Fun Problems – Details, episodes & analysis

Peter and AJ explore the concept of genre within board games, comparing it to the well-defined genres found in films and novels. They discuss the challenges of applying traditional genre theory to board games, which often rely on mechanisms rather than genres to define them.

The conversation touches on the importance of genre in other media, highlighting how it helps creators meet audience expectations and allows consumers to find similar content they might enjoy. Peter and AJ examine how board games currently lack clear genre definitions and the impact this has on both designers and players.

Show Notes

Robotopia is now live on Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bean-games/robotopia-a-strategic-eurogame-of-robot-revolutionaries?ref=89xwyv

For the one person who cares; AJ's look alike is Mathew Gray Gubler.

Email: funproblemspodcast@gmail.com Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!

In this milestone episode, Peter revisits his popular theory on cooperative games, originally discussed on Gabe Barrett's Board Game Design Lab. He introduces a new type of co-op game that has emerged in recent years, expanding the original framework of limited communication and against-the-game co-ops.

Peter and AJ delve into the intricacies of this third type, the cozy cooperative game, characterized by open communication and score-based objectives. They also explore the role of victory points in game design, offering insights for both seasoned designers and enthusiasts.

Email: funproblemspodcast@gmail.com Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!

Show Notes

The Two Types of Co-op Games (BGDL): https://tinyurl.com/32sf8bhf

Virtual Playtesting: https://discord.gg/js3RXMuz

Today we talk about Game State; how and when to track it, and how to consider it's use in game design.

funproblemspodcast@gmail.com Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happened to Fun Problems?

Today we talk about the difference between kids games and kid friendly games, and the dos and don'ts for both! Breakout Con: https://breakoutcon.com/

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :) 

funproblemspodcast@gmail.com Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we talk about the design and development of Peters recent time travel abstract strategy hit "That time you killed me". If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :) 

funproblemspodcast@gmail.com Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we interview Alex Horne about how he designs the tasks in Taskmaster! There are many insights he has that directly apply to game design.

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :) Taskmaster clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UgSDcHPgCc&t=257s

funproblemspodcast@gmail.com Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we talk about how Serotonin and Oxytocin work, and how to make designs maximize these feel good chemicals!

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :) Taskmaster clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UgSDcHPgCc&t=257s Discord stream server link; https://discord.gg/P584nGEU

funproblemspodcast@gmail.com Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we have a very special episode where we play Inhuman Conditions, AJ's favourite game!!

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

funproblemspodcast@gmail.com Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we talk about how Robotopia was designed and developed, and all the lessons Peter learned along the way!

If you want to ask us a fun question, or contact us for any other reason send us a message to the email below. :)

funproblemspodcast@gmail.com Facebook/Twitter: @FunProblemsPod Fun Problems Discord: https://discord.gg/BjerXtQ3Me

Big thanks to Eduard Matei for our theme song!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.