Podcast · Arts & Books

Design Thinking Games

by Design Thinking Games · English · Arts & Books

Design Thinking Games is an indie game design, play-testing, and user experience podcast that examines the player experience of different types of games.

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 35 min
Latest: 29 Aug 2025
Language: English

Latest episode

29 Aug 2025 · 24 min

059: Hastilude, Rainbow Quest, and Extra Life

Listen now (24 min) | Origins Game Fair concludes with George Beznik from Gen1400 Gaming talking about their worker placement game Hastilude, Rainbow Quest a nonprofit board game promoting LGBTQ+ diversity and history, and a fundraising program for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals called Extra Life. Read the transcript. Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at https://designthinkinggames.com/

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S5 · E58 · 22 Aug 2025 · 23 min
058: Playtesting Superheroes, Toy-Boxes, and Electrons
Listen now (23 min) | The Origins Game Fair discussions continue with Christopher Chan volunteer for Unpub, Spencer Reichley with BudStuff Games, Tray Green of Hillary's Toy Box, and Chrys Sellers of Hectic Electron Games. Read the transcript. Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at https://designthinkinggames.com/
S5 · E57 · 15 Aug 2025 · 21 min
057: Chickens, Pooh, Knives, and You
Listen now (21 min) | Season 5 continues the Origins Game Fair discussion with Matt Mundy of Sea Cow Games, Absurd Adventure Games, Jordan McLaughlin of Rookie Mage Games, and Matthew Ryan of Envy Born Games. Read the transcript. Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at https://designthinkinggames.com/
S5 · E56 · 8 Aug 2025 · 18 min
056: TTRPGs, Boardgames, and LARP
Listen now (19min) | Josh Rosing of Lone Colossus Games, Andrew Looney from Looney Labs, and True Dungeon volunteer Andrew Surber discuss gaming. Read the transcript. Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at https://designthinkinggames.com/
S5 · E55 · 1 Aug 2025 · 19 min
055: Amtgard
Listen now (19min) | Season five starts at Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH with Branden Webb and Elliott Hedrick of Amtgard, the world-wide LARPing organization. Read the transcript. Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at https://designthinkinggames.com/
S4 · E54 · 14 Jul 2024 · 27 min
054: The Designers of Thirst
Listen now (26min) | In their fourth season finale, our heroes reflect on the complexities and achievements of their journey in game design. They discuss their experiences making 'Thirst,' and share their insights and aspirations. What happens next changes everything. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 00:15 - Reflecting on Our Game Design Journey 01:32 - Thirst Game Development Updates 03:25 - Future Plans and Strategic Goals 10:08 - The Never Ending Story 16:01 - What we've been playing Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Subscribe on…
S4 · E53 · 7 Jul 2024 · 43 min
053: Rose Gauntlet
Listen now (42min) | Our heroes in the final interview of the season clamber before Isaac Vega of the Rose Gauntlet Foundation, who shares his 13-year journey in the board game industry, transitioning from a game designer to a publisher. The Rose Gauntlet Foundation's mission is to foster diversity and inclusivity within the gaming community. He offers insights into the financial and strategic aspects of game publishing and emphasizes the importance of passion and message in game design.
S4 · E52 · 30 Jun 2024 · 51 min
052: Sailor Moon Sabrina Culyba • Ludoliminal
Listen now (50min) | Our heroes encounter Sabrina Culyba, a seasoned game designer and founder of the studio Ludoliminal. Culyba shares her journey from designing digital games to creating board games, emphasizing her passion for experience design. She speaks about her first published game, Diatoms, and imparts a crucial lesson: the importance of crafting memorable experiences, whether digital or analog. Culyba's narrative includes nostalgic moments of her early gaming influences, such as Sailor Moon and the societal fears surrounding D&D, underlining the diverse paths and inspirations that…
S4 · E51 · 23 Jun 2024 · 35 min
051: Archduke John De Campos, Death to Videodrome
Listen now (34 min) | John De Campos, founder of Terrible Games, shares his journey from a comic book-obsessed child to an independent board game publisher, designer, and illustrator. Our heroes glean insights on the comparisons between self-publishing and traditional publishing, and the creative collaborations involved, into building a brand, maintaining a small business, and the importance of community and collaboration in creative ventures. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 00:00 - Introduction to John De Campos and Terrible Games 00:56 - Early Life and Inspirations…
