LeisureGamesCraftsHobbies

The Board Game Design Lab

Gabe Barrett

The Board Game Design Lab was created for one purpose: to help you design great games people love. To accomplish that goal, this podcast interviews designers, publishers, and board game insiders on specific topics related to game design. I don’t waste time talking about recently played games or pop culture. Instead, the show does a deep dive into subjects that I hope you’ll find extremely valuable as you progress through your game design journey.

Play

Open in

20 episodes
Avg 1 hr 10 min
English

Episodes 20

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Oct 1, 2025 · 22 min
6 Takeaways from the game that took 10 years to make
In this episode, I break down the six things I learned from the game that took 10 years to go from idea to published product. And you can find Football U on Kickstarter HERE The post 6 Takeaways from the game that took 10 years to make appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Mar 20, 2025 · 1 hr 38 min
How to build a million dollar publishing company with Amy and Dusty Droz
Amy and Dusty Droz join me to talk about how they’ve built an extremely profitable publishing business in a relatively short amount of time. We talk about tariffs, fulfillment, audience, budgeting, customer service, and a whole lot more! The post How to build a million dollar publishing company with Amy and Dusty Droz appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Mar 20, 2025 · 45 min
Game Design Trends for 2025 with Jamey Stegmaier
In this episode, Jamey Stegmaier and I chat about the various trends we’re seeing in the current game design landscape. We talk about solo and 2-player games, open worlds, licensed IPs, and more! The post Game Design Trends for 2025 with Jamey Stegmaier appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Mar 20, 2025 · 1 hr 29 min
Game Marketing Made Simple with Andrew Lowen
In this episode, I chat with Andrew Lowen, from Crowdfunding Nerds, about how to make people aware your game exists. Also, be sure to check out Andrew’s crowdfunding marketing course, and if you sign up through my affiliate link, you’ll not only get a ton of resources to help you market your game but also a FREE one-hour coaching call with me. https://crowdfundingnerds.com/bgdl/ The post Game Marketing Made Simple with Andrew Lowen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
Mar 20, 2025 · 2 hr 49 min
My new book will help you find the FUN
My game design book, Find the Fun, recently came out, and in this episode, I do a brief synopsis and give you the audio version of the first three chapters. To check out Find the Fun on Amazon, go here: https://amzn.to/4hmxseU The post My new book will help you find the FUN appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#332
Feb 26, 2024 · 1 hr 8 min
The design process of one of the world’s best designers, Corey Konieczka
In this BGDL rewind from June of 2020, Corey Konieczka breaks down his entire design process. Corey has several games ranked in the top 100 games of all time, and it was incredibly insightful to learn about how he brings a game to life. We chat about his path into the industry, his prototyping process, the challenges of working on IPs like Star Wars, when to walk away from a design, and more! The post The design process of one of the world’s best designers, Corey Konieczka appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#331
Feb 19, 2024 · 53 min
How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave
In this BGDL rewind from May of 2019, Elizabeth Hargrave dives into all the ins and outs of designing an engine-building game. We chat about her personal design process and all the interesting obstacles she encountered when designing Wingspan. We also talk about how to layer concepts on top of each other, balancing winning strategies, creating a satisfying conclusion, and more! The post How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#330
Feb 11, 2024 · 1 hr 3 min
How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek
In this BGDL rewind from April of 2020, Ignacy Trzewiczek, founder of Portal Games and designer of Robinson Crusoe, discusses his company’s motto: Games that tell stories. We go in-depth into Ignacy’s design process, talk about his most popular games, and get to the heart of what it looks like to create games that have players leaving the table with a story to tell. The post How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#329
Jan 29, 2024 · 1 hr 12 min
Using math to make your games better with Emerson Matsuuchi
In this BGDL rewind from December of 2020, I chat with Emerson Matsuuch about all the many ways a designer can use math to create better games. We talk spreadsheets, game balance, mathematical models, and more! The post Using math to make your games better with Emerson Matsuuchi appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#328
Jan 21, 2024 · 1 hr 2 min
Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Richard Garfield
In this BGDL rewind from May of 2018, I chat with Richard Garfield about finding the right balance of luck vs skill when designing a game. The post Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Richard Garfield appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#327
