Shows / Furidashi Game Design Academy
Furidashi Game Design Academy
A podcast on gaming and video game design from both practical and academic perspectives.
Episodes
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
88. Combat Encounters
Following up on previous discussions concerning the relationship between subjectivity and gameplay, Lauryn and Nicholas look at combat not from the perspective…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
87. Combat as Narrative
Lauryn and Nicholas continue on the theme of thinking of gameplay in narratological terms by looking at combat encounters as a microcosm of broader narrative…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
86. Learning Thru Immersion
Following up on the previous episode, Lauryn and Nicholas explore the concept of the "immersive sim" and how games try to teach their players what do through…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
85. The Immersion Spectrum
Lauryn and Nicholas finally get around to defining (and critiquing) the concept of immersion, what flow is, and why the two concepts are not all that distinct…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
84. Hard and Soft World Building
Lauryn and Nicholas continue from the free episode's conversation to critique the distinction between hard and soft world building in game narrative, how to…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
83. World Building in Game Design
Lauryn and Nicholas cancel the Furidashi experience to become an Alchemy of Souls fancast... or they discuss the joys and pitfalls of world-building for game…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
82. Progression Is [Not] Narrative (Teaser)
Lauryn and Nicholas get into the weeds about how progression and narrative systems both overlap and are distinct from one another. 67. Adventures in…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
81. Player Narrative vs. Game Narrative
Riffing on the dichotomy between dev driven game design and player driven design, Lauryn and Nicholas discuss the particulars of plotting game narratives and…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
80. Storytelling Through Gameplay (Teaser)
Lauryn and Nicholas dive deeper into the question of what story is in video games and address things like audio cuing, nonverbal signaling, and when the…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
79. The ”What” of Video Game Storytelling
Setting aside the endless talk of systems and mechanics, Lauryn and Nicholas discuss what story in games looks like and the ways in which it differs from other…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
78. Narrative vs. Progression (Teaser)
Lauryn and Nicholas address the occasional overlap between narrative and progression systems but also get into the weeds about what make them distinct from…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
77. Narrative Delivery in Video Games
Lauryn schools Nicholas about the several methods games use to convey narrative content, and no... we're not just talking cutscenes. Patreon…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
76. MDA: Games As Commodities? (Teaser)
Lauryn and Nicholas return to the MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics) framework to show how it was of a particular time and describes a game production…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
75. Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics
Lauryn and Nicholas take a look at the MDA Framework for game design, how it envisions games as "artifacts," and how it structures the design process as a…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
74. Narrative Systems (Teaser)
Lauryn and Nicholas discuss the similarities and differences between narrative and progression systems as well as how games have in recent years moved away…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
73. System[s] Shock
Lauryn and Nicholas jack into their cyberdecks to hack the motherbrain of game design: the system! Also on the docket: the fate the two GMs. Patreon…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
72. Meaningful Mechanics, Meaningful Choices (Teaser)
Following up from their previous discussion, Lauryn and Nicholas get into the nitty-gritty as to what constitutes "meaningful mechanics" and how to make game…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
71. Designing UrbanPlan
Lauryn makes Nicholas finally explain the tabletop game he's working on in his spare time, called UrbanPlan, that tries to model the push and pull of local…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
70. Gameplay is Narrative? w/ Ze and Nim! (Teaser)
Second half of our conversation with Square Weasel Studio on aesthetics and storytelling, in which we discuss the odd disconnect between the games we play and…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
69. Aesthetics & Storytelling w/ Ze and Nim!
Ze and Nim from Square Weasel join Nicholas to talk about the interplay between visual style and narrative in game design. Square Weasel…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
68. Mechanics III: Action Economy (Teaser)
The best combo-breaker in the gamedev podcast scene, Lauryn and Nicholas, discuss that interplay of mechanics we all the "action economy" and ask the most…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
67. Adventures in Management: Backpack Hero
Lauryn and Nicholas continue their discussion of "management" style mechanics and how gameplay normally associated with strategy games can enhance more…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
66. Finding Peace in 4X Games (Teaser)
Lauryn and Nicholas discuss the fundamental appeal of so-called 4X games (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) and the pleasures of gameplay focused on…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
65. Gameplay Loops & Emergent Narrative
We do a deep dive into 2021's Loop Hero to talk about what games look like when they're less focused on combat and action and more on planning and control…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
64. Furidashi After Dark: The Mercenary Experience (Teaser)
Pour yourself a drink and strap in for some real talk about our stellar production values, the joy of doing things out of spite, and the oddly mercenary nature…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
63. Tabletop Design: Social Mechanics
In our ongoing series on tabletop game design, we delve into the social aspects of gaming in meatspace and the fundamental differences between it and gaming…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
62. Making Something True w/ Square Weasel Studio (Teaser)
We delve into what it means to make a game that is more about expression and evoking a mood than about making a finely tuned product. Also: four introverts…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
61. Interview w/ Square Weasel Studio
This week we sat down with Ze and Nim, the devs behind Square Weasel Studio, to talk about their new game, Chronicles of Tal'dun: The Remainder, visual novels…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
60. Tabletop Design: Game Types (Teaser)
We discuss three primary tabletop games times--board games, pen and paper, and card games--as well as the major design distinctions between the three. Also…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
59. Tabletop Design: Taking Turns
