About Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication
Game Design Unboxed features interviews with tabletop game designers on specific games or series of games they have created. Listeners will learn where the initial idea for the game came from, how the game developed over time and where the game is now after being published.
In episode 151 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with game design duo Doug Hettrick and Carl Van Ostrand.
We talk about creating a cozy card game and how My Book Nook was inspired by wanting to make something they and their families could all enjoy together. Doug and Carl talk about their co-designing process and how they discovered they made a balanced team, bringing different ideas and skill sets to the table while having a lot of fun along the way.
They share what co-designing looks like in practice, from coworking and digital prototyping to finding a design partner who complements your strengths. We also dig into the lessons they learned from self-publishing, building a game into a product, finding the right publisher fit, and what innovation really means in tabletop games.
Plus, we get into the art of simplicity, designing for different audiences, challenging yourself with unfamiliar mechanics, sneaking personal Easter eggs into games, and the surprisingly tricky question every designer has to answer: how do you end the game?
Featuring:
Doug Hettrick and Carl Van Ostrand - Guests
Danielle Reynolds - Host
22 Sept 2026
GDU 150 - The Game Makers
In episode 150 of Game Design Unboxed, we celebrate 150 episodes of GDU with Ben Rosset, freelance game designer and founder of Bamboo Design Studio, by focusing on his game about manufacturing board games - The Game Makers - a love letter to the hobby and the people who make it!
Ben shares how the idea for a game about making games grew from his 10 years of experience in game manufacturing at Panda, and how working as a freelance designer differs from working through his design studio. We talk a lot about the game’s development process, from matching themes and mechanics to the extensive back-and-forth of playtesting and iteration, and how simultaneous play helped reduce downtime and support a larger player count.
We explore the challenges of featuring real-life games, including the long process of securing image rights from other publishers and the fun reactions players have when deciding whether they react to the games represented. Ben also discusses the journey of turning The Game Makers published by Bezier Games into a super-premium experience, the possibility of a retail version, and the uncertainty of getting a game’s rights back after signing with a publisher.
Featