Podcast
The Board Game Design Lab
Hosted by Gabe Barrett · EN
The Board Game Design Lab was created for one purpose: to help you design great games people love. To accomplish that goal, this podcast interviews designers, publishers, and board game insiders on specific topics related to game design. I don’t waste time talking about recently played games or pop culture. Instead, the show does a deep dive into subjects that I hope you’ll find extremely valuable as you progress through your game design journey.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
6 Takeaways from the game that took 10 years to make
Oct 100:22:24Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I break down the six things I learned from the game that took 10 years to go from idea to published product. And you can find Football U on Kickstarter HERE The post 6 Takeaways from the game that took 10 years to make appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Transcribe →How to build a million dollar publishing company with Amy and Dusty Droz
Mar 20, 202501:38:00Tap to summarizeAmy and Dusty Droz join me to talk about how they’ve built an extremely profitable publishing business in a relatively short amount of time. We talk about tariffs, fulfillment, audience, budgeting, customer service, and a whole lot more! The post How to build a million dollar publishing company with Amy and Dusty Droz appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Transcribe →Game Design Trends for 2025 with Jamey Stegmaier
Mar 20, 202500:45:24Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Jamey Stegmaier and I chat about the various trends we’re seeing in the current game design landscape. We talk about solo and 2-player games, open worlds, licensed IPs, and more! The post Game Design Trends for 2025 with Jamey Stegmaier appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Transcribe →Game Marketing Made Simple with Andrew Lowen
Mar 20, 202501:29:51Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I chat with Andrew Lowen, from Crowdfunding Nerds, about how to make people aware your game exists. Also, be sure to check out Andrew’s crowdfunding marketing course, and if you sign up through my affiliate link, you’ll not only get a ton of resources to help you market your game but also a FREE one-hour coaching call with me. https://crowdfundingnerds.com/bgdl/ The post Game Marketing Made Simple with Andrew Lowen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Transcribe →My new book will help you find the FUN
Mar 20, 202502:49:07Tap to summarizeMy game design book, Find the Fun, recently came out, and in this episode, I do a brief synopsis and give you the audio version of the first three chapters. To check out Find the Fun on Amazon, go here: https://amzn.to/4hmxseU The post My new book will help you find the FUN appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Transcribe →The design process of one of the world’s best designers, Corey Konieczka
Feb 26, 202401:08:22Tap to summarizeIn this BGDL rewind from June of 2020, Corey Konieczka breaks down his entire design process. Corey has several games ranked in the top 100 games of all time, and it was incredibly insightful to learn about how he brings a game to life. We chat about his path into the industry, his prototyping process, the challenges of working on IPs like Star Wars, when to walk away from a design, and more! The post The design process of one of the world’s best designers, Corey Konieczka appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Transcribe →How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave
Feb 19, 202400:53:30Tap to summarizeIn this BGDL rewind from May of 2019, Elizabeth Hargrave dives into all the ins and outs of designing an engine-building game. We chat about her personal design process and all the interesting obstacles she encountered when designing Wingspan. We also talk about how to layer concepts on top of each other, balancing winning strategies, creating a satisfying conclusion, and more! The post How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Transcribe →How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek
Feb 11, 202401:03:21Tap to summarizeIn this BGDL rewind from April of 2020, Ignacy Trzewiczek, founder of Portal Games and designer of Robinson Crusoe, discusses his company’s motto: Games that tell stories. We go in-depth into Ignacy’s design process, talk about his most popular games, and get to the heart of what it looks like to create games that have players leaving the table with a story to tell. The post How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Transcribe →Using math to make your games better with Emerson Matsuuchi
Jan 29, 202401:12:56Tap to summarizeIn this BGDL rewind from December of 2020, I chat with Emerson Matsuuch about all the many ways a designer can use math to create better games. We talk spreadsheets, game balance, mathematical models, and more! The post Using math to make your games better with Emerson Matsuuchi appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Transcribe →Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Richard Garfield
Jan 21, 202401:02:18Tap to summarizeIn this BGDL rewind from May of 2018, I chat with Richard Garfield about finding the right balance of luck vs skill when designing a game. The post Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Richard Garfield appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
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