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Think Like A Game Designer

Think Like A Game Designer

Auteur(s): Justin Gary
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À propos de cet audio

 In Think Like a Game Designer, award-winning designer and Stone Blade Entertainment CEO Justin Gary speaks with world-class game designers and creative experts from various industries. Each episode deconstructs the creative process, offering insights into the art of game design and the broader cultural, technological, and business influences shaping a myriad of creative mediums. Join us for actionable advice and unique perspectives that will enrich your understanding of what it means to be creative in and out of the gaming world.

justingarydesign.substack.comJustin Gary Art
Épisodes
  • Jordan Weisman — From Battletech to Shadowrun: The Power of Curiosity and Collaboration (#93)

    Jordan Weisman — From Battletech to Shadowrun: The Power of Curiosity and Collaboration (#93)
    Oct 16 2025
    About this EpisodeThis episode is a little different from the usual Think Like a Game Designer conversation. Instead of a freeform discussion, I came prepared with a curated list of questions to guide the conversation, giving us a structured look into Jordan’s creative process, his philosophies on innovation, and the lessons he’s learned over decades of building worlds. The result is a fast-paced, insight-packed episode that feels like sitting in on a masterclass in game design.About Jordan WeismanJordan Weisman is a legendary figure in interactive entertainment, whose career spans tabletop games, video games, theme parks, and beyond. As the creator of Battletech, Shadowrun, and Crimson Skies, and the founder of iconic companies like FASA and WizKids, Jordan has shaped generations of players and creators alike. His work is defined by boundless curiosity, fearless experimentation, and a lifelong commitment to collaborative storytelling.In this episode, Jordan and I explore what it means to think small, fail boldly, and keep learning no matter how much success you’ve had. We discuss how curiosity drives innovation, why emotional courage is more important than financial risk, and how respect—for yourself, your team, and your audience—is at the heart of great creative work. Whether you’re just starting your design journey or looking to rekindle your passion after decades in the industry, Jordan’s insights offer a masterclass in staying creative for life.Think Like A Game Designer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Justin’s QuestionsWhat’s something that you’re passionate about outside of your career, and what do you love about it? (00:01:33)* During the pandemic, he rediscovered model building and diorama crafting, a childhood hobby that brings him therapeutic joy.* He enjoys it because it’s tangible, visual storytelling where you can actually see progress, a much different process than game design, which often feels abstract or slow.What do you love about that kind of model building and creating? (00:04:05)* It aligns with Jordan’s love of world-building and storytelling when creating small, detailed scenes that tell a story visually.* It’s satisfying because each session produces visible progress, reinforcing creativity and immersion.What is advice that you would give to someone that’s just starting out in your industry? (00:04:06)* Think small. Beginners often aim for massive projects like the ones they admire.* Start with something you can finish using your own limited resources.* Completion and execution teach more than ideas ever will.* Focus on learning through doing, not imagining.Now let’s flip to the other side of the equation: what do you see as an important lesson that industry veterans need to learn? Or put another way, what advice do you think your older self might give to you? (00:06:30) * Avoid hubris. Experience can blind you. Everything you know might be wrong.* Listen to young minds. Youth brings creativity because it hasn’t learned what’s supposedly impossible.* Over time, past failures make people too cautious; veterans must keep their beginner’s mindset.* Innovation demands courage to look foolish publicly; fear of embarrassment kills creativity.* Stay humble, keep experimenting, and reassess old assumptions regularly.Are there any practices or rituals or ways that you try to keep yourself in that beginner’s mind? How can one get the advantages of experience and minimize the disadvantages? (00:08:09)* You must be willing to “go face first into the mud.”* As he said in the previous question, public embarrassment is the price of innovation.* Surround yourself with young thinkers, question assumptions, and resist dismissing ideas based on past failures.* Always check whether past lessons still apply, because markets and contexts change. Jordan gives an example of a failed company born from his overconfidence, where he didn’t re-research the market because he assumed he already knew it.What do you consider the most important skills to cultivate for your profession, and how do you cultivate these skills? (00:15:13)* Endless curiosity: Study adjacent fields like comics, fiction, tech—anything that feeds creative cross-pollination.* Build a box: Instead of “thinking outside the box,” define constraints clearly to evaluate ideas. For example: He designed Mage Knight by creating a checklist of problems (ease of entry, low cost, retailer needs) and solving within that “box.”* He values self-education: when he didn’t know toy manufacturing, he paid a small company to teach him the process.So let’s get to the areas where the industry or you have been dead wrong. What common advice do you hear about your industry that is dead? (00:24:26)* “Nothing is ever dead.” Genres, mechanics, and IPs always come back (vinyl, RPGs, etc.) * When people say something...
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    53 min
  • Jonathan Grant — Critics, Experiments, Secrets, and the Business of Play (#92)

