Narrative elements have been intertwined into video games almost since their inception; ‘Pong’ is an electronic version of a tennis match...
Game Design / Dev / Reviews
Game Design Blog and Podcast that explore the fundamentals of design theory and practice to help you make better games... with some delicious deep fried snacks.
Prototyping is exciting; it is one of the most creative and engaging aspects of game development.
The most recent game by Obsidian Entertainment, by all accounts sold well, and also has an 80+ on OpenCritic. In the gaming landscape of 2025, this is a major success.
After the Player has made a ‘love connection’ with your game and they are 'infatuated' with it, how do you make sure that they keep calling you back? Are they spending their money on you, or someone else?
Gearbox’s Borderlands 3 has finally arrived a full decade after Borderlands 2. With 2014’s ‘Pre-sequel’ we were treated to more Borderlands, but not necessarily a full-fledged sequel...
Game modifiers are the easiest way to transform your title for as many players as possible. They can create fun where there was frustration. They can entice players to log additional hours for very little development time, and can also create a simple, zany kind of fun ...
On this episode of the deep fried deliciousness, I sit down with a good friend of mine - Seb Varas, Animator on Dead by Daylight. Seb brings us some delicious tidbits of an animating nature...
On this episode Me and the Cote discuss the goings on over the past 12 months on the 2 million+ selling Dead by Daylight. We hash out the high points, low points, mistake and successes...
How well do you know your game music? Could you tell a diegetic work if it smacked you in your ear holes? ...
How you ask? Good sound design sets the stage for the action and immerses the player into the world of the game. It also enhances the narrative and aids in the telling of your story ...
Welcome to another episode of the DFG. Me and Cote discuss the crazy (and somewhat unexpected) success of ‘Dead by Daylight’. It’s been about 6 weeks since release ...
How do sound and gameplay come together for immersion and playability? What does a game designer expect from a sound designer? My good (and handsome) buddy Cam Britton is here to help me take on these topics ...
Droid Run is a multiplayer mode that pits 2 teams of 6 against each other trying to activate and protect droids that wander around the map. The 20 v 20 modes, although exciting, epic and ‘star warsy' ...
Game balance is often used to describe the challenge that one faces in a competitive game relative to other players. Differing strategies, abilities, characters are said to be ‘in balance’ when each is ...
The ‘Uncharted’ series has always been known for two things: high-octane thrills set in exotic locales, and excellent characters ...
What have we been up to recently? I’m currently loving the top-down blaster ‘Alienation’ (the game not the existential break ...
Housemarque’s (Resogun, Dead Nation) latest effort ‘Alienation’ pits you and 3 others (friends hopefully) against relentless waves of of invading aliens in a faced-paced top-down shooter...
Well the title really does say it all. This week Cam (audio designer at Ubisoft Toronto and all around great guy) and I discuss these ...
Regular Kevin and I begin by discussing the merits (or lack thereof) of the 1994 Damon Wayan’s ‘comedy’ “Blankman”. This is a perfect segway into our discussion of the rise of, and massive importance of Twitch...
Successfully pitching your ideas is one of the most vital skills you can have as a game designer. Whether they be big, complex entire game presentations, or simple, single code line changes to a tertiary mechanic, knowing how to communicate with people...
If you are a game design/programming/3D art/animation student and want to grasp as much as possible about the industry you’ve put your blood, sweat and tears trying to break into; play everything. If you are a seasoned game development...
This week ‘Mc Ote’ (catchy I think) and I begin by discussing his recent foray into the culinary arts, specifically bread. It’s not all smashing dough though. We talk about the fact that no matter who you are and how you market, you’re selling your game one copy at a time...
We’ve all been there. You lose yourself completely in an activity. Time stands still. You’re laser focused. You have ‘tunnel vision’ and can see your objective as clear as day. You lose track of time completely and forget to eat, or even sleep...
On today’s episode ‘Regular Kevin’ and I start by discussing the history of difficulty in games: how Nintendo’s (and the video game industry’s) technical and content difficulties in the 1980’s contributed to short, brutal games made by incredibly small teams...
As games grow and strive for engagement on additional, ‘meta’ levels, crafting has also grown in prominence. It’s easy to see why. Varied crafting recipes with different requirements can create aspirational rewards for players...
Today’s podcast features a new co-host: Cam Britton - Sound Designer at Ubisoft Toronto. We start by discussing his history and how he got into the ‘biz. Studying composing and arranging in school...
Reward systems are a hot topic in video games today. We all play games for different reasons; some for exploration, others for a sense of control, others to experience a strong narrative...
In this ‘cast we tackle the important topic of how necessary, and pointless planning is. Confused yet? Our humor will guide you through. We also discuss the honesty and integrity of youtube comments...
Two months into 2016 and XCOM 2 is already being hailed as a GOTY contender. It is a smart, tough, visually impressive follow-up to 2012’s well-regarded XCOM: Enemy Unknown. A worthy, well thought out sequel...
In this episode I speak with an old friend of mine; Mathieu Cote, Producer on Dead by Daylight at Behaviour interactive...
I still feel bad about not playing it when it was released about a year ago. I didn’t own a PS4 at the time (send me your hate mail. Preferably snail mail. I miss getting it...*sniff*). It has recently been released as a free title for February if you are a Playstation Plus...
In this episode I speak with Kevin Neibert, game designer on ‘Livelock’, at Tuque Games. We discuss his background (he has a PhD!), and how he got into the business, his recent forays into PAX South and the ridiculousness that is Youtube comments...
Who the hell am I? Why am I starting this podcast? In this inaugural episode I discuss my background, experience, my attitudes towards games and what this podcast will be all about.