Level Design Podcast

Level Design Podcast

By Mark DrewLeisureVideo Games
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Level Design Podcast episodes

  • LDP049 - Harvest Hunt with the Villainous Games Studio Team

    In this episode, we talk about our own game, Harvest Hunt! We cover level design, art and the roguelite elements of the game.


    You can follow us on X/Twitter @levedesignfm


    The music for this episode is by the amazing James Elsey @jameselseymusic.bsky.social

    You can follow the rest of the team on Bluesky:

    Mark Drew: @markdrew.bsky.social

    Valentina Chrysostomou: @valentinachrys.bsky.social

    Uriel Cordas: @urielcordas.bsky.social


    If you have ideas for who we should interview or topics we should cover, get in touch via email on [email protected]


    56 min
  • LD048 - Getting into the Games Industry, Lego and Man of Medan with Jack Chapman (PlayStation London Studio)

    In this episode we talk to Jack Chapman about getting into the Industry, mental health and what escape routes we can all have to make space for our mind. 


    Follow our antics on Twitter @leveldesignfm and let us know what you liked the most about the podcast!

    Presented by Mark Drew (@markdrew) and Valentina Chrysostomou (@ValentinaChrys).

    This has been a CMD:Studio  (@cmdstudiogames) production. Our editor is Vyt Vaisvilaite and our theme tune is by James Elsey (@JamesElseyMusic).


    1 hr 18 min
  • LD047 | The World of Sable with Gregorios Kythreotis (Shedworks)

    Sable, the debut title from Shedworks is without a doubt one of the most stunning experiences among recent indie releases.

    We spoke to Shedworks' Creative Director Gregorios Kythreotis (@ShedworksGreg) to learn more about their development process.

    From inspirations and influences to flexibility and limitations, we tackle all aspects of creating an unforgettable experience for the player. There's a lot to unpack no matter whether you are a veteran developer or just getting ready to release your first title.

    Get ready for GDC 2022 and don't miss Greg's talk on the Art of Sable: https://schedule.gdconf.com/session/the-art-of-sable-imperfection-limitation-and-worldbuilding-through-visual-design/884839

    Follow our antics on Twitter @leveldesignfm and let us know what you liked the most about Sable!

    Presented by Mark Drew (@markdrew) and Valentina Chrysostomou (@ValentinaChrys).

    This has been a CMD:Studio production. Our editor is Matthew Lever (@matthewlever), our producer is Anna Tumurova (@ATumurova), and our theme tune is by James Elsey (@JamesElseyMusic).

    1 hr 11 min
  • LD046 | Level and Campaign Design with Dana Nightingale (Arkane Lyon)

    From Thief mods to the award-winning work on Dishonored and Deathloop, we join Dana Nightingale (@DanaENight), the Campaign Director at Arkane Lyon, as she breaks down her career in level and campaign design.

    We delve deep into problems and solutions that developers face during the process and analyse various Deathloop, Dishonored, and other games' examples through the prism of Dana's experience.

    Get ready for GDC 2022 and don't miss Dana's talk on User Experience: https://schedule.gdconf.com/session/ux-summit-deathloops-user-research-and-user-experience-death-loop/884834 

    Follow our antics on Twitter @leveldesignfm!

    Presented by Mark Drew (@markdrew), Jonathon Wilson (@omnislash92), Valentina Chrysostomou (@ValentinaChrys) and Rob McLachlan (@RMMcLachlan)

    This has been a CMD:Studio production. Our editor is Matthew Lever (@matthewlever), our producer is Anna Tumurova (@ATumurova), and our theme tune is by James Elsey (@JamesElseyMusic).

    1 hr 1 min
  • LD045 | Landscape and Garden Exploration in Game Design with Rob Dwiar

    Join us as we speak to Rob Dwiar (@RobDwiar) about such an integral part of many games as landscape design.

    With extensive experience in real-life landscape design and horticulture, Rob analyses different game environments highlighting some great (and not so great) practices of creating not just a beautiful landscape but one that looks natural and organic.

    Check out and support Rob's stunning book project Genius Loci on Unbound!

    Do you have a game that particularly catches your attention with its setting? Let us know on Twitter @leveldesignfm!

