Friends on Play

Episode 9: A Year in Review as Designers

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:06:02 -0800

Summary: The year is almost over and so we get together to discuss our design-related learnings of 2011. The practical, the emotional and the existential - it’s all here.

Mentions: Delectable.com

Run time: 57min

Episode 8: IndieCade, and What Makes an Indie Game "Indie?"

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:16:00 -0800

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Summary: We’re back to talk about indie games, IndieCade, and what makes an indie game indie: is it enough to just make a 2-D platformer?

Mentions: Way (makeourway.com), Dear Esther, Joust, Braid, Limbo, Nidhogg, Proteus, Deepak Fights Robots, The Depths to which I Sink, Solar 2, BasketBelle, Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure, Hero Generations, Halcyon, Kaleidoplay, Application Crunch, Binding of Isaac, Desktop Dungeons

Run time: 50min

PAX Dev Highlights of "Expectations"

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:02:07 -0700

Download the highlight reel from our PAX Dev talk!

Episode 7: The Value of Games to Non-Gamers

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:45:00 -0700

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Summary: Gamers love games. But what’s the value of games to non-gamers? And what does “non-gamer” mean, anyway? Francisco does his thang, led off by some sweet intro music by Robby Zar.

Mentions: Ico, Angry Birds, World of Warcraft, Bayonetta, God Of War, “Ghettoizing” (we totally coined it), From Dust, Mass Effect 2, JRPGs, Limbo, Disneyland, FarmVille, Blankets, Braid

Run time: 45min

Episode 6: Collaboration in Games

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:35:00 -0700

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Summary: Collaboration. In games. We talk about it. Francisco shows us the way.

Mentions: Zelda Four Swords, Halo, Counterstrike, Quake, Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons ‘n Dragons, Rock Band, Minecraft, Mario Kart Double Dash!, Disney Quest Bumper Cars, CityVille, Diablo, Way (Chris’s game from the Entertainment Technology Center), Demon’s Souls

Run time: 58min

Episode 5: The Souls of Video Games

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:09:00 -0700

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Summary: What is the soul of a video game? Is it the core mechanic, or something else? Ben drives us towards a definition.

Mentions: Farmville, Cityville, Peggle, Jenga, Angry Birds, Boom Blox, World of Warcraft, Magic: The Gathering, Mega Man 2, Pokemon, Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, Mario 64, Flower, Half-Life, Well Played 2.0, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Galaxy

Run time: 59min

Episode 4: Metagaming

Wed, 11 May 2011 20:29:00 -0700

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Summary: How are players influenced by knowing they are playing games? Hosted by the humble Michael Lewis.

Mentions: Chrono Trigger, Star Ocean 2 for PS1, BioShock, inFamous, Magic: The Gathering, Crysis 2, Chess, Go, Starcraft, Pokemon, Heavy Rain, My Brute, CityVille, Zuma Blitz, League of Legends, Mass Effect

Run time: 55min

Episode 3: What We Mean by "Gamey"

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:39:00 -0700

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Summary: Chris and the gang examine what it means for something to feel “gamey.” How do immersion, abstraction and reward types affect a game’s aesthetic?

Mentions: Uncharted 2, Pac-man, Ico, Peggle, Portal, Hazard: The Journey of Life, The Marriage, I Wanna Be the Guy, World of Warcraft.

Run time: 52min

Episode 2: The Ethics of Social Games

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:20:00 -0700

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Summary: Ben questions our ethics as game designers. Are we putting players first by thinking about our own ethics, or should we cater to players’ play styles no matter what?

Mentions: Cityville, Zuma Blitz, Baking Life, Minecraft, Dragon Age Legends, Power Planets, Dead Space 2, Insomniac: Click.

Run time: 52min

Episode 1: Minecraft Meets Club Penguin

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:18:00 -0700

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Summary: A 7-year-old poses the question: “Can you make a game that’s like Minecraft mixed with Club Penguin?”. We entertain the thought and let it take us into the belly of social design.

Mentions: Minecraft, Club Penguin, Infiniminer, Dwarf Fortress, Pokemon Black/White, Tiny Wings, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Dragon Age Legends, Nidhogg, Raise the Village, Mafia Wars, Counterstrike, Halo, World of Warcraft, Reality is Broken.

Run time: 1h 3min