This week we get into the pointlessly perplexing taxonomy behind roguelikes (with a ‘k’), roguelites (with a ‘t’), and all of the useless criteria associated with each. Seriously. Some people think ASCII graphics are a part of it. It’s ridiculous.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Medium: medium.com/panicmode

Show Notes:

Berlin Interpretation:

https://bit.ly/2UoK9OU

Design Doc - The Evolution of Roguelike Design:

https://bit.ly/3asIBZJ

Mark Brown - Roguelikes, Persistency, and Progression:

https://bit.ly/33UwORq

Metagames: gamers hate ‘em, competitors love ‘em, and in some ways it feels like game designers only discovered them in the past ten years. This week we breakdown all you need to know about metagaming.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Medium: medium.com/panicmode

Show Notes:

Five important realisations about game balance:

bit.ly/33kWHd5

Joost van Dongen:

witter.com/JoostDevBlog

Communication in team environments is crucial to any big project, even more so in game development. This week we speak with Chris Wood, the COO of Pixelmatic, on how to cultivate a healthy team environment and being an effective communicator in the games industry.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Medium: medium.com/panicmode

Show Notes:

Chris Wood:

twitter.com/ChrisWood1821

DOOM Design Doc:

bit.ly/2vvAkoD

Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory:

bit.ly/2x1nvD8

Infinite Fleet:

infinitefleet.com

As a belated Valentine’s Day nod, this week we’re focusing on *feelings* in games. Or as it is more colloquially known: “game feel,” or less colloquially known as: “how much screen shake can you force into this animation?”

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Medium: medium.com/panicmode

Show Notes:

Steve Swink - Game Feel: The Secret Ingredient

https://bit.ly/2Sz1eVH

Mark Brown - Secrets of Game Feel and Juice:

https://bit.ly/2SvfKgX

We’re back with more applied game design theory! This week we’re looking at Fortnite, Stardew Valley, and Mario Kart and try to get a sense of what makes them tick from a game design perspective.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Medium: medium.com/panicmode

No show notes this week!

Making your first game is the first baby step towards becoming a game designer. So why do so many aspiring designers struggle to take it?

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Medium: medium.com/panicmode

Show Notes:

Extra Credits - How To Start Your Game Development:

https://bit.ly/2Rw0S0f

GameDev.tv Unity Courses (not sponsored):

https://bit.ly/30AD67j

GameMaker:

https://bit.ly/2G3z7Xr

RPGMaker:

https://bit.ly/2TDYDus

Twine:

https://bit.ly/3arQlvG

This week we discuss Dan Ackerman’s article “Towards a grand unified theory of board game rules,” AKA our diatribe on why lengthy board game rulebooks SUCK.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Medium: medium.com/panicmode

Show Notes:

Towards a grand unified theory of board game rules:

https://bit.ly/2QJ8yM8

This week we pause to reflect on what 2019 meant for games and game design, as well as recapping The 2019 Game Awards!

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Medium: medium.com/panicmode

Show Notes:

https://www.panicmode.net/articles

This week we take a look at a core concept of game design: gameplay loops. Are they different from feedback loops? Yes. Or are they…? No, they are the same. Unless they aren’t. They are different. Probably?

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Medium: medium.com/panicmode

Show Notes:

How to Perfect your Game’s Core Loop

https://bit.ly/2P2JCQh

How Game’s use Feedback Loops (a refresher on feedback loops)

https://bit.ly/2Pr8HDl

How to Keep Players Engaged (Without Being Evi)

https://bit.ly/2DXdAi3

In this episode, we discuss the emergence of the grimdark and hopepunk subgenre, and their potential to influence game design. And for the record, it’s pronounced “hope-punk” not “hopunk”. Just saying.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Medium: medium.com/panicmode

Show Notes:

What is Hopepunk

https://bit.ly/2ODTIWh

What is Grimdark

https://bit.ly/2XFZWJl