Designer Notes

Idle Thumbs

4.9 (110)
VIDEO GAMES

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.

11/04/2024

Designer Notes 86: Anton Strenger

In this episode, Soren interviews Anton Strenger, best known for his work on Civilization 5, Civilization 6, and Beyond Earth. They discuss how he ended up paying Carnegie Mellon so that he could work at Firaxis, why there aren’t many Great People after 1900, and whether Civilization has secretly become a live-service game. This episode was recorded on October 22, 2023.

3h 6m
09/29/2024

Designer Notes 85: Zach Barth - Part 2

In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Zach Barth, best known for his puzzle games, including SpaceChem, Infinifactory, Shenzhen I/O, and Opus Magnum. They discuss why he made a game about assembly language, how he guaranteed that Fortune’s Foundation is winnable, and whether he knows how to make fun games. This episode was recorded on September 11, 2023.

2h 31m
08/31/2024

Designer Notes 84: Zach Barth - Part 1

In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Zach Barth, best known for his puzzle games, including SpaceChem, Infinifactory, Shenzhen I/O, and Opus Magnum. They discuss why he never originally wanted to make money on his games, why puzzle games are terrible, and whether he has ever played Minecraft. This episode was recorded on September 11, 2023.

2h 40m
06/06/2024

Designer Notes 83: Mitch Lasky - Part 2

In this episode, Soren interviews noted game investor Mitch Lasky, best known for his work as a venture capitalist at Benchmark, as the CEO of JAMDAT, and as an executive at Activision and Electronic Arts. They discuss how the industry’s business models have always affected design, why he was wrong about the Halloween pack ruining League of Legends, and why the litigation leaks are better than GDC. This episode was recorded on October 23, 2023.

1h 54m
05/06/2024

Designer Notes 82: Mitch Lasky - Part 1

In this episode, Soren interviews noted game investor Mitch Lasky, best known for his work as a venture capitalist at Benchmark, as the CEO of JAMDAT, and as an executive at Activision and Electronic Arts. They discuss how the Doom shareware model was a preview of free-to-play, why a console transition led to EA buying Maxis, and how Jamdat pioneered paying for visibility on mobile. This episode was recorded on October 23, 2023.

1h 53m
04/11/2024

Designer Notes 81: Jake Solomon - Part 2

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jake Solomon, best known for the XCOM reboot and Midnight Suns. They discuss his first, failed attempt at XCOM, why 75% does not mean 75%, and how many copies of XCOM he sold at Power Gamer in Glen Burnie, MD. This episode was recorded on April 26, 2023.

3h 14m
12/05/2023

Designer Notes 80: Jake Solomon - Part 1

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jake Solomon, best known for the XCOM reboot and Midnight Suns. They discuss how much money he had to give back to Accenture, how to animate multiple units at the same time, and why Sid suddenly started golfing so much. This episode was recorded on April 25, 2023.

2h 42m
10/09/2023

Designer Notes 79: Trent Kusters - Part 2

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Trent Kusters, co-founder of League of Geeks, best known for the strategy game Armello. They discuss why Armello has so much output randomness, whether they fudge the odds, and how to turn off a Game-as-a- Service. This episode was recorded on September 8, 2023.

2h 22m

See All (86)

4.9

out of 5

110 Ratings

Love this pod

12/06/2023

Bellinater

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.
Quality conversations

11/05/2023

Nickname_For_Your_Reviews

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.
Great interviews with some games industry legends

10/27/2023

OhTheWerewolf

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.
In depth conversations with legendary game designers

03/29/2022

mbcauley

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.

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.