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★★★★★

4.8

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202 reviews

Description

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.

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Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from The Board Game Design Lab podcast

6 Takeaways from the game that took 10 years to make

2025/10/01

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.

How to build a million dollar publishing company with Amy and Dusty Droz

2025/03/20

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.

Game Design Trends for 2025 with Jamey Stegmaier

2025/03/20

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.

Game Marketing Made Simple with Andrew Lowen

2025/03/20

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... The post Game Marketing Made Simple with Andrew Lowen appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

My new book will help you find the FUN

2025/03/20

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.

The design process of one of the world's best designers, Corey Konieczka

2024/02/26

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 post The design process of one of the world’s best designers, Corey Konieczka appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave

2024/02/19

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,... The post How to Design an Engine Building Game with Elizabeth Hargrave appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek

2024/02/11

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 post How to Design Games that Tell Stories with Ignacy Trzewiczek appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Using math to make your games better with Emerson Matsuuchi

2024/01/29

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.

Finding the Right Mixture of Luck and Skill with Richard Garfield

2024/01/21

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.

Your game design questions answered

2023/12/16

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.

How to Publish Games with a Grassroots Approach | Joe Bragg

2023/11/29

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,... The post How to Publish Games with a Grassroots Approach | Joe Bragg appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

How to Boost Creativity and Avoid Tropes | Jason Perez

2023/11/21

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.

Listen to this BEFORE you start an indie publishing company | John de Campos

2023/11/14

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.

Board Game Design Productivity Hacks with Gabe Barrett

2023/11/09

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... The post Board Game Design Productivity Hacks with Gabe Barrett appeared first on Board Game Design Lab.

Podcast reviews

Read The Board Game Design Lab podcast reviews

4.8 out of 5

202 reviews

★★★★★

Danimatorx 2025/07/18

Outstanding

I had recently found this podcast and all I can say is WOW! The most recent episode with Amy and Dusty is probably one of my most favorite pod casts I...

★★★★★

Feltdiggidy 2024/04/03

Love the podcast

BGDL is the best

★★★★★

TheDustyShadow 2023/12/31

A great source of board game design insight

I started listening in 2023 and found each episode so relevant to my interests that I listened to every show from when Gabe Barrett started in 2016. G...

★★★★★

Dr.Curilla 2021/08/29

Thoroughly Entertaining

I’m a late comer to board game design, and to this podcast, but I’ve immersed myself in both, and this podcast has been a phenomenal help!!I haven’t e...

★★★★★

amazing 5 stars1234567890 2020/11/06

Amazing podcast teaching me to design games.

Great interviews

★★★★★

Gishzni 2020/06/19

The BEST Tabletop Design Podcast

Where to start! Gabe’s BGDL podcast has been an inspiration and a joy to listen to for years. The episodes focus on very specific topics which allow y...

★★★★★

KatSosnick 2020/05/20

Best niche podcast

We love listening to this podcast every week to learn about game design and all types of executing Kickstarter projects. Lots of great guests and a ve...

★★★★★

Lowenhigh 2020/04/19

Essential board game design listening material

If you are a board game designer, this is the best podcast out there for it!

★★★★★

Alex Maklai 2020/04/14

Best board game podcast out there

Gabe has been doing an outstanding job helping the board game creators with their game designs by making a really useful content. I'm also following h...

★★★★★

Tim - Under the Capes 2020/01/17

Great source of info!

What I really appreciate about Gabe's show is he gets right to the point of each episode and mini-episode. These shows are packed with valuable inform...

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