Sirlin.Net - Game Design

From one designer to another: Sirlin is wonderfully researched and highly experienced at a specific slice of game development: competitive one-on-one multiplayer with full knowledge and even play fields. Street Fighter, basically. His viewpoints are strong and insightful with that particular bent. RPG elements, freemium anything, unbalanced multiplayer teams... He rallies against pretty much all modern embellishments like these, with an almost religious fervor. When he points out major, highly loved and extensively played games as examples of fundamentally irredeemable game design, he undermines his own credibility. I still find the podcast worth listening to, as his viewpoints can be interesting even when he's off on a crusade that I fundamentally disagree with. Just don't expect a well-rounded podcast that represents a broad slice of game development. He has a specific view as a designer, which a lot of other designers would disagree with.

Excellent podcast. Those of you rating it low, I feel must be easily offended. Sirlin says the things that other podcasts don’t. Is he a bit arrogant? Sure. But why not just listen to something else if you can’t handle the truth? The only thing wrong with this podcast is that it hasn’t been receiving regular new content in a while. But I’ve listened to most episodes several times. Great show!

I've learned a tremendous amount about game design from David Sirlin, both from his writing and now this podcast, which is a must-hear for anyone interested in the topic. I've listened to several episodes a few times—there is a lot to learn in each one! The closing stories are also great. If nothing else, you should listen to Sirlin's story about his quest to find the clock he wanted, at the end of episode 6.

Sirlin can come across as abrasive, but he does have a solid basis for his opinions. Even if you disagree with him, it is interesting to think about the topics that he covers.