Ludology

Erica Hayes-Bouyouris, Sen-Foong Lim•ludology.libsyn.com

Welcome to Ludology, an analytical discussion of the how’s and why’s of the world of board games. Rather than news and reviews, Ludology explores a variety of topics about games from a wider lens, and discusses game history, game design and game players. Ludology is part of The Dice Tower Network, the premier board game media network.

Follow on

Episodes

GameTek Classic 121 - Known Unknowns

In this classic GameTek, Geoff discusses what we know, what we don't, and how that affects our psychology. Duration: 05:13

Feb 14, 2016•5 min

Ludology Episode 121 - Pandemonium

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome guest Matt Leacock, co-designer of new #1 game on Board Game Geek, Pandemic Legacy. We get into the spoiler-free details on designing a Legacy game. What are the special design considerations for Legacy games? What worked and what didn't? How do production considerations enter into the design process? Duration: 56:16

Feb 07, 2016•56 min

GameTek Classic 120 - Cloning

In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a look at the question of how much you can copy a game and still call it 'new'. Duration: 06:06

Jan 31, 2016•6 min

Ludology Episode 120 - State of Games 2016

For our annual State of Games episode, Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome back Stephen Buonocore of Stronghold games, to discuss the state of the board game industry. Duration: 1:14:20

Jan 24, 2016•1 hr 14 min

GameTek Classic 119 - Rock Paper Scissors

In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a look at research performed in China on Rock, Paper, Scissors. Duration: 06:02

Jan 17, 2016•6 min

Ludology Episode 119 - Deck The Halls

Mike and Geoff take a look at the Deck Building mechanic. How has it evolved over the last Duration: 1:18:45

Jan 10, 2016•1 hr 19 min

Ludology Episode 118 - Knock, Knock

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome special guest Jamie Madigan, author of the Psychology of Video Games blog, and author of the just released Getting Gamers . Our topic is Avatars, and player representation in games. How does the role we take on in a game affect our experience and behavior? Duration: 1:16:48

Dec 13, 2015•1 hr 17 min

GameTek Classic 117 - Werewolf

In this classic GameTek Geoff takes a look at the math behind the popular game Werewolf. Duration: 06:35

Dec 06, 2015•7 min

Ludology Episode 117 - Publish or Perish

During BGG.CON 2015, Mike asked several publishers the same question: How do you decide what games you want to publish? With the myriad of pitches and submissions that publishers receive, it is vital for designers to understand what attracts someone's eye. Publishers interviewed: Stronghold Games Dice Hate Me / Greater Than Games R&R Games Portal Games Arcane Wonders Crash Games Gamelyn Games ZMan Games Duration: 01:07...

Nov 29, 2015•1 hr 8 min

GameTek Classic 116 - Gutsy

New Content! Geoff interviews Barry Joseph and Eric Teo about the game Gutsy. Barry is the Associate Director of Digital Learning at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and as part of a new exhibit on the human microbiome the team at AMNH worked with Eric Teo, to develop the card game Gutsy. Many of you know Eric Teo as the host of the Push Ur Luck Podcast, and he is also a graduate student studying game design at the NYU Game Center. Why do a card game? What do they hope to...

Nov 22, 2015•26 min

Bam! Pow! Oof!

Mike and Geoff take a look at "Take That" games. When does this mechanic work, and when does it fail? Duration: 1:13:34

Nov 15, 2015•1 hr 14 min

GameTek Classic 115 - Microbes

In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about the revolutionary studies about the human microbiome, and what that can teach us about playing and designing games. Duration: 06:13

Nov 08, 2015•6 min

Ludology Episode 115 - Take Two

What changes are usually made between a first and second edition of a game? And what does that teach us about the design process? Mike and Geoff are joined by guest Paul Grogan, who was heavily involved in the new edition of Through The Ages with CGE, to examine these questions. And since we're talking about Through The Ages, we had to invite Ryan Sturm to come back for an encore visit to the program. Duration 01:21:00

Nov 01, 2015•1 hr 21 min

GameTek Classic 114 - Civilization

Geoff gives a quick report on his play of Advanced Civilization last week. Duration: 08:17

Oct 25, 2015•8 min

Ludology Episode 114 - The Butterfly Effect

Mike and Geoff talk CHAOS! Mike loves it in his games. Can he convince Geoff of its charms? Duration: 1:04:37

Oct 18, 2015•1 hr 5 min

GameTek Classic 113 - Sunk Costs

In this classic GameTek, Geoff discusses the Sunk Cost Fallacy. Duration: 05:05

Oct 11, 2015•6 min

Ludology Episode 113 - Crossover

What games cross over into traditional retailers like Target and Barnes and Noble? Mike and Geoff are joined by Andrew Lupp, National Sales Manager of PSI, to learn the ins and outs. Andrew works with big chains to help them decide which games will sell to the general public, and walks us through the process. Duration: 1:18:15

Oct 04, 2015•1 hr 18 min

GameTek Classic 112 - Betrayal

NEW CONTENT! Geoff interviews Vlad Niculae of Cornell about his recent research on predicting betrayal via written communications. The foundation of the study? An only repository of 300 Diplomacy games and all 150,000 messages they generated. Vlad's new project is the online game StreetCrowd , which is also exploring communications and team dynamics. Duration: 20:27

Sep 27, 2015•20 min

Ludology Episode 112 - MechaTheme

Mike and Geoff select their top 10 entries from the Ludology contest, and reveal the winner! Duration: 1:04:57

Sep 20, 2015•1 hr 5 min

GameTek Classic 111 - Memory

In this classic GameTek Geoff looks at memory, and how games work with or against it. Duration: 06:10

Aug 30, 2015•6 min

Ludology Episode 111 - Silver Ball Playbook

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome pinball game designer Keith Johnson, designer of games such as Simpsons Pinball Party, Revenge From Mars, and Lord of the Rings. What are the special design techniques used for designing a pinball game? How do you keep players engaged? How do you make the fixed physical layout feel different in different modes? Duration: 01:05:40

Aug 23, 2015•1 hr 6 min

GameTek Classic 110 - Luck

In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about luck and what increases or decreases it. Duration: 06:13

Aug 16, 2015•6 min

Ludology Episode 110 - The Battle Begins

Mike and Geoff are pleased to welcome guest Richard Borg to discuss the art of designing war games with mainstream appeal. Mr. Borg is the designer of the Command and Colors series of games, which includes Memoir 44 and Battlelore. What are the features of an entry-level wargame? How can you simplify but still capture the essence of a battle? Duration: 56:06

Aug 09, 2015•56 min

GameTek Classic 109 - Power

In this classic GameTek, Geoff talks about making the player feel powerful. We also launch our part of the big Dice Tower Network contest! Duration: 7:42

Aug 01, 2015•8 min

Ludology Episode 109 - We're Listening

Mike and Geoff open up the mailbag and answer difficult and interesting listener questions! Duration: 1:09:26

Jul 26, 2015•1 hr 9 min

GameTek Classic 108 - Ludology v Narratology

In this classic GameTek, Geoff takes a look at the debate that raged in the 1990's between Narratologists and Ludologists. Duration: 05:59

Jul 19, 2015•6 min

Ludology Episode 108 - Level Up

Geoff is pleased to welcome Scott Rogers, designer of video games such as Darksiders and God of War, and author of the books Level Up! and Swipe This! The discussion centers around the concept of a 'level' as popularized in video games. Why is it such a popular way to organize games? What advantages does it give the designer? And what is the analog in the boardgame world? Duration: 01:16:05

Jul 12, 2015•1 hr 16 min

← Prev Next →