the episode, please like & subscribe to the show!

Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng

Email: [email protected]

"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by Sophia Deng; visuals by Alonzo Felix; music is from Anchor.

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Timestamps

(00:56) All roads lead to Amber

(11:07) Development of The Sims 2, Harry Potter:  Wizards Unite, Words with Friends

(17:03) Leading games at The New York Times

(19:04) Wordle acquisition 

(24:47) Future of games

(29:07) Quick fire round:  Learnings from Mitch Lasky, Will Wright and Matt Groening

(32:02) 2 final questions 

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Jonathan's recommendations

Knotwords

chess.com

Dan Zack is a professional poker player.  He's the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year, and holds 3 WSOP bracelets.  

Dan and I talk through poker fundamentals and strategies.  We also go through skills, like critical thinking and emotional regulation, that anyone can learn from poker.  If that isn't enough, we talk about Dan's grind to becoming WSOP Player of the Year, Phil Hellmuth, and the intersection between poker and hedge fund investing. 

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If you liked the episode, please like & subscribe to the show!

Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng

Email: [email protected]

"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by Sophia Deng; visuals by Alonzo Felix; music is from Anchor.

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Timestamps

(0:50) How Dan got into poker at a young age

(10:26) What is poker and what is it about?

(14:02) Solvers, math era of poker

(19:58) Playing at the professional level

(23:13) Relationship with other poker players

(27:54) Winning WSOP Player of the Year

(48:29) Results-orientation and being at peace

(54:38) Intersection between poker and hedge fund thinking

(59:00) Quick fire round:  Quotes from Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth 

(01:07:44) 2 final questions

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Dan's recommendations

Open-face Pineapple Chinese Poker

Splendor

SET (card game)

Teamfight Tactics

Christopher Bartel is a Professor of Philosophy at Appalachian State University whose research interests include aesthetics and ethics.  He is the author of Video Games, Violence, and the Ethics of Fantasy: Killing Time, which addresses the question: is it ever morally wrong to enjoy fantasizing about immoral things? He's working on an upcoming book, Aesthetics and Video Games.  Chris and I had a long-ranging conversation about player and designer ethics in video games, the purpose of art and what moral considerations there are for open-world games. 

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If you liked the episode, please like & subscribe to the show!

Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng

Email: [email protected]

"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by Sophia Deng; visuals by Alonzo Felix; music is from Anchor.  

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Timestamps

(0:52) Chris's background

(06:49) Violence in video games 

(20:36) Ethical considerations for video game designers 

(25:10) Why we find video games aesthetically engaging

(27:52) Quick fire round:  Metaverse, open-world games, avatars

(31:19) Takeaways from Chris's class, Philosophy and Video Games

(35:03) 2 final questions

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Chris's recommendations

Games: Agency as Art by C. Thi Nguyen

Half-Real by Jesper Juul

The Art of Failure by Jesper Juul