S4 · E50 · 16 Jun 2024 · 32 min
050: Luis Alejandro Martinez Flores, Creator of Fluffy Dragons
Listen now (31 min) | Midway on their journey, our heroes are reality-checked by Luis Alejandro Martinez Flores (LAMF Games), the creator of Fluffy Dragons. He recounts his pivot to a simpler, more accessible, easier-to-produce game after industry research. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 00:00 Introduction 00:07 The Birth of Fluffy Dragons 00:25 From Heavy to Light: Game Design Journey 01:52 Early Inspirations and Gaming Background 02:58 Kickstarter and Playtesting Insights 03:41 Advice and Reflections on Game Design 09:01 Challenges and Future Plans 14:44 Personal…
S4 · E49 · 9 Jun 2024 · 35 min
049: The Story of “Serial Killer” with Jack Malacat
Listen now (35 min) | TIn this episode, our heroes embark on a creative odyssey, gleaning insights from Jack Malacat’s unconventional journey into game design. They unravel the tapestry of Malacat’s experiences, from hosting lively parties to crafting the darkly engaging ‘Serial Killer’ game, navigating the realms of business and imagination. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 00:00 - Introduction to Jack Malacat and the game Serial Killer 00:34 - Jack’s background and the inception of Serial Killer 01:51 - Venom Haus, the game studio behind Serial Killer 05:00 -…
S4 · E48 · 2 Jun 2024 · 42 min
048: The Man, The Brand, the Gay Edge Lord – Daddy Chaddy
Listen now (41 min) | This fork in the road takes our heroes before an aspiring professional gamer to understand the core element of the player experience: the player. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 00:00 - The Man, the Brand, the Gay Edgelord 01:10 - Baby Chad’s Exposure to Games 02:02 - Zelda Left the Right Impression 02:50 - The Physicality of Early Video Games 04:20 - How the Dynamic of Chad’s Gaming Experience Changed 06:00 - The Cultural Zeitgeist of Elden Ring 08:48 - The Nostalgia Weapon 18:09 - Choosing Which Games to Stream 21:00 - The Catalyst for Doubling…
S4 · E47 · 26 May 2024 · 35 min
047: Providing Value, Building Community with Kervin from For Why Games
Listen now (34:50 min) | For Why Games' founder advises our heroes to endeavor to provide real value to one's community so that the community will turn out. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 00:37 - Kervin discusses his journey into TikTok and board game design 01:31 - Inspiration for creating a Allow Me to Mansplain 04:52 - Why "For Why Games"? 06:21 - Marsh Hallow 09:07 - Explanation of roll-and-write mechanics and their unique approach 12:48 - Kervin's approach to playtesting and community building 16:48 - How to connect with Kervin and For Why Games 18:08 - We play…
S4 · E46 · 19 May 2024 · 39 min
046: The Creative Partnership and First Principles behind X: Seekers of Fortune
Listen now (38:36 min) | A clear path forward to funding begins to emerge, but it is a long road. Our heroes sit at the feet of the designers of X: Seekers of Fortune, Joel and Danny (Mega Moth Studios), who have been on this journey much longer, and have much to share. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 00:27 - Mega Moth Studios 01:58 - Navigating creative differences 04:50 - First principles and the importance of designing the card backs for X: Seekers of Fortune well 06:00 - How do you even define the minimum viable product for a game? 07:19 - Why choose to make a…
S4 · E45 · 12 May 2024 · 34 min
045: Marketing for a Successful Kickstarter with the Co-creator of Trash Cult
Listen now (33 min) | There is much for our heroes to learn, so first they must seek out Hannah Strack - the Supreme Design Queen, creator of Trash Cult - and pay homage. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 00:22 - Trash Cult 01:07 - Starting FoxHen Creatives 08:57 - Marketing a game 12:53 - Talking numbers around marketing and ad spend 17:53 - How to get in contact with FoxHen Creatives 18:55 - D12 Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames. Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at…
S4 · E44 · 5 May 2024 · 21 min
044: Fourth Season’s a Charm
Listen now (21 min) | Thought surely dead, our heroes return from the Outer Rim to kick off a new season of game-design interviews. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 00:34 - Game of the Year 02:20 - Tim on Super Mario Brothers Wonder 03:56 - Michael on Baldur's Gate 3 04:26 - Our Tiktok algorithms 05:48 - What we've been playing 06:42 - Tim on Dave The Diver 08:50 - Thirst, our game! 11:01 - What to expect from this season 13:48 - What folks should follow Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames.…
