Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Secret Lives of Games
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 149: Making A Meal Of It with Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson (Consume Me) | 07 Nov 2025 | 01:38:22 | |
Rob, Sarah, and Doug chat with Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson about Consume Me, an award-winning autobiographical resource-management RPG about the pressure cooker of young adulthood. We discuss the game's ten-year development cycle, balancing dynamic difficulty in a game about overachievement, the complex dynamics of mining your own story, and more! Heads up: This episode includes discussion of disordered eating and religious upbringing. Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Mentioned in this episode: Consume Me Prototyping Personal Experience – Jenny's talk at A MAZE 2017 Papers Please by Lucas Pope Nina Freeman's games on itch.io Triad by Anna Anthropy Reigns by Nerial Long Live the Queen by Hanako Games Perfect Tides by Meredith Gran Look Back (movie) Look Back (manga) Jenny's TikTok AP's Instagram
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| 148: Carving Out Some Time with Adam Robinson-Yu (Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival) | 24 Oct 2025 | 01:28:29 | |
Laura, Rob, and Sarah chat with Adam Robinson-Yu about The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival, a communal and virtual festival experience hosted every ~October for the last six years. We discuss the logistics of running a seasonal multiplayer game, encouraging emergent interactions through limited tools, highlighting pumpkin artistry, expressing embodiment in digital space, building secrets over time, and more! NOTE: If you want to avoid spoilers of this year's additions to the game, skip the section from 1:12:40 to 1:22:00! Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Discussed in this episode: Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival Laura E. Hall's 31 Days of Halloween newsletter Adam's Itch Adam's Bluesky | |||
| EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Combatants | 08 Aug 2025 | 02:14:09 | |
We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) to discuss Combatants, the 46th game in the UFO 50 collection. "The evil Red Ants have taken your land! Fight Back and defend your queen!" Next week: Quibble Race Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Starcraft: Remastered Pikmin 1+2 Bundle Little King's Story Tinykin Patapon Tooth & Tail The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia by Bernard Suits Manifesto: The 21st Century Will Be Defined By Games by Eric Zimmerman Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World by Jane McGonigal Game Studies Study Buddies 51 – Suits – The Grasshopper EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Mini & Max Gio on Bluesky | |||
| 124: Thinking Inside the Box with Patrick Traynor (Patrick's Parabox) | 07 Oct 2023 | 01:03:38 | |
We're joined by Patrick Traynor, creator of Patrick's Parabox, a mind-bending recursive puzzle game about boxes within boxes. We discuss following your gut to what a game wants to be, being part of the puzzle design community, and our core philosophies behind puzzle design. Show Notes: Patrick's Parabox Patrick Traynor Linelith I Wanna Be the Guy Fangames Sokosoko Sokoban Stephen's Sausage Roll Singles - Rebecca Sugar Patrick's Parabox OST Osmos Puzzle Level Idea Strategies The Witness Tyler Glaiel - Make and release lots of small games before making a big one Jonathan Blow - Truth in Game Design | |||
| 123: (Rerun) Maximizing Minimalism with Disc Room | 25 Aug 2023 | 01:39:58 | |
We're taking a small summer break, so please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from 2020 with a new introduction from Doug! The ENTIRE all-star Disc Room team - Kitty Calis, JW Nijman, Doseone, and Terri Vellmann - stop by for a rowdy disc-ussion on their new arcade sci-fi avoid-em-up. We chat about making the Margherita pizza of games, nailing the details to make a simple concept sing, and making the most of team collaborations. Show notes: | |||
| 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) | 11 Aug 2023 | 02:27:55 | |
We're honored to be joined by Gilles De Coster, host of our favorite Belgian reality TV game show - De Mol - to talk about the process, inspirations, and execution of the sublime game design behind its thrilling, subversive challenges. We spend the first hour giving all the context you'll need to follow along, before diving into the interview. This is a special one for us, check it out! Show Notes: De Mol (SPOILERS) The Mole (inferior American version) | |||
| 121: Developing Your Taste with Abhi (Venba) | 28 Jul 2023 | 01:05:33 | |
We're joined by Abhi to discuss Venba - Visai Games' short narrative cooking game about family, love, and loss. We discuss uniting narrative and gameplay, making a very personal game in a commercial industry, and creating a cooking experience with its own distinct flavor. Show Notes: Alpha Something - Venba soundtrack Abhi's picks: Favorite cooking videos: | |||
| 120: Making a Case for Intuition with Andrejs Kļaviņš (The Case of the Golden Idol) | 14 Jul 2023 | 01:29:19 | |
We're joined by Color Gray Games' Andrejs Kļaviņš to discuss their deeply rewarding detective game The Case of the Golden Idol. We discuss building on the game's cross-media inspirations, finding the 'aha!' moments in playtesting, and trusting yourself to trust your players. Show Notes: | |||
| 119: Collaborating in Character with Ashly Burch and Guerrilla Games (Horizon) | 30 Jun 2023 | 01:28:39 | |
We're joined by actor Ashly Burch and Guerilla Games' Ben McCaw and Jochen Willemsen to deconstruct their deeply collaborative work on the Horizon game franchise - building the character of Aloy, the role of performance capture, and carving out nuance and evolution in a blockbuster series. Show Notes: | |||
| 118: Exploring Your Curiosity with Rita Orlov (PostCurious) | 16 Jun 2023 | 01:12:59 | |
We're joined by Rita Orlov to discuss her PostCurious catalog of captivating narrative tabletop puzzle games, including her journey from physical and fine art into games, why designers love bouldering, and trusting players to summit her puzzles. Show Notes: | |||
| 117: Answering Your Questions without a Guest (June 2023 Edition) | 02 Jun 2023 | 01:33:59 | |
Four of our hosts get a little loopy answering questions submitted by our listeners, from how we all met, to our favorite game controllers, to the importance of mechanics vs vibes. We plan to do more of these episides once in a while, so let us know what you think and send us your most burning, random questions! Show Notes: The AirBnB we were going to rent | |||
| 116: Finding Hope in Loss with Red Hook Studios (Darkest Dungeon II) | 19 May 2023 | 01:19:35 | |
We're joined by co-founders Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa to discuss Red Hook Studios' new roguelike road trip of the damned, Darkest Dungeon II. We explore heroism by contrast, the delicate stakes of making an unforgiving game more forgiving, and fostering the will to get back up again when the road gets tough. Show Notes: | |||
| 115: Doubling Down on Intuition with Kenny Sun (Mr. Sun's Hatbox) | 08 May 2023 | 01:05:19 | |
We're joined by Kenny Sun (Twinfold) to chat about his slapstick, roguelite platformer Mr. Sun's Hatbox. We talk about the benefits of setting a prototype down for a while, what humor can let you get away with, and trusting your instincts. Show Notes: | |||
| Eggplant TV Plays De Mol (2025 season) - Interview with Wouter Verstichel | 04 Aug 2025 | 01:07:34 | |
We're recapping the 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13). In this very special bonus episode, Laura, Jey, Doug, and Melissa sit down with Wouter Verstichel (Director/Showrunner of De Mol) to discuss the experience of working on the show. Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and more. Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Links: Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series, including live finale interviews: 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol):
http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow | |||
| 114: Loving Mondays with Cosmo D (Betrayal at Club Low) | 21 Apr 2023 | 01:19:22 | |
We're joined by Greg "Cosmo D" Heffernan to discuss his IGF-winning, dice-fueled fever dream Betrayal at Club Low. We explore his fascinating journey from making music to making games, balancing for transparency, and letting your love of the process guide you. Show Notes: | |||
| 113: On top of the Fires of Hell w/ Daniel Benmergui (Storyteller) | 09 Apr 2023 | 01:14:59 | |
We're joined by Daniel Benmergui (I Wish I Were the Moon, Fidel Dungeon Rescue), creator of the narrative-weaving puzzle game Storyteller. We discuss the challenges of designing playful and snappy interaction, wrangling cause and effect, and managing expectations for a game 15 years in the making. | |||
| 112: Playing in the Moment with Videogamo (DOBOTONE) | 24 Mar 2023 | 01:25:35 | |
We're joined by Hernán Sáez of Videogamo (DOBOTONE, NAVE) to discuss his beautifully ephemeral party/arcade games, as well as Marie Foulston, a playful curator/creative director who commissioned Videogamo's latest work, GOL-E-GOL. We discuss site-specific experiences, and the slippage between hardware and software realms. Show Notes: Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt | |||
| 111: Finding Your Groove with John Johanas (Hi-Fi RUSH) | 11 Mar 2023 | 01:15:51 | |
We're joined by John Johanas, Director of Tango Gameworks' pitch-perfect rhythm action game Hi-Fi RUSH. We discuss the many challenges of creating a world and systems that stay on beat, while John and Sarah discuss the creation of the character she plays in the game (!), Korsica. Show Notes: | |||