    Presented by Mark Drew (@markdrew), Jonathon Wilson (@omnislash92), and Valentina Chrysostomou (@ValentinaChrys).

    This has been a CMD:Studio production. Our editor is Matthew Lever (@matthewlever), our producer is Anna Tumurova (@ATumurova), and our theme tune is by James Elsey (@JamesElseyMusic).

    51 min
  • LD044 - 2021 Retrospective

    Join us as we walk down the memory lane of all things 2021 and share our plans and hopes for the New Year.

    Leave a comment with your take on what we should all be looking for in 2022.

    You can follow our antics over on Twitter and comment with your take on what we should all be looking for in 2022. Check out @leveldesignfm!

    Presented by Mark Drew (@markdrew), Jonathon Wilson (@omnislash92) and Rob McLachlan (@RMMcLachlan).

    This has been a CMD:Studio production. Our editor is Matthew Lever (@matthewlever), our producer is Anna Tumurova (@ATumurova), and our theme tune is by James Elsey (@JamesElseyMusic).

    54 min
  • LD043 - Oli Curtis Level Designer on Postal and Operation Black Mesa

    In this episode, we have a chat with Oli Curtis (@fragleveldesign) on level design, HAMMER and Source and Postal as well as Black Mesa

    You can follow our antics over on Twitter. Check out @leveldesignfm!

    Presented by Mark Drew (@markdrew), Valentina Chrysostomou (@valentinaChrys), Jonathon Wilson (@omnislash92) and Rob McLachlan (@RMMcLachlan)

    This has been a CMD:Studio production. Our editor is Matthew Lever @matthewlever and our theme tune is by James Elsey @JamesElseyMusic

    1 hr
  • LD042 - Max Pears from CD Projekt Red talks Cyberpunk 2077 and Let's Design: Exploration

    In this episode we  invite Max Pears (@maxpears) back to finally talk about Cyberpunk 2077 and his new book! Let's Design: Exploration! 

    You can check out Max's book here: 

    Physical books - https://bit.ly/3tsgQtO

    Digital - https://bit.ly/39BakJD

    He also happens to be the host of the great Level Design Lobby Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/03OTDRAPsAiocSLCTEiXBn

    You can follow our antics over on Twitter. Check out @leveldesignfm!

    Presented by Mark Drew (@markdrew) , Jonathon Wilson (@omnislash92) and Rob McLachlan (@RMMcLachlan)

    This has been a CMD:Studio production. Our editor is Matthew Lever @matthewlever. 


    53 min
  • LD041 - Gabby Llanillo from Naughty Dog

    In this episode we have the great pleasure to talk to Gabby Llanillo (@gabs820) from Naughty Dog about all things QA and Dev Support at Naughty Dog. 

    You can follow our antics over on Twitter. Check out @leveldesignfm!

    Presented by Mark Drew (@markdrew) , Jonathon Wilson (@omnislash92), Valentina Chrysostomou (@ValentinaChrys) and Rob McLachlan (@RMMcLachlan)

    This has been a CMD:Studio production. Our editor is Matthew Lever @matthewlever. This episode was produced by Ash Rose (@Fake_Anime_Geek).

    55 min
  • LD040 - Level Design with Tommy Norberg

    In this episode we sit down with Level Design guru and teacher at the The Game Assembly: Tommy Norberg! Join us as we dive into their work Brothers: A Tale of Two sons and Just Cause 2 as well as Level Design techniques!

    You can follow our antics over on Twitter. Check out @leveldesignfm!

    Works and Topics we covered in this episode!:

    • Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons 
    • Just Cause 2
    • Syndicate 
    • https://twitter.com/the_Norberg
    • https://www.tommynorberg.com/
    • Presented by Mark Drew (@markdrew) , Jonathon Wilson (@omnislash92), Valentina Chrysostomou (@ValentinaChrys) and Rob McLachlan (@RMMcLachlan)

      This has been a CMD:Studio production. Our editor is Matthew Lever @matthewlever. This episode was produced by Ash Rose (@Fake_Anime_Geek).

      1 hr 20 min

    About Level Design Podcast

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    The Level Design podcast is your view into the world of game development through the lens of Level Design!