Furidashi Game Design Academy – Details, episodes &amp; analysis

Lauryn: https://bsky.app/profile/espressocat.bsky.social

Nicholas: https://bsky.app/profile/academicality.bsky.social

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124. Dragon Age: The Veilguard | S5E2

Episode 137

Thursday, November 21, 2024 • Duration 49:14

In this episode, Lauryn and Nicholas go all in on Bioware's Dragon Age: The Veilguard. We talk about core combat not from the perspective of mechanics but in both thematic and narrative terms. Mostly, though, we discuss the companion system, and why many of the frustrations with DA:TV stem from how the game isn't really about you as the super special hero but rather how you fit into a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Substack: https://gamedesigndiscourse.substack.com/

Lauryn: https://bsky.app/profile/espressocat.bsky.social

Nicholas: https://bsky.app/profile/academicality.bsky.social

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116. From Inspiration to Game Design | S4E5

Episode 128

Tuesday, February 13, 2024 • Duration 55:31

In this episode Lauryn and Nicholas tackle how game designers translate their own interests and influences into tangible elements in their own games. Working from Nicholas' ongoing work on Sympathetic Memories, we first examine the way historical and literary influences work their way in. Then, we round out the episode by exploring how solo work of this kind can inform the way inspiration works in larger, more collaborative games.

Download the Sympathetic Memories demo for free on our Itch.io site: https://furidashipod.itch.io/sympathetic-memories

Substack: https://gamedesigndiscourse.substack.com/

Nicholas: https://twitter.com/academicality

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30. How To Be a Gamedev Ally

Episode 38

Monday, August 9, 2021 • Duration 33:57

Lauryn and Nicholas begin from the recent suit against Activision Blizzard and go on to discuss the rampant issues surrounding harassment in the video games industry and how to be a better ally to those who suffer within it. Also on the docket: Alanah Pearce on why boycotts aren't always a great idea.

Pearce's video: https://youtu.be/ApDnEuUOzS8

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29. The Liminal Space Between Indie and AAA (Teaser)

Episode 37

Monday, August 2, 2021 • Duration 02:25

Once Lauryn dreamed of making her sleeper hit UnderBlind, but now she languishes in the deep, dark halls of AAA development despair. Also on the docket: the legal veil between major studios and indie devs.

Unlock the full episode (and more!) for $5 a month on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/furidashi

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28. Of Oreos and Call of Duty

Episode 36

Monday, July 26, 2021 • Duration 37:13

Lauryn and Nicholas explain why AAA game studios operate the way they do and why the market as a whole causes them to gravitate toward producing franchises and otherwise very similar games.

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Chillrant 10 - No Such Thing As Indie Games? (Teaser)

Episode 35

Thursday, July 22, 2021 • Duration 02:29

Nicholas wonders whether, given the way the market works now, if it even makes sense to make a distinction between indie developers and major studios.

Unlock the full episode for $5 a month on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/furidashi

I Don't See the Branches, I See the Leaves by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/dtv/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

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AggressiveRant - Stadia Ruins Game Design

Episode 34

Monday, July 19, 2021 • Duration 25:40

Normally, we go off on our little tangents to some relaxing beats, but this week Lauryn really had to get something off her chest. On the docket: why Google Stadia's recently announced revenue sharing model is indicative of so many problems in contemporary game design.

Nicholas: https://twitter.com/academicality

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27. Creative Direction and Auteur Theory (Teaser)

Episode 33

Monday, July 12, 2021 • Duration 02:26

Lauryn and Nicholas try to explain the how's and why's of video game production in terms of auteur theory, where, despite being made by an army of gamedevs, the games themselves seem to have an "authorial" vision.

Unlock the full episode for $5 a month on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/furidashi

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26. Many Roads to Gamedev w/ Masao Kobayashi

Episode 32

Monday, July 5, 2021 • Duration 35:35

We brought Masao Kobayashi on for a more industry focused episode, diving into the differences between the video games industry in the US, Canada, and Japan. Also starring: work/life balance and how weather makes you work better?

Masao: https://twitter.com/megamasao