Dec 16, 2023 · 43 min
Your game design questions answered
In this episode, I answer a bunch of questions that were submitted by BGDL community members! The post Your game design questions answered appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#326
Nov 29, 2023 · 59 min
How to Publish Games with a Grassroots Approach | Joe Bragg
In this episode, Joe Bragg, founder of the indie publishing company Meek Heroes Gaming, discusses the grassroots approach he’s taking to building his publishing company. We chat about why this approach makes sense for a lot of people, the pros and cons of not using crowdfunding, how to build a community from the ground up, and a whole lot more. I also dive into the slightly different approach my own publishing company is planning to take in 2024, so hopefully this episode gives you lots to think about if you’re interested in publishing games. The post How to Publish Games with a Grassroots Approach | Joe Bragg appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#325
Nov 21, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
How to Boost Creativity and Avoid Tropes | Jason Perez
In this episode, Jason Perez and I chat about how designers can boost their creativity by thinking outside the box, pushing past tropes, and being more intentional about their thematic choices. The post How to Boost Creativity and Avoid Tropes | Jason Perez appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#323
Nov 14, 2023 · 1 hr 23 min
Listen to this BEFORE you start an indie publishing company | John de Campos
In this episode, John de Campos, founder of Terrible Games, and I chat about the highs and lows of starting and running an indie publishing company in the board game industry. The post Listen to this BEFORE you start an indie publishing company | John de Campos appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#323
Nov 9, 2023 · 59 min
Board Game Design Productivity Hacks with Gabe Barrett
In this episode, I break down some game design productivity hacks that have been helping me lately, and I’m specifically talking about a concept called “habit fields.” This was a presentation I gave recently for Board Game Design Pro, so if you find it useful and want more helpful content like it, be sure to check out BGDP here. You’ll find all sorts of skill sessions on designing, crowdfunding, and publishing games! And if you use coupon code “33today” you’ll receive 33% off the membership price The post Board Game Design Productivity Hacks with Gabe Barrett appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#322
Nov 3, 2023 · 1 hr 19 min
Do this BEFORE designing a game | Leo Taylor
In this episode, Leo Taylor, designer of games in the Risk, Clue, and D&D universes, breaks down his “key pillars of game design” as we chat through the many questions designers should think through as they dive into a new game design. You can download a PDF of the key pillars HERE. The post Do this BEFORE designing a game | Leo Taylor appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#321
Oct 25, 2023 · 1 hr 1 min
How to Make Money from Your Game Design Hobby with Joe Slack
In this episode, Joe Slack and I talk about how we’ve both been able to piece together lots of different revenue streams in the gaming industry to be able to make a full-time living from game design. And be sure to check out Joe’s latest puzzle game here: http://kck.st/3SfV1Np The post How to Make Money from Your Game Design Hobby with Joe Slack appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#320
Oct 21, 2023 · 1 hr 8 min
Designing Games FOR and WITH Young Kids with Elan Lee
In this episode, Elan Lee, the creator of Exploding Kittens, talks about his venture into creating games for small children. Elan has been designing the games alongside his four-year-old daughter, and we talk about the process of designing games both for and with small kids. We also get into the business side of things and discuss marketing, manufacturing, and more! And be sure to check out the games HERE. The post Designing Games FOR and WITH Young Kids with Elan Lee appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#319
Oct 13, 2023 · 1 hr 27 min
4 Amazing (and Useful) Examples of Board Game Design Theory with Geoff Engelstein
In this episode, Geoff Engelstein and I chat about design theory and break down Geoff’s favorite examples and how they relate to designing games. Geoff’s book about loss aversion can be found here: https://amzn.to/3rIgi7y More info about the Tabletop Network Conference can be found here: https://www.tabletopnetwork.com The post 4 Amazing (and Useful) Examples of Board Game Design Theory with Geoff Engelstein appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.
#318
Oct 3, 2023 · 53 min
Why You Should Create Print-n-Play Games with Jason Greeno
In this episode, Jason Greeno and I chat about the current boom in the print-n-play side of the market, and we dive into how and why more designers should create printable versions of their games. You can find a ridiculous number of PnP games on Jason’s website, PnP Arcade. And you can find his game, The Cursed Managerie, on Kickstarter HERE. Here’s the best PnP Facebook group. The post Why You Should Create Print-n-Play Games with Jason Greeno appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes