Welcome back, Developers!
In this month’s blog entry, I want to turn our attention to the countless podcasters and vidcasters who give of their time and talent. typically on a biweekly basis. It is through their collected, dedicated work that we have access to so many titles, designers, and publishers. With more than 100 different professional x-casters in our hobby/industry, there’s a tremendous amount of material available to you (and more content than you can possibly consume in a lifetime). To make this a primer for those of you who haven’t dipped a toe in the x-caster universe, and to remain concise, I’ll focus on four different podcasts that will provide enough variety in terms of content. Over the last few years, I’ve listened to more than two dozen different podcasts, with many of them lasting on my radar for only a few episodes. For me, the following four podcasts provide the right mix of entertainment and information.
Blue Peg, Pink Peg: “Board Games, Relationships, and the Interaction Between the Two”
With over six-and-a-half years of content, Blue Peg, Ping Peg has changed some of its format over time, along with the podcasters themselves. The original team of Robb Rouse and Patrick Kelly included their very reluctant wives into this discussion about board games. Now, many years later, Robb and wife, Christina, share the microphone with their friend, Jeremy Holmes. They spend time discussing a dizzying array of different games, but the underlying tone always underscores their message about playing board games with others. Of particular note, Christina began running a piece entitled Harper’s Bazaar (named after their daughter Harper) which focuses on fun games for families with younger children. Additionally, every episode includes a Deep Dive Review of a game which they have played a number of times and make their assessments about the quality of the components and overall enjoyment of the game. For Developers, this insight into family and couple gaming may prove helpful in their development work.
Board Game Design Lab: “Welcome to the Board Game Design Lab Podcast A Proud Member of the Dice Tower Network…”
Nearly 200 episodes since its inception, Gabe Barrett discusses everything about board games, from design and development, to art and illustration, to distribution and fulfillment and everything in-between. While his episodes run about an hour in length, they are jam-packed from beginning to end with valuable information. Among Gabe’s most popular episodes, guests include Jamey Stegmaier, Tom Vasel, Rahdo (Richard Ham), Rob Daviau, and Matt Leacock. Additionally, Gabe provides a wide array of Specific Topics, including Playtesting, Prototypes, Theme, Mechanics, Design Theory, Writing Rules, Getting Published, Marketing, and Business. Gabe continues to provide more and more content for his listeners and has proven engaging on all of these topics, initiating an on-line conference and penning several great books. For Developers, take the time to peruse his catalog of previous episodes and listen to this which might help you home your trade.
Brawling Brothers: “Live from War Room Studio Broadcasting for the Balloon Capital of the World, Albuquerque New Mexico…”
For pure entertainment value, packed with several hours of great information, look no further than the Brawling Brothers. which first aired five years ago. These two characters, Josh Silva and Brandon Nall, who talk about beef sandwiches and whisky almost as much as they do about board games are an absolute delight. While they posited the idea early-on that there would be “brawling” due to their differences (Josh is a dyed-in-the-wool wargamer and Brandon loves Euros), they’ve come to respect and admire each of their respective choices in the hobby. While they only occasionally interview leading lights in the industry, they do bring into the War Room friends, including Jordan, Cat, Noel, and Ludie to discuss their Top 10s and other aspects of the hobby. For Developers, Brandon and Josh are Gamers’ Gamers, and to that end, it’s great to get a sense of what your typical gamer wants to see in their modern board games.
Ludology: “Welcome to Ludology, a podcast about the why of gaming”
In February, 2021, Ludology will celebrate its 10th Anniversary and it’s definitely worth celebrating. As the most prestigious of all podcasts (if not one of the oldest), its placement on my list is due in no small part to the original team of Geoff Englestein and Ryan Sturm. From the beginning, they took a stunningly academic and philosophical view of gaming. Their first episode, aptly named, “What is a Game?” sets the stage for what is to follow over the next 225 episodes. While some episodes focus on a single mechanic, which others engage a particular designer, developer, artist, etc., the questions are always of the highest caliber and its impossible to leave an episode without learning something of value. Other hosts have included Mike Fitzgerald, Gil Hova (current), and Emma Larkins (current), with the occasional visit by Professor Scott Rogers. For Developers, Ludology is an absolute “must” to garner an education in the area of modern board games.
Tune In
For anyone who wants to take the next step from hobbyist to professional, I highly recommend that you develop a strong body of knowledge on the specific field of study. For the board gaming industry, the text books have barely been written, despite a handful of courses around the country. The number of texts on the subject barely fill a few shelves on a bookcase. To that end, it’s imperative that you take the time and listen to those who are forming the foundation of this burgeoning industry. While much of my blog focuses on the Developer…the right hand of a game designer, many of my recommendation are certainly appropriate for others in the industry, including artists/illustrators, playtesters, writers/editors, prototype specialists, etc. Whatever your niche, I hope that this blog and our communication with one another will assist you on your journey.
When you take the time to listen to a board game-related podcast, who are you listening to for information?