Lauryn and Nicholas begin a series of discussions concerning tabletop game design by delving into the ethical implications of one of the oldest systems in the…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
58. Mechanics II - Mechanics vs. Systems (Teaser)
We consider what makes game systems distinct from game mechanics and how the two interact with each other to form the basis of a game's ruleset. Unlock the…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
57. Order from RNG
Lauryn and Nicholas discuss how randomness and procedural generation are used in game design to elicit excitement and, at times, anxiety. Also: don't do drugs?…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
56. Mechanics I - What Are Mechanics? (Teaser)
Lauryn and Nicholas deconstruct the arbitrary distinction between mechanics and gameplay to examine what a player centric conception of mechanics would look…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
55. Narrative Mechanics in Disco Elysium
Lauryn bought Nicholas a copy of Disco Elysium, and a heated discussion of narrative integration into mechanics and rulesets ensued! Also: Don't. F**k. With…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
54. The Choice Matrix Reloaded (Teaser)
Lauryn's choice matrix returns for an in depth discussion of how gamedev's make choices about what affordances to give to players and how. Also: JUMP! Unlock…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
BONUS: Lesson 1 - Paper Doll Logic
In this episode, we begin our course on character and identity with an exploration of the "paper doll" concept in roleplaying games and its relevance for how…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
53. Character & Social Class in Dishonored
Lauryn and Nicholas talk class struggle and how [not] to represent it in gameplay, with reference to the Dead Domain video on Dishonored's communist subtext…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
52. The Choice Matrix (Teaser)
Lauryn and Nicholas discuss a recent Game Maker's Toolkit video on "invisible choices" and try to analyze the many axes of how choices are implemented in video…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
51. Monopolies & Platform Economies
We discuss the recently announced deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, the ramifications of that deal for the expanded platform economy it will…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
50. Games And/Or Animation (Teaser)
We look at Oshii Mamoru's approach to understanding the distinctions between live action and animated film and how that might help inform the question of how…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
49. Game Engines and Film Production
Lauryn and Nicholas look at the evolution of Unreal Engine from an ordinary development kit to the basis for a wide range of media production as well as the…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
48. 2021 Surprises and Letdowns
Find out who will win this year's Furidashi Prize (spoilers: there is no prize), what games pleasantly surprised us this year, and which ones we felt missed…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
47. Bored Game Theory (Teaser)
The first of hopefully many more episodes on tabletop games, with a special emphasis on sociality and how to use board games to get along with all the people…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
46. Cozy Game Theory
Our holiday episode! Lauryn and Nicholas talk about what makes a game warm and cozy, so that you can avoid dealing with your family this holiday season!…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
45. Advocacy in Video Game Production (Teaser)
Nicholas interrogates Lauryn about the various stages of the video game production process, and together they try to figure out ways to get past doing things…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
44. AAA Impediments to Better Representation
Lauryn and Nicholas examine why it is mass market games have such a difficult time representing marginalized groups, when indie games seem to do it so easily…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
43. What Games Make of Us (Teaser)
Following up on their interview with Russ Perkins, Lauryn and Nicholas psychoanalyze each other by going back into their pasts, thinking about their most…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
42. Seduced by Pac-Man w/ Russ Perkins
Russ Perkins joins Lauryn and Nicholas to talk uncommon careers in gamedev, cocktail arcade cabinets, and the importance of celebrating in your peers' success…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
*UNLOCKED* 27. Creative Direction and Auteur Theory
Lauryn and Nicholas try to explain the how's and why's of video game production in terms of auteur theory, where, despite being made by an army of gamedevs…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
41. Furidashi Behind the Scenes (Teaser)
Hear how the sausage gets made! Or not made! Lauryn and Nicholas talk a bit about their personal backgrounds, how they go about making the podcast, and how the…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
40. Furidashi Year in Review
Lauryn and Nicholas look back on some of our and your favorite episodes, talk about what we think of them now, and announce big changes going forward! Thank…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
39. The Game You Want vs. The Game You Make (Teaser)
Round 2 with Masao Kobayashi, we finally talk about intention in game design and how various forces in video game production maybe cause you to make a game…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
38. ”You Want Designers to Do Less”
Returning champion Masao Kobayashi sits down with Lauryn and Nicholas to talk video game production and demystify the whole process from the perspective of a…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
37. The Real World of Mobile Gaming (Teaser)
Lauryn and Nicholas discuss how in recent years mobile games have entered the cross platform mix, how mobile games have reinvigorated arcades, and the future…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
36. Mobile Games Revolution
Lauryn and Nicholas talk about how mobile games should no longer be thought of as peripheral to the games industry but rather central, and how old video game…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
35. Designing Moral Choices (Teaser)
Lauryn and Nicholas talk about how moral choices in games are as much about the total framework in which those choices appear as what the content of the…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
34. Eliciting Player Empathy
Lauryn and Nicholas address the difficult problem of how to design games that make you feel for and understand characters without completely alienating the…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
33. Social Reproduction in Game Design (Teaser)
We discuss how the games industry and its typical production cycles train and reproduce a particular kind of developer who, in turn, internalizes and…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
32. The Core Game Design Loop
Following up from last week's chillrant on the core gameplay loop, Lauryn and Nicholas talk about how that loop is both a product and reflection of the "design…
- Furidashi Game Design Academy
Chillrant 11 - A Critique of the Core Gameplay Loop
Nicholas explains what the core gameplay loop is, why it's so fundamental in game design, but also why it doesn't quite reflect what the player experiences in…