Producing Fun

Dan Thurot, writer of Space-Biff!, is one of my favourite reviewers and may be the most respected critic in games. In this episode, we dive into the economic function of the game reviewer, the nature of game criticism vs review and Dan’s unique historical perspective on games.

Until recently Chris was a pediatric doctor - now he’s a full time game developer and - indeed - our very first on the show. In this episode we talk about what game developers do, working with famous game designers and organizing the UK’s first protospiel.

Personal Tabletop IG Acount: https://www.instagram.com/tabletopapprentice/

As well as running what may be the most successful podcast about game design ever - the Boardgame Design Lab - Gabe Barrett has run 10 successful board game-related Kickstarter projects: including a solo-only game that raised more than $65,000. In this episode, we talk about why he started the show, why he stopped, the power of building community, and useful advice for budding creators.

Website: www.boardgamedesignlab.com

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BGDLCommunity

“Robomon” - new game launch: https://gamefound.com/projects/gabe-barrett/robomon

Nick Bentley has been working in the industry for years. But recently, he took up a new role with Underdog Games: a game publisher smashing up conventional wisdom and selling 100,000s games in the process. This week we have the deepest conversation I’ve had before or heard before about *why* people buy one game rather than another. This is an absolute must-listen for aspiring game creators.

Underdog Games: https://www.underdoggames.com/

Nick’s website: https://www.nickbentley.games/

Nick’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nick__bentley

Mike Bonet has been podcasting about games for 14 years. 300 episodes in, he’s a seasoned interviewer who knows how to get the best out of his various game designer guests. This week we talk about all things game podcasting: how to listen effectively, how to get interviewed by a podcast and how he inspired me to pick up the microphone.

Website: https://ninjavspirates.libsyn.com/

Stonesword Games’ latest title - the feudal Japan themed Senjutsu - hit Kickstarter with a bang last year, raising around almost a million pounds in the process. In this episode, I talk to the company’s two founders - James Faulkner and Paul Allen - and discuss the multiple strategies they used to drive this success, including: diligent historical research, endless testing and focusing on the power of good advertising over the world of BGG and content creators.

Jay Cormier was already a successful designer, having multiple BGG top 1000 games to his name across a very wide variety of genres. 4 years ago he got into game publishing, launching Off the Page Games, a company producing games based on indie comic books. His first title - Mind MGMT - is already a smash hit. In this episode, we get into how to run a profitable Kickstarter, make clever manufacturing decisions, and the power of branding.

www.offthepagegames.com

www.failfaster.ca

www.youtube.com/c/OffThePageGames

www.bamboozlebrothers.com

Together Jack and Paul are Eurydice Games: A UK game publishing company that - most unusually - actually manufactures all their own games. In this episode, we talk about the financial risks of large print runs, how their in-house manufacturing allows them to do things that would be impossible without very large investments, and their top tips for anyone who’d like to physically make their own games.

Jack: https://twitter.com/jackson_pope

Paul: https://twitter.com/PaulWillcox10

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eurydicegames

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacksonpopeeg

Blog: https://creationandplay.blogsport.com

Website: https://www.eurydicegames.co.uk

Forthcoming Gamefound for FlickFleet: Xeno Wars: https://gamefound.com/projects/draft/am1zfbwx1bn89fhfxbrko1jlscx

Uli is a publisher from Germany and the proprietor of indie label: Spielworxx. Specializing in challenging boutique games and German language versions of bigger commercial hits, Spielworxx has been delighting gamers since 2010. With almost 30 years of experience in the industry, Uli is an expert in running indie publishing businesses. 

In this episode, we talk about how he selects games for localization, how his business model works, and more.   

Uli’s website: https://www.spielworxx.de/

Dina Ramse is a game Marketer from Finland. Dina helps small publishers get their games known and funded, having supported more than 40 launches on Kickstarter. In this episode, we cover the finer points of social media algorithms, how to use different platforms to maximum effect, and choosing the right creators to partner with, among many other topics.