    Jonathan Grant — Critics, Experiments, Secrets, and the Business of Play (#92)
    Sep 23 2025

    About Jonathan

    Jonathan Grant is a creative director at Zynga, founder of Orbital Games, and co-host of We Thought It Would Be Easy with Jordan Weisman. His career spans startups, acquisitions, and AAA environments, where he’s pitched ideas in Zynga boardrooms, built risky new projects, and collaborated with legends of the industry. Jonathan’s work is defined by his willingness to experiment, his honesty about failure, and his belief that great games hide secrets waiting to be discovered. In this episode, we dive into what it means to make the right bets, how to use criticism to grow, and why experimentation and mystery are essential tools in game design

    Think Like A Game Designer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

    Ah-ha! Justin’s Takeaways

    * Your Critics Are Right About You: Jonathan challenges us to let go of ego by acknowledging that criticism often contains truth. Instead of fighting it, use it as fuel to grow. Accepting this mindset helps designers take risks, embrace feedback, and move forward without fear of failure.

    * The Power of Experimentation: At Zynga, Jonathan saw firsthand how structured experimentation can refine ideas—sometimes running a dozen tests at once. The key lesson: experimentation validates and sharpens vision, but it should never replace it. Use data to guide improvement, not dictate creativity.

    * The Purpose of Gameplay is to Hide Secrets: Jonathan believes the most memorable games invite players to discover hidden layers. Secrets create mystery, turning mechanics into worlds worth revisiting. As designers, we should craft experiences that reward curiosity, giving players reasons to return again and again.

    Show Notes

    "Pain isn’t bad. Damage is bad." (00:17:57)

    This framing really resonated with me. Creative projects often hurt, the late nights, the tough feedback, the near-misses, but that’s not the same as damage. Damage is when you burn out, ruin relationships, or risk your financial stability. Learning to distinguish between the two is essential. Pain can be a teacher or a compass; damage is a warning sign.

    "Your critics are right about you." (00:27:14)

    It’s a hard truth, but Jonathan is right. The ego wants to believe that critics don’t understand us, yet their words often hold a kernel of truth. When I apply this mindset, I can let go of defensiveness and see criticism as fuel for growth. Its a reminder to use feedback to sharpen both my work and myself.

    "The thing that Zynga was incredible at was experimentation… sometimes a dozen experiments at once." (00:50:37)

    At Zynga, experiments weren’t random, instead they were structured, frequent, and scaled. As a designer, I take from this that experimentation should validate vision, not replace it. Numbers can guide us toward sharper solutions, but they can’t generate the spark that makes a game truly special.

    "Philosophically, the purpose of gameplay is to hide secrets." (01:08:29)

    I love this idea. Secrets are what keep players coming back: hidden interactions, unexpected depth, and little discoveries that reward curiosity. A great tip for RPG game masters is to place a secret in every location so players always have something to unravel, with each secret offering a way to draw them back on track. In my own designs, I’ve found that the best games aren’t the ones that reveal everything up front, but the ones that invite players into a world where there’s always more to discover. That sense of mystery is what makes play feel alive.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit justingarydesign.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 h et 14 min
  • Elan Lee — Building Exploding Kittens, Marketing as Design, Retail Pitches, and Playing to Sell (#91)

