Social deduction games are great for parties, creating stories, and cold-blooded betrayal. This week we take a look at what makes social deduction tick in game design.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

GDC Talk on the Design of Secret Hitler:

https://youtu.be/6-IJZrrMFpE

Board game design is fun, messy, and not talked about very much (even by this show's standards). This week, we give board games some love and talk about how board game design compares to video game design.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

https://www.panicmode.net/episodes

Toxicity in gaming often feels unsolvable, but that's far from the case. This week, we take a look at some of the practical solutions that have been implemented or could be implemented to battle toxicity in video game culture.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

The Guardian - Interview with Kat Lo:

https://bit.ly/2wKvjFB

Extra Credits - Toxicity:

https://bit.ly/22pqZaM

Gamasutra - Battling Toxicity In Online Video Games:

https://ubm.io/2tbibXY

Polygon - Toxicity Explained (long read):

https://bit.ly/2mGIxOP

We close the year out with a discussion of violence in game design and by extension the role violence plays in the gaming medium. It's a wild time.

Trigger warning: this episode contains discussions and examples of violence, including a brief discussion of sexual violence.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

Five approaches to 'good' violence in games

https://ubm.io/2QIWCNf

Extra Credits: Non-Combat Gaming - How to Make Social Mechanics Fun

https://bit.ly/2EHqtiR

Extra Credits: Hatred - Crossing the Line from Violence to Sadism

https://bit.ly/1L2o0bX

Canadian Statistics on Video Games & Violence

https://bit.ly/2uTRk4n

https://bit.ly/2RbnpRM (Section: Leisure and personal time)

The White House: Violence in Video Games Montage:

https://bit.ly/2IeyIl0

A BDSM Game That Let Me Explore A New Type Of Sexual Experience

https://bit.ly/2EEH1XL

How important are game review scores? What's the future of games journalism? Should you buy Darksiders 3? This week we sit down with journalist Patrick Hickey Jr. to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of games journalism.

Apologies for some minor audio issues throughout.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

The Minds Behind Games:

https://amzn.to/2FSXBoW

ReviewFix:

reviewfix.com

Twitter: @ReviewFix

"Are loot boxes ethical?" is the million dollar question this week. We explore how video games are monetized in the modern era and try to find where the line between maximizing profit and deliberate exploitation is.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

Extra Credits: The Skinner Box:

https://bit.ly/2OOyR0g

Study: Video game loot boxes are linked to problem gambling:

https://bit.ly/2TnCrC1

Skinner’s Box and Video Games:

https://bit.ly/2AaSACn

The Cost of Games:

https://bit.ly/2DJvIOi

A bad tutorial can ruin a good game, and a good tutorial will often go entirely unnoticed. This week we break down the underappreciated art of designing tutorials for video games!

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

Extra Credits - Tutorials 101

https://bit.ly/1iFO1BJ

Eight Ways to Make a Bad Tutorial

https://ubm.io/2z6iB5M

We discuss how designers should employ complexity and depth in game design. Spoiler: Dwarf Fortress may have pushed the envelope a liiiiiittle bit too far.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

Zack Hiwiller: Players Making Decisions

https://oreil.ly/2yFeWvB

Extra Credits: Depth vs Complexity

https://bit.ly/1FPwDCe

Extra Credits: Balancing for Skill (FOO Strategies)

https://bit.ly/2Spk9A1

3 Minutes Game Design: Elegance and Depth

https://bit.ly/2OSOzwz

Dan Felder: Depth vs Complexity

https://ubm.io/2yBP9EO

We apply modern game design theory to Monopoly, Clue, and Risk! We also tell you how to win at those games and what games you should probably be playing instead.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

No show notes this week! Although shoutout to www.shutupandsitdown.com for helping us find games to recommend!

Feedback loops are key to keeping gaming experiences fun from start to finish. Except in Mario Kart where they just ruin everything.

Website: panicmode.net

Twitter: @panicmodedotnet

Facebook: fb.me/panicmodedotnet

Show Notes:

Mark Brown on Feedback Loops: bit.ly/2zxLBnS

Ian Schreiber on Feedback Loops: bit.ly/2by9RMd