S3 · E43 · 13 Aug 2023 · 41 min
043: Season Finale – Playthroughs with Matthew Visyak
Listen now (41 min) | After playing a game with the three-headed dragon, and dreaming that night of LARPing, our heroes wake to find an old man Matthew Visyak who says, "It's dangerous to go alone!" Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 04:13 Final Fantasy 06:01 Breath of Fire 4 06:28 The Last Ninja 06:40 Simon's Quest 12:33 Dice Invasion 12:49 It's Kind of a Fun Story 13:39 Gloomhaven 23:57 The Outlast Trials 34:40 Resident Evil 4 35:22 Diablo 4 35:53 Hogwarts Legacy 37:26 Jedi Survivor 37:51 Final Fantasy XVI 38:22 Tears of the Kingdom 38:40 Sons of the Forest 39:30…
S3 · E42 · 6 Aug 2023 · 19 min
042: Design Thinking LARPing :: The Audiodrama
Listen now (19 min) | Design Thinking LARPing is a fully immersive, fully cast, tongue-in-cheek radio play about LARPers taking over a gaming convention. Join Tim, Michael, and Rapid Protobot on this adventure. Read the transcript. Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast. Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames. Tim Broadwater is @uxbear on Twitter. Michael Schofield is @schoeyfield on Twitter. Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at https://designthinkinggames.com/
S3 · E41 · 30 Jul 2023 · 1 hr 1 min
041: It’s Kind of a Fun Story
Listen now (61 min) | Heeding the warning from the space wizard, our heroes make camp for the night in a nearby cave. They soon discover that the cave is inhabited by a three-headed dragon named PopHaus, who just wants to play a new game called It's Kind of a Fun Story! Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 02:44 Final Fantasy VII 03:30 Crash Bandicoot 04:06 Dream Phone 05:22 Mouse Trap 09:06 Animal Crossing 15:11 Codenames 15:30 It's Kind of a Fun Story 20:01 Cards Against Humanity 31:29 Gloomhaven 39:41 Spot It 41:37 Betrayal at House on the Hill 42:34 Secret Hitler 45:49…
S3 · E40 · 23 Jul 2023 · 53 min
040: Designing Tabletop Games with Connor Wake
Listen now (53 min) | After parting ways with their old friend, our heroes travel until they encounter Connor Wake, a tabletop game wizard from outer space! Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: The Mind Roads & Boats Scythe Framework Into the Breach Herbacious Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast. Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames. Tim Broadwater is @uxbear on Twitter. Michael Schofield is @schoeyfield on Twitter. Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at…
S3 · E39 · 16 Jul 2023 · 1 hr 2 min
039: Stillfleet with Aaron H.
Listen now (62 min) | On their epic quest our heroes encounter an old friend, Aaron H., and they talk about his recent gaming conquests in Stillfleet. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: Stillfleet The Rain Thieves Dune Float City Fun City Podcast Strings Roll 20 Malinger Robot Factory The Art of Game Design: Book of Lenses The Game Design Workshop Candyland Moats in the Eye Splendor Galaxy Trucker Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast. Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames. Tim Broadwater is…
S2 · E38 · 9 Jul 2023 · 48 min
038: Games that Give Back with Dan Scalise
Listen now (48 min) | Bidding the family of designers good morrow, our heroes find respite, a cozy moment to decompress with Scalisco Games founder Dan Scalise and talk about their new game: Corgi's Cozy Hike. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 00:59 Dog Gone Seattle. Lots: Corgis Cozy Hike 1:26 Candy Crush 02:53 Final Fantasy 03:11 Game of Thrones board game 03:11 Avalon 03:11 Resistance 03:28 Among Us 03:37 One Night Werewolf 03:50 Blood on the Clock Tower 04:15 Donkey Kong Country Lots: Banjo Kazooie 10:13 Mario 64 15:12 Rock Miner 22:53 Elden Ring 22:53 Tears of the…
S3 · E37 · 2 Jul 2023 · 54 min
037: Dice Invasion
Listen now (54 min) | As our heroes sneak their way past the battlefield, they encounter a small family of game designers. Laura Rodriguez and daughter Adriana Bailey discuss the making of their new game Dice Invasion. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 01:53 Theater LARP 07:18 Designing a LARP 10:13 Aspire SRD 11:00 Caltrop Core 16:24 Her Odyssey 19:35 Solo-Journaling RPGs 21:47 Galatea 25:07 Diversity Saves 33:09 Mass Effect 33:54 Knights of the Old Republic 34:51 Tyranny 37:01 Magic the Gathering 40:19 Vampire Survivors 42:10 Tunic 45:06 Root 46:07 Dragon Quest Support…
S3 · E36 · 25 Jun 2023 · 57 min
036: Aspire SRD and Theatre LARPing with S. Kaiya J.
