There are battles, and then there are BATTLES. And what bigger battle is there than mechanics vs. theme? Ask any game designer which is more…

Designers endlessly argue about whether you should start with Mechanics or Theme and which is more important. This is a fool’s errand. Seth Johnson joins…

I have always been a lover of mechanics. For as long as I can remember, I have felt the pull of new and exciting ways…

Last week I managed my past selves both in a fun time travel worker placement prototype by Aaron Vanderbeek and also in a recently published…

My very first game, BEARanoia, is about to be released at Essen and I couldn’t be more excited. But for this design diary, I decided…

Part 2 of a 3 part series on the DFWNN Design competition – perspectives from two League of Gamemakers design teams! — We are two…

It’s not easy standing out as a mash-up game. Mark and I have been testing and demoing our flagship game Zerpang! since 2006. Back then,…

Part 1 of a 3 part series on the DFWNN Design competition – perspectives from two League of Gamemakers design teams! — Debate has been…

What is default design? Default design is a body of design choices, particularly thematic, that you don’t think about. You include them in your game…

This is part 2 of Randy Hoyt’s piece from a publisher’s perspective, describing how he worked to re-theme Lanterns: The Harvest Festival from a game…