| 110: Making Friends with Madison Karrh (Birth) | 24 Feb 2023 | 01:16:04 | |
We're joined by Madison Karrh, the solo dev behind Birth, a curious new adventure puzzle game about building a companion to quell your loneliness. We discuss the density and voyeurism of exploring city spaces, embracing the aesthetics of death, and making games that respect your time on earth. Show Notes: IndieCade: Canabalt's Adam Saltsman's Pursuit of the Infinite Everyone I Know Keeps Breaking Things | |||
| 109: Answering Your Questions without a Guest | 11 Feb 2023 | 01:36:42 | |
No guest this week, so we chat about the motley selection of games we're playing, before hopping into some thoughtful listener questions. We talk reality shows, historical board games, our go-to podcasts, and the importance of making things for yourself. Show Notes: I Imported EDF6, And Here's Why You Should Too Boss Fight Books - Season 6 Kickstarter Paolo Pedercini's Making Games in an F****d Up World | |||
| 108: Designing For Delight with Vectorpark (Windosill) | 27 Jan 2023 | 01:21:49 | |
Patrick "Vectorpark" Smith joins us to discuss his curious and inspiring oeuvre, the lost art of Flash games and DVD menus, and the pros and cons of keeping your art to yourself. Show Notes: | |||
| 107: Welcoming Laura! | 13 Jan 2023 | 01:18:39 | |
We welcome Laura E. Hall (they/she) as a permanent member of the cast! Fresh off a session of their online escape game The Traveler's Guide to Little Sodaburg, we dig into its web-savvy design, how the last few years have impacted the immersive games space, and the inspirations behind a rad career of experience design. Show Notes: The Traveler's Guide to Little Sodaburg | |||
| 106: Games of the Year 2022 | 30 Dec 2022 | 02:43:26 | |
Per tradition, we sit down with immersive puzzle designer Laura E. Hall - and bonus guest writer/developer Rob Dubbin - to count down our Top 5 games of 2022, alongside picks from previous show guests and our listeners. Happy New Year! Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS): Laura: Rob: Sarah: Zach: Doug: Nick: Other picks mentioned by previous guests/listeners: | |||
| 105: Making History with Josh Sawyer (Pentiment) | 16 Dec 2022 | 01:10:54 | |
Josh Sawyer (Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity) joins us to discuss Obsidian's historical, narrative-driven adventure game Pentiment. We chat about text boxes as game feel, creating hard player choices that don't feel bad, and putting yourself in your art. Show Notes: Pitching a 16th Century Murder Mystery - AIAS Game Maker's Notebook So where *is* Tassing, actually? (Tumblr post) | |||
| EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Mini & Max | 01 Aug 2025 | 02:05:45 | |
We're joined by Billy Basso (Animal Well), Ben Wilson (Saltsea Chronicles), Kayin (I Wanna Be The Guy), and Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) to discuss Mini & Max, the 45th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Mini and her dog Max are locked in the storage room. Harness the magic of shrinking to escape!" Next week: Combatants Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Discussed in this episode: Animal Well Triple Physical Release The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Outer Wilds Uurnog: Uurnlimited Everything Tux and Fanny Tinykin Caves of Qud Adam Conover Live Tour Zero Fifty One
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow | |||
| 104: Thanksgiving Leftovers | 08 Dec 2022 | 01:45:57 | |
Our guest couldn't make it, so we gathered some listener questions and got weird! Join us for Thanksgiving recipes, our favorite recent game mechanics, and some "state of the industry" musings. Enjoy! Show notes: | |||
| 103: Day of the Devs Special | 20 Nov 2022 | 01:29:36 | |
We (well, Nick) stops by the annual Day of the Devs event in San Francisco, and chats to a bunch of lovely developers about the games they're showing there, their biggest design challenges, and what it feels like making games in the cursed year of 2022. Show notes: | |||
| 102: Playing on Your Own Terms with Wayward Strand | 04 Nov 2022 | 01:12:26 | |
Ghost Pattern's Jason Bakker and Georgia Symons join us to discuss their heartfelt interactive story Wayward Strand. We meander through its immersive theater inspirations, the origins of its airship, and the process of rethinking player agency in the attention economy. Show Notes: | |||
| 101: Working in a Vacuum with Heavenly Bodies | 21 Oct 2022 | 01:11:23 | |
Alexander Perrin and Joshua Tatangelo join us to discuss their expressive, physics-driven space puzzler Heavenly Bodies. We chat about designing a challenging game that isn't antagonistic, a funny game whose comedy is inherent, and their inspirations (or lack thereof). Show Notes: | |||
