Designer Notes

96

Why do we make games? Every designer has a different and very personal answer to that question. Soren Johnson, founder of Mohawk Games, sits down with noted designers to find out by examining their careers as a whole.

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  • Bellinater
    Love this pod
    I was wondering when you’d interview Jake Solomon! I’ve listened to other interviews with him and he mentioned you, so I was wondering why he hadn’t been on.
  • Nickname_For_Your_Reviews
    Quality conversations
    Soren manages to balance more technical questions with broader and personal ones such that the podcast is entertaining and relevant for a broad audience. A pleasure to listen to.
  • OhTheWerewolf
    Great interviews with some games industry legends
    Very thoughtful and in-depth interviews with many of the greats of the field. I love that Soren, as a peer of his interviewees, is not afraid to sometimes be a bit critical of their past work while getting deep into how they made it succeed. I would go so far as to call it indispensable for anyone who cares about game design and development in general.
  • mbcauley
    In depth conversations with legendary game designers
    A really great podcast with some legendary guests and extremely thorough conversations. Soren covers a lot of ground in each episode. I appreciate that he goes deep into the careers and creative decision making processes with his guests. The extended length of the interviews is welcome - I only wish I could listen to both parts of an interview back to back but it’s worth the wait.
  • __EricS
    👍👍
    I always find this podcast super interesting with how the business works, the theory behind games, the various ways people have come up in the business, etc. It’s also good to learn about games I might have missed back when they were knew and check out now.
  • Coffee Jones
    Just about every episode is worth a second or third listen
    I’d probably never work in game dev but I love hearing about the business and all the trade offs that have to be made to get a game out the door
  • lightswitch11
    Probably my favorite podcast
    This is a great podcast. You don’t even really need to be very interested in game design to enjoy it. Soren might have missed his true calling as an interviewer. He gets really interesting people to discuss at-length and in-depth things they are deeply passionate about in a delightfully ad hoc and visceral manner. You will not find cutely named canned show segments here, but instead real designers deep diving on their childhoods, careers, and defining moments.
  • superdupergc
    Only one problem
    The only problem with this podcast is that there isn't a lot more of it. Love the in-depth analysis coupled with old war stories.
  • Swinlo44
    One of my favorite podcasts!
    Really interesting discussions always a must listen when a new episode comes out.
  • T.S.Review.Nickname
    Great content - bad sound production
    Such a vital resource about game developers and their work. Love the format. Wish there were more episodes but I would take less if it meant the audio quality was better and more consistent.
  • Soulrver
    Great Podcast
    Insightful and in-depth, Soren has great conversations with a variety of game developers. Always interesting whether I am familiar with the dev or not!
  • Captain Koloth
    Brilliant designers, brilliant conversations
    Soren Johnson is probably the best game designer on the planet and in this podcast he and other great designers have fascinating discussions about game design... What more could you want from a podcast called Designer Notes?
  • -Jcrw-
    Great info some great people
    The industry needs more of this
  • The_Dirt
    Thanks for the awesome Davey Wreden interview.
    Love podcasts like these!
  • GPellechi
    Deep & Intriguing
    Designer Notes provides access to a range of video game creators who speak about what drives them to make games, how they make them and the challenges they encounter along the way. For someone interested in the business or making of videogames this podcast is nothing but interesting. It helps that the host also makes videogames and so is able to relate to his guests and ask insightful questions.
  • DarthBurrit0
    A great show about the motivations behind game design
    This is a great show with awesome guests and a lot of good stories about how or why a particular game is made the way it is. There is some excess ambient noise and bumping around that probably can't be helped in an online interview setting but the content is worth it. Can't wait to hear who the next guest will be.
  • Hypermog
    Good content but poor audio quality
    I enjoyed the first episode, but the audio quality is poor. I'm not an expert but the participants sound far away from the mic, and I have to keep the volume high because I listen in the car. The podcast would benefit from having the quality is 'm used to on other podcasts, especially given the length. I have been a longtime fan of Pardo's and I found that Soren asked many of the things I was wondering, which is great.
  • Pat247
    More interesting game design discussions!
    I’ve been a long time listener of Three Moves Ahead on which Soren often speaks, I’ve also been following his blog. And now I’m pleasantly surprised with the podcast. Great first episode.
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