Listen now (57 min) | With the Forest of Trees behind them, we stumble upon a battle - but a mysterious game designer on the periphery explains that it's just a Boffer LARP. S. Kaiya J. discusses game design, the Aspire SRD, Diversity Saves, and the complexity of LARP design. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 01:53 Theater LARP 07:18 Designing a LARP 10:13 Aspire SRD 11:00 Caltrop Core 16:24 Her Odyssey 19:35 Solo-Journaling RPGs 21:47 Galatea 25:07 Diversity Saves 33:09 Mass Effect 33:54 Knights of the Old Republic 34:51 Tyranny 37:01 Magic the Gathering 40:19 Vampire…
S3 · E35 · 18 Jun 2023 · 1 hr
035: Dungeons & Dragons with Nick Finck
Listen now (60 min) | As our heroes just set out on their new gaming quest, they encounter Nick Finck, "The Director of the Forest of Trees." Nick discusses being a UX professional, advisor, mentor, coach, speaker, and founding Craft & Rigor. Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 15:25 Dungeons & Dragons: First Edition 19:37 Mazes and Monsters 21:02 The Real Housewives of D&D 21:39 Digital D&D 21:51 D&D Beyond 28:34 Craft and Rigor 32:23 NickFinck.com 41:17 Trailer Park Wars 49:39 Cards Against Humanity Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast.…
S3 · E34 · 11 Jun 2023 · 45 min
034: We’re Back!
Listen now (45 min) | Our heroes kick-off season 3 of the podcast discussing changes to the podcast, what they've been playing, the Devil In Me, and the Season Challenge: Outlast Trials! Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 02:44 What we've been playing since last season 02:56 Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within 03:21 Titanic: Adventure out of Time 03:54 Regency Call of Cthulhu 04:27 Flourish 05:34 Gears of War 5 05:49 The Stick of Truth and the Fractured But Whole 05:55 Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch 10:41 The Devil In Me 28:18 The Season Challenge: Outlast Trials…
S3 · 4 Jun 2023 · 2 min
000 v.3: Season 3 Intro/Outro
Listen now (2 min) | Our fantastic and new season 3 intro for the Design Thinking Games podcast! Read the transcript. Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast. Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames. Tim Broadwater is @uxbear on Twitter. Michael Schofield is @schoeyfield on Twitter. Send us stuff, contact us, get merch, news, and more at https://designthinkinggames.com/
S2 · E33 · 24 Oct 2022 · 52 min
033: Season Finale with Sophia Prater
Listen now (51 min) | The big fish is revealed to be Sophia Prater, Chief Evangelist of OOUX. Our heroes learn about the history of object-oriented UX and the design of Sophia's new game. We finally review the results of this season's great challenge: Moonlighter! Read the transcript. Things discussed on this episode: 01:10 Sophia Prater 02:15 Axure 09:14 Object Orientated UX (OOUX) 13:17 Atomic Design 14:52 Thinking in Services 16:31 UX Magic 19:14 Object Map 27:05 Lords of Waterdeep 29:28 OOUX.com 34:03 Moonlighter 38:10 Cult of the Lamb 38:48 Rollercoaster Tycoon 39:38 Monster Hunter…
S2 · E32 · 10 Oct 2022 · 24 min
032: Open Worlds
Listen now (24 min) | Having overcome the collective horde, our heroes are confronted with their greatest challenge: a really big ****ing space fish. Read the transcript. Games discussed on this episode: 3:05 Elden Ring 4:06 Resident Evil Village 9:00 It Takes Two 12:48 Mad Max 13:18 God Of War 15:27 Stray 17:32 Simon's Quest 17:51 Dying Light 21:46 Breath of the Wild Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast. Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames. Tim Broadwater is @uxbear on Twitter. Michael Schofield is @schoeyfield on…
S2 · E31 · 26 Sep 2022 · 34 min
031: The LPGWV Collective
Listen now (34 min) | After having an allergic reaction to the sci-fi feline, our heroes return to space and are immediately confronted by a gamer collective armada! Read the transcript. Games discussed on this episode: 2:11 Dragula 4:42 PopCon 7:22 LPGWV 17:21 Motown Tilt 17:47 Mortal Kombat 19:16 Pac-Man 20:51 PewDiePie 21:19 Pokemon Go 23:14 Okami 24:41 Evil Within 27:07 Sailor Moon R 28:48 Pittsburgh Dad Support the show on Patreon! Follow us on Twitter @DTGamesPodcast. Follow us on TikTok @designthinkinggames. Subscribe on Twitch at DesignThinkingGames. Tim Broadwater is @uxbear on…

About Design Thinking Games

Design Thinking Games is an indie game design, play-testing, and user experience podcast that examines the player experience of different types of games.

Design Thinking Games is a English arts & books podcast from Design Thinking Games. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Design Thinking Games
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 35 min
Latest episode: 29 Aug 2025
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1557333329

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