Think Like A Game Designer
Arts

Think Like A Game Designer

by Justin Gary

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.com

100 episodes
EN language
All Episodes
1
50 Episodes of Game Design Wisdom
1:56:45 Mar 18, 2026
2
Eric Lang — Designing for Payoff, Ritual Play, and Returning to Your Roots (#100)
1:23:55 Feb 17, 2026
3
Theresa Duringer — UI as Game Design, Onboarding Without Friction, and the Ethics of AI (#99)
1:19:10 Jan 29, 2026
4
Jaimie Wolanski — Tough Truths, Retail Realities, and How Games Create Connection (#98)
1:00:04 Jan 15, 2026
5
Vlaada Chvátil — Designing for Joy, Building Great Games, and Letting Quality Do the Marketing (#97)
1:10:42 Dec 18, 2025
6
Carly McGinnis — Startup Scrappiness, Trusting Your Team, and the Rhythm of Leadership (#96)
1:22:42 Dec 4, 2025
7
Kyle Thiermann — Deadlines, Mentors, Curiosity, and the Craft of Connection (#95)
1:17:11 Nov 18, 2025
8
Touko Tahkokallio — Curiosity, Physics, and the Power of Mental Playtesting (#94)
1:14:01 Nov 6, 2025
9
Jordan Weisman — From Battletech to Shadowrun: The Power of Curiosity and Collaboration (#93)
52:30 Oct 16, 2025
10
Jonathan Grant — Critics, Experiments, Secrets, and the Business of Play (#92)
1:13:58 Sep 23, 2025
11
Elan Lee — Building Exploding Kittens, Marketing as Design, Retail Pitches, and Playing to Sell (#91)
1:17:32 Sep 9, 2025
12
Justin Gary — 5 Lessons From 15 Years (#90)
21:36 Aug 21, 2025
13
Tim Ferriss — Designing Coyote, Playing to Learn, Publishing Truths, and Saying "No" (#89)
2:30:56 Aug 7, 2025
14
Cole Wehrle — Cute Creatures, Brutal Games, Asymmetric Design, and Subverting Expectations (#88)
1:15:36 Jul 24, 2025
15
Amy Lowe — Finding Your X Factor, Marketing with Heart, and Serving the Right Players (#87)
1:07:57 Jul 10, 2025
16
Derek Sivers — Embracing Simplicity, Owning Your Weirdness, and Designing a Life with Intent (#86)
1:30:48 Jun 24, 2025
17
Dominic Crapuchettes — Designing for Constraints, Rebuilding After Failure, and Finding the Magic in Games (#85)
1:08:56 Jun 12, 2025
18
SolForge Fusion Shadows Over Solis
9:07 May 27, 2025
19
Kohji Nagata — Building Parallel, Designing with Obsession, and Falling in Love with Your Creations (#84)
1:29:42 May 15, 2025
20
Dafna Pleban — Editing Underwater, Building Creative Teams, and the Economics of Storytelling (#83)
1:09:23 May 1, 2025
21
Justin Ziran — Digital Magic: Fear and Success, Leading with Bold Decisions, and Redefining Innovation (#82)
1:23:44 Apr 8, 2025
22
James Introcaso — Game Masters, the Rise of Indie RPGs and Showing Up for Luck (#81)
58:54 Mar 27, 2025
23
Jesse Alexander — Mastering the Creative Hustle, Fighting for Bold Ideas, and Thriving in a Changing Industry (#80)
1:10:42 Feb 27, 2025
24
Ryan Soave — Embracing Discomfort, Overcoming Mental Blocks, and Unlocking Creative Growth (#79)
1:00:55 Feb 11, 2025
25
Matt Forbeck — From Warhammer to Marvel: Bold Risks, Creative Freedom, and Collaboration (#78)
1:04:04 Jan 16, 2025
26
Alliestrasza — From Hearthstone Streaming to Web3 Gaming: Building Communities and Crafting New Worlds (#77)
1:06:59 Jan 2, 2025
27
Eric Dieulangard — Altered: Marketing the most successful TCG Kickstarter of all time (#75)
1:21:57 Dec 12, 2024
