“The Well-Tempered Theme”: A look into the ways in which a game’s theme and mechanics interact to affect the player’s experience (video):

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/717118192

Tips for designing in a virtual world (audio):

http://gdofnc.buzzsprout.com/48513/5050202-episode-63-designing-in-a-virtual-world

Just like there are multiple paths to victory in a game, there are multiple ways to find success in this industry (audio):

https://indieboardgamedesigners.com/ta-te-wu/

T.C. Petty III discusses board game development and how developers work with designers (video)

Recommended games for designers to play—a Twitter game design discussion:

https://twitter.com/sumfatkid/status/1299065110569381888

“I see over a thousand game concepts every year and you must make yours stand out. What’s most important is the game itself; the exciting new game play or game mechanism. So, show me a prototype that brings this to life!”

— Tanya Thompson, Hasbro's head of acquisition for games

Playtesters share what gets them to sit down and play a prototype:

https://twitter.com/BreakMyGameG/status/1298260766039003140

Pointers for identifying colonialist tropes in your games and coming up with alternatives:

http://www.phantomknightgames.com/news/decolonizing-your-board-game-design/

Lots of advice for working with board game reviewers:

http://www.weirdgiraffegames.com/carla/wordpress/2020/08/24/working-with-content-creators/

Tips on how to make the most of your playtest (audio):

https://onboardgames.libsyn.com/obg-415-how-to-playtest

“People can only give feedback on the experience they had, not on the experience you’re trying to create.”

— Fertessa Alyse

A warning about the pitfalls of relying on flavor text:

https://twitter.com/tomandmary/status/1296956971648720898

“Rough and fresh is so much better than polished and done-a-million-times.”

— Eric Lang

“We don’t just need to pay attention to how mechanics work together but how they FEEL together.”

— Sarah Shipp

The role of player agency in creating a positive play experience:

https://www.universityxp.com/blog/2020/8/20/what-is-player-agency

Working with publishers, finding inspiration for game design at your table and much more (audio):

https://ninjavspirates.libsyn.com/who-what-why-s23e07-sit-cooper-sit-good-island

Tips on designing party games and also how to get your game out there (audio):

https://ninjavspirates.libsyn.com/who-what-why-s23e06-on-the-count-of-three-draw

Discussion on the high and lows of the dice rolling mechanic (audio):

https://meeplenation.libsyn.com/0331-dice-rolling-games

How to start an online playtesting group:

https://www.dmrcreativegroup.com/post/how-to-start-an-online-game-design-group

Related: We’ve got a list of existing online playtest groups and when they meet:

https://cardboardedison.com/playtest-groups

“Very often your players make the same ‘mistakes’ over and over, and don’t follow the paved paths you laid out. You add more ‘signs’ in the form of icons, text size, placement, whatever - but they keep making that ‘mistake’. EMBRACE THE MISTAKE. If the players think your game should work a certain way, then make it work that way. Lean into it, rather than fight against it.”

— Geoff Engelstein