James Fazio, founder of Pique Games, discusses how to overcome failure in game design and game publishing.

We talk about defining success, the danger of comparison, taking feedback gracefully, and more.

The post Overcoming Failure with James Fazio appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Azhelle Wade, the toy coach, discusses how to design board games for the mass market and toy industry.

We talk about “toyetic” games, patents, pitching to publishers, contraption based games, and more.

The post Designing Mass Market Games with Azhelle Wade appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Justin Chu, founder of Mobo Games, discusses how to design board games made specifically for the digital space.

We talk about the pros and cons of digital-only board games along with the many things to think about and to be aware of when traveling into this side of the market.

The post How to Design Digital Board Games with Justin Chu appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Debbie Moynihan, COO of White Wizard Games, discusses how to market yourself, your game, and your company.

Whether you’re a designer pitching to a publisher or wanting to run Kickstarter campaigns of your own, you’ll find some great wisdom in this one. Debbie also breaks down the seven P’s of marketing.

The post How to Market Yourself, Your Game, and Your Company with Debbie Moynihan appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

John D’Angelo, desinger of Runelords, discusses how to receive, process, and utilize feedback.

Whether you’re talking to playtesters, gamers, members of your target audience, or anyone else, it’s important to know how to take in feedback, and it’s vital to know how to use it to make your games better.

And be sure to check out John’s game, Runelords, on Kickstarter HERE.

The post How to Process Feedback with John D’Angelo appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Grant Lyon, desinger of Curmudgeon, discusses everything that goes into crafting a fun and humorous gaming experience.

Grant is a professional stand-up comic, and we talk about joke theory, humor in rulebooks, party games, and more.

The post Crafting a Humorous Experience with Grant Lyon appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Your friend Ben Moy, desinger of Breakdancing Meeples, discusses his thoughts on how to make the game design space (and subsequently the world) a better and brighter place to be a part of.

We talk about joining communities that resonate with you, like Girls’ Game Shelf and TGC Designer Discussion, using emojis and GIFs to foster relationships, reminding yourself that everyone is a person beyond the screen, owning up to and growing from your mistakes, and more.​​

Ben devotes a great deal of his time to helping and encouraging others in the game design community and has some great ideas on how we can all work to make this a truly excellent hobby.

The post How to Make the Game Design Community a Brighter Place with Your Friend Ben Moy appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Leslie Scott, desinger of Jenga, and Freddie Scott Vollrath, designer of Slappy Camper, discuss what all goes into designing and pitching games for the mass market.

We talk about what makes a game “mass market,” getting games into museums, where to pitch game ideas, and more.

The post How to Design Games for the Mass Market with Leslie Scott and Freddie Scott Vollrath appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Mike Lee, professional rulebook writer, discusses how to put together a clear, concise set of rules for your game.

Mike has written rulebooks for publishers like Button Shy Games, and he’s put together the most in-depth rules writing guide I’ve ever seen. We talk about cognitive load, structure, accessibility, and more.

And if you want to dive deeper, make sure to check out the Rulebook Editors’ Hangout Discord channel HERE.

The post How to Write a Great Rulebook with Mike Lee appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

AJ Brandon, storefront manager at Board Game Bliss, discusses how to make sure your game stands out in retail.

We talk about why some games stay on a store shelf for 2 minutes while other games sit there for 2 years. And we talk about what both designers and publishers can do to get their games noticed.

And be sure to check out AJ’s new podcast about board game design, Fun Problems.​​

The post How to Stand Out in Retail with AJ Brandon appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Emerson Matsuuchi, designer of Century: Spice Road, discusses how to use math to design better games.

We talk about game balance, spreadsheets, mathematical models, and more.

The post Using Math to Design Better Games with Emerson Matsuuchi appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Travis Jones, designer of Pendulum, discusses what all goes into the design process for a real-time game.

We talk about time constraints, chaos, analysis paralysis, board layout, and more.

The post Designing a Real-Time Game with Travis Jones appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Shannon McDowell, puzzle maker and escape room designer, discusses what designers and publishers need to think about when designing puzzle games and games with puzzles in them.

Shannon has done a ton of research on puzzles and how they relate to culture and cultural biases for Wilfred Laurier University. And she has a great system for defining and understanding the different types of puzzles in games.

[mobileonly]To download this episode to your phone, click <a href=”https://media.blubrry.com/board_game_design_lab/content.blubrry.com/board_game_design_lab/BGDL_209_Shannon_McDowell.mp3″>HERE</a>.[/mobileonly]

The post Puzzles in Games with Shannon McDowell appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Jeremy Howard, reviewer at Man vs Meeple, discusses what makes a great solo game.

Jeremy is super passionate about solo games, and we dive into examples of excellent solo games, capturing tension, solo modes for multiplayer games, and more.

[mobileonly]To download this episode to your phone, click HERE.[/mobileonly]

The post What Makes a Great Solo Game with Jeremy Howard appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Charlie McCarron, designer of Four Humours, discusses what it looks like for a board game designer to live a creative life

We talk about scheduling, self-care, betting on yourself, inspiration, and more.

And be sure to check out Charlie’s game on Kickstarter HERE.​​

[mobileonly]To download this episode to your phone, click HERE.[/mobileonly]

The post How to Live a Creative Life with Charlie McCarron appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Allen Wolf, founder of Morning Star Games, discusses various ways to promote a game and get the word out about it.

We talk about how to contact game stores, traditional media, digital content creators, and more.

[mobileonly]To download this episode to your phone, click HERE.[/mobileonly]

The post How to Promote a Game with Allen Wolf appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

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Patrick Lysaght, designer of Commissioned, discusses the process of designing and publishing an expansion for a game.

We talk about the different kinds of expansions, design challenges, and what it takes to bring them to the marketplace.

And be sure to check out Patrick’s expansion to Commission on Kickstarter HERE.

The post How to Design and Publish an Expansion with Patrick Lysaght appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Lori Love and Lea Velocci, founders of People for Goldfish, discuss the ins and outs of designing word games.

We talk about components, scoring systems, accessibility, fun factor, and more.

And be sure to check out Lori and Lea’s game Word Hustle on Kickstarter HERE.​​

The post Designing Word Games with Lori Love and Lea Velocci appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Scott Gaeta, founder of Renegade Game Studio, discusses his journey to become one of the most well-known publishing companies in the industry. 

We talk about business advice, marketing, game development, and more!

The post How to Run a Publishing Company with Scott Gaeta appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.