| 100: Just One (Hundred) with Friends of Eggplant | 04 Oct 2022 | 02:00:57 | |
We're joined by dear friends of the show Laura E. Hall, Bennett Foddy, and Doseone for a Doug-masterminded, Eggplant-themed game of Just One. Stick around after the insanity for a reflection on the past four years of the show, how our lives have changed since, and what the show means to us (and you - thanks for the letters!). Show notes: | |||
| 99: Charting the Future with Sarah Northway (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist) | 16 Sep 2022 | 01:22:32 | |
Sarah Northway (Northway Games) joins us to discuss her sprawling new narrative RPG I Was a Teenage Exocolonist. We discuss juggling a staggering script, deckbuilding as storytelling, and some of the wilder places that the game's time looping can go. Show notes: | |||
| 98: Escaping Your Fate with Coin Crew Games (Escape Academy) | 02 Sep 2022 | 01:19:01 | |
Co-founders Wyatt Bushnell and Mike Salyh - and special guest co-host Laura E. Hall - join us to discuss Coin Crew's awesome new co-op escape room game Escape Academy. We discuss pandemic pivoting to the digital space, designing for arcades vs. living rooms, and the perils of playtesting in both mediums. Show notes: | |||
| 97: Hosting Online Reality Games (ORGs) w/ Ash Neleh | 19 Aug 2022 | 01:24:21 | |
Ash Neleh, host of the ! Series of online reality games, joins Doug for a conversation about adapting reality TV competition games for online fan communities. We talk about the 18-year history of the ! Series, as well as some of the favorite twists he's designed. Show notes: | |||
| 96: Eavesdropping for Inspiration with Grace Bruxner (Frog Detective) | 05 Aug 2022 | 01:06:43 | |
Frog Detective creator Grace Bruxner joins us to discuss the inspirations and process behind her charming detective series, including the upcoming Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County. We discuss sticking to scope (or not), making the most of adventure game tropes, and finding inspiration in the mundane. Show notes: Games Talks 2020: Grace Bruxner Building Games Around Humor (GDC talk) | |||
| 95: (Rerun) Making Generous Games with Terry Cavanagh (Dicey Dungeons) | 22 Jul 2022 | 01:27:58 | |
We're taking a small summer break, so please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from a few years ago. And check out the new mobile version of Dicey Dungeons, and the free DLC! Terry Cavanagh (Super Hexagon, VVVVVV) joins us to talk about his fantastic roguelike deckbuilder, Dicey Dungeons. We discuss the thread of generosity in his game design, the challenges of working across genres, and what might be next for Terry! Show notes: | |||
| EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Pilot Quest | 25 Jul 2025 | 01:54:07 | |
We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Eileen Hollinger (Capybara Games) to discuss Pilot Quest, the 44th game in the UFO 50 collection. "The Campanella has crashed! Fix it by harvesting resources and exploring the wild zone." Next week: Mini & Max Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Collection of Mana Actraiser Renaissance Progress Quest Candy Box II (Sequel to Candy Box) Cow Clicker A Dark Room Cookie Clicker Clicker Heroes AdVenture Capitalist Universal Paperclips The Barnacle Goose Experiment Banana Neptune's Pride Game Dev Story Knytt Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure GameMaker Edinburgh Festival Fringe Mel McGlensey is NORMAL Into the Depths: Kentucky Route Zero - Part 1 Into the Depths: Super Mario World - Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow
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| 94: Learning to Unclench with Ben Esposito (Neon White) | 08 Jul 2022 | 01:27:32 | |
Ben Esposito (Donut County, What Remains of Edith Finch) joins us to talk about his heavenly new card-powered, speedrunning FPS Neon White. We discuss making tight designs by keeping things loose, what a "career" of indie games feels like, and making games u wish 2 see on the Dreamcast. Show notes: | |||
| 93: Cheating Depth with Card Shark | 24 Jun 2022 | 01:20:35 | |
Card Shark creators Arnaud De Bock of Nerial (Reigns) and Nicolai Troshinsky join us to discuss their innovative new adventure game about cheating. We discuss its filmic inspirations, the narrative progression of chaining tricks, and designing a game loop of teaching and testing. Show notes: | |||
| 92: Untangling Language with Knotwords | 10 Jun 2022 | 01:29:34 | |
Knotwords creators Jack Schlesinger and our own Zach Gage chat to us about their elegant new logic puzzle word game. We discuss "cracking" the game design they'd been chasing forever, and how they created the puzzle/word generator that makes it great. Show notes: This episode edited by Dylan Shumway, thanks Dylan! | |||
| 91: Finding Poetry in Geometry with Mahdi Bahrami (Tandis) | 27 May 2022 | 01:16:21 | |