    Elan Lee — Building Exploding Kittens, Marketing as Design, Retail Pitches, and Playing to Sell (#91)
    Sep 9 2025
    About ElanElan Lee (@elanlee) is the co-creator and chief executive officer of Exploding Kittens, a leading gaming and entertainment company. Under his leadership, Exploding Kittens has expanded its portfolio to nearly 30 different games with more than 60 million games sold in more than 50 countries since its founding in 2015.Before founding Exploding Kittens, Lee was the chief design officer at Xbox Entertainment Studios, where he led the Interactive Entertainment Portfolio. Prior to that, he was the founder and chief creative officer of Fourth Wall Studios and co-founder of 42 Entertainment. He began his career at Microsoft Games Studios as a lead designer on the original Xbox.Lee has won a Primetime Emmy for the series Dirty Work; Game Innovator of the Year for Exploding Kittens; a Peabody Award for the world’s first alternate reality game, The Beast; and an IndieCade Trailblazer Award for a distinguished career in interactive entertainment, among others.In this episode, Elan and I discuss into how his company built their rigorous playtesting culture, why marketing is inseparable from product design, and how pitching to Target and Walmart is just another kind of game. Whether you’re trying to break into retail, sharpen your viral marketing instincts, or simply design games people can’t stop playing, this conversation will give you both insight and inspirationAh-ha! Justin’s Takeaways* Execution is the Superpower: From manufacturing to social media strategy, Elan’s team treats execution as part of game design. Elan explains why 80% of his company are marketers, producers, and logistics experts, all aligned around making games irresistible to discover and play.* Marketing is Product Design: At Exploding Kittens, marketers have veto power. A game might be hilarious to play in the room, but if it can’t be captured in a five-second social video, the game never makes it out of the room. Elan shares how his team tests hundreds of games at design retreats, then filters them through a marketing lens to ensure the product is not only fun but also instantly communicable and shareable.* Play to Sell: When pitching to Target or Walmart, Elan doesn’t “sell” games—he plays them. He gets buyers into the experience, proving the fun directly. This approach yields extraordinary success rates, with most of Exploding Kittens’ pitched games picked up for retail. Elan reframes pitching as playing with new friends, making joy the ultimate sales tool.Show Notes"She said, ‘I just want you to take a moment and take a breath and realize you built this thing.’" 00:04:46It’s easy as creators to focus on what’s broken or what needs fixing (I know I fall into this mindset myself) but sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is step back, practice gratitude, and recognize how far you’ve come. Elan’s wife reminded him of this during a board meeting, and it’s a lesson all of us can use to cultivate more joy in our creative journey."It doesn’t matter if it’s the best game in the world. If they don’t know how to sell it, it is not worth wasting our time on." 00:15:15Sometimes as game designers, we feel like the job ends once the mechanics click. Marketing can seem like an afterthought, but the truth is that it’s part of product design. Elan bakes this into his process by giving his marketing team veto power at design retreats. It’s a powerful reminder: if you want your game to succeed, you must think not only about how it plays but also about how it will be discovered. For Elan, that means asking whether a game can be sold in five seconds on social media. He shares stories of projects he loved that never made it to market because his team couldn’t find a way to sell them. This strategy is tied directly to reaching the casual gameplay audience, which demands this very specific approach."All I do is I talk to my friends about how much fun they are about to have, and then I prove it." 00:32:25Elan’s approach to pitching games is radically simple: instead of talking, play the game and let the experience do the work. Whether you’re pitching to Target or teaching your prototype at a convention, the best way to win people over is to let them feel the joy for themselves. Hearing this made me rethink my own approach, as I’ve often been guilty of trying to “sell” too much instead of simply playing.“[Poetry for Neanderthals] is, in its purest form, a tool set to let you talk to other people in the room." 01:04:01Elan describes his games as tool sets that let players entertain each other, which is why games like Poetry for Neanderthals or Codenames can stay fun even after dozens of plays. My philosophy takes a different angle: I aim to design games that last a lifetime, so my team thinks deeply about what the 100th play will feel like, something Elan admits he never has to think about with his own games, designed for his casual gaming audience.Whether your players stick around for ten...
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    1 h et 18 min
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Ive loved just about each episode so far. Just started getting into game design and the sheer breadth of knowledge you can find here is amazing. Thanks so much for putting on such an awesome show!

A great reference point for anyone who wants to find their way

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