28
Travis George — From League of Legends to Vela Games: Prioritization, Leadership, and the Power of Constraints (#75)
1:30:06 Nov 21, 2024
29
Alexander Seropian — From Halo to Fortnite: Mastering Team Dynamics, Entrepreneurial Resilience, and User Generated Content (#74)
1:10:49 Nov 7, 2024
30
Richard Bartle & Nigel Roberts — The Power of ‘What If,’ Building Communities, and Navigating Decentralization in Game Design (#73)
1:22:37 Oct 24, 2024
31
Alex Yeager — Mastering Game Pitches, Reviving Evergreen Titles, and Creating Social Experiences in Game Design (#72)
1:10:18 Oct 8, 2024
32
Scott Morris — Building a Brand, Navigating Contracts, and the Power of Relationships in Game Design (#71)
1:06:50 Sep 19, 2024
33
LIVE at Gen Con 2024 (Special Episode)
33:20 Aug 23, 2024
34
Ethan Mollick — Navigating AI in Game Design, Ethical Integration, and Supporting Artists (#70)
1:00:14 Aug 8, 2024
35
Justin Gary — C.O.R.E. Attributes (Special)
31:26 Jul 16, 2024
36
Jonathan Tweet — Pioneering RPG Design, Innovating Dungeons & Dragons, and Crafting Educational Stories (#69)
1:20:02 Jul 9, 2024
37
Geoff Engelstein — Game Design Wisdom, Educational Insights, and Industry Advocacy (#68)
1:03:31 Jun 20, 2024
38
Stephan Brissaud — Industry Leadership, Game Development, and Retail Strategies (#67)
1:17:05 May 29, 2024
39
Eric Price — Uniting VTubers and Players, Designing Oshi Push and the Importance of GAMA (#66)
53:27 May 15, 2024
40
Neeraj Kashyap — Web3 Game Design, Navigating Scams, Success Stories, and Pioneering the Path for Gaming in Emerging Tech (#65)
1:15:48 Apr 24, 2024
41
Ben Robbins — World Building in Microscope, Gaming with Strangers and Writing Effective Rules (#64)
1:06:33 Apr 9, 2024
42
Jason Morningstar — Designing Fiasco, Emotional Risks of Creative Projects, and a Culture of Learning and Play (#63)
1:13:29 Mar 26, 2024
43
Jane Chung Hoffacker — From League of Legends to animating Arcane, Rhythms of Guitar Hero, and Mastering IP Creation (#62)
1:25:00 Mar 12, 2024
44
C. Thi Nguyen — Game Design as Art, Fish Taco Adventures, and Exploring Game Design Principles in Daily Life (#61)
1:34:14 Feb 27, 2024
45
Maxine "MJ" Newman — Leading Arkham Horror into New Realms, Unveiling Cooperative Game Magic, and Navigating Career Crossroads (#60)
1:05:31 Feb 13, 2024
46
Anthony Giovannetti — Crafting Slay the Spire, Nurturing Team Dynamics, Balancing Life and Launches, and Embracing the Magic of Mods (#59)
1:19:52 Jan 30, 2024
47
Casey Yano — Designing with Detail in Slay the Spire, Mastering the Gaming Grind, Marketing dos and donts, and Building a High Trust Company Culture (#58)
1:34:47 Jan 16, 2024
48
Steven Pressfield — Conquering Creative Resistance, The Craft of Historical Fiction, and the Interplay of Games and the Muse (#57)
1:22:20 Jan 2, 2024
49
Tim Hutchings — Thousand-Year-Old Vampire, Blending Fine Arts with Game Design, Crafting Emotional RPG Experiences, and Teaching Design Through Philosophy (#56)
1:12:04 Dec 19, 2023
50
Michael Borys — The Art of Immersive Gaming Experiences, Blending Storytelling with Interactive Design, and Crafting Alternate Realities (#55)
1:10:01 Dec 5, 2023
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