Mahdi Bahrami joins us to discuss his beautiful, mind-bending new puzzle game Tandis. We discuss teaching complex geometry concepts without any numbers, poetry as playtesting, and drawing a line through Mahdi's math-inspired oeuvre. Show notes: | |||
| 90: Rethinking Reality with Tender Claws (The Under Presents) | 13 May 2022 | 01:19:43 | |
Tender Claws' Samantha Gorman and Danny Cannizzazo join us - alongside guest co-host Star St. Germain - to discuss their singular immersive theater experience The Under, creating an enriching social space in VR, and gameplay as an act of rebellion. Show notes: The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite | |||
| Into the Depths: Super Mario World - Bonus Episode! | 29 Apr 2022 | 02:21:32 | |
Surprise! In the spirit of SMW's bonus worlds, we're back with a Special episode to cap off our deep-dive miniseries, as previous Into the Depths guests Stephanie Boluk and Patrick LeMieux take us on a tour of some of the coolest SMW ephemera yet! Show notes: Tons of links this week, so please check out this great syllabus that Patrick put together for us! | |||
| Into the Depths: Super Mario World - Part 5 | 15 Apr 2022 | 02:06:35 | |
In the fifth - and final! - installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, streamer/speedrunner Grand POOBear joins us to discuss the uncanny valley of SMW Remade From Memory, and the masterful Super 'Sonic Saves the World' World romhack by the mysterious 'Maddy, allegedly'. Show Notes: The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe | |||
| Into the Depths: Super Mario World - Part 4 | 01 Apr 2022 | 02:02:29 | |
In the fourth installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable) joins us to discuss the infamous Star and Special worlds, and walk us through the ever-evolving, often hilarious culture of Kaizo Mario. Show notes: The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe The Japanese names for the Special courses The Complete History of Kaizo Mario Homework for next episode: | |||
| Into the Depths: Super Mario World - Part 3 | 18 Mar 2022 | 01:34:57 | |
In the third installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, David Hellman (Braid) joins us to discuss the aesthetics of SMW, touch on its recent widescreen mod, and suffer through the game's worst world and level (while savoring the interesting bits). Show notes: The eyes on question mark blocks Homework for next episode: Star World Special World Watch some Kaizo/Asshole Mario World | |||
| 89: Elden Ring roundtable with Jake Kazdal (17-Bit) | 11 Mar 2022 | 01:56:31 | |
Our friend Jake Kazdal (17-Bit) joins us for a (spoiler-free!) roundtable discussion of Elden Ring, in which we compare our experiences in FromSoftware's latest monsterpiece, consider the inseparable nature of its community, and deliberate its bolder design decisions. Show notes: Clint Hocking on the virtues of exploration Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Discovery Tour | |||
| EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Elfazar's Hat | 18 Jul 2025 | 01:48:27 | |
We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok), and Colin and Sarah Northway (Northway Games) to discuss Elfazar's Hat, the 43rd game in the UFO 50 collection. "Elfazar is hailed as a great magician, but his captive animals are ready to strike back!" Next week: Pilot Quest Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Pocky & Rocky Reshrined I Was a Teenage Exocolonist Vancouver Game Garden 99: Charting the Future with Sarah Northway (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)
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| Into the Depths: Super Mario World - Part 2 | 25 Feb 2022 | 01:52:27 | |
In the second installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns of Metanet Software (N++) join us to talk about the inertia that makes Mario feel like Mario, the beautiful strangeness of the cape, and just how deep SMW's control quirks go. Show notes: The Story of Super Mario World Making History with Summoning Salt The Decade-Long Quest for Shadow of the Colossus' Last Secret | |||
| Into the Depths: Super Mario World - Part 1 | 11 Feb 2022 | 02:11:18 | |
In the first installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, Derek Yu (Spelunky) and Maddy Thorson (Celeste) join us to talk about our personal histories with the game, its iconic world map and multi-layered secrets, and all sorts of Mario ephemera in-between. Show notes: | |||
| 88: Welcoming Sarah! | 28 Jan 2022 | 01:56:40 | |
We celebrate Sarah Elmaleh as a permanent new member of the cast! Yay Sarah! We also announce the next Into the Depths series, dive into some wildly different topics du jour, and answer your questions! Show notes: "King Me": A Defense of King-Making in Board Game Design Shut Up & Sit Down Root review | |||