Tabletop Game Design Podcasts and Books
If you’re thinking about getting into card or board game design, here are a few resources I’ve found to be very helpful. I’ve also started a master list of game design tips I’ve gleaned from them.
Podcasts
Ludology – Each episode covers a specific game design topic. Excellent food for thought.
Board Game Design Lab – Another great one-topic-per-episode podcast. There’s also a connected Facebook community for designers, which is very active and helpful.
The Game Design Round Table – Discussions about both digital and tabletop game design. Good balance of perspectives and design philosophies.
PhantomCast – Beau Severson records a “brain dump” of game design ideas during his commute. Interesting to see inside the mind of another game designer.
Games with Garfield – Somewhat dry but informative show featuring Magic the Gathering creator Richard Garfield. I haven’t listened to many episodes yet, but it’s interesting to see his and others’ perspectives on the game industry.
Books
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses – Most useful book I found, which helps you think of game design from all different angles, including the psychology of players.
GameTek – Geoff Engelstein (from the Ludology podcast) looks at game design from the perspectives of math, psychology, and other sciences. Very fascinating.
Characteristics of Games – Not a light read, but it’s an impressive and though-provoking breakdown of all game types.
Game Architecture and Design – Aimed more at digital developers, but it has some design philosophies applicable to tabletop games, too.
Video Game Storytelling – An excellent read for anyone making narrative games (or films or novels for that matter!).
The Game Inventor’s Guidebook – A good introductory book about the game design industry.
Game Design Tips
Here’s my master list of tips I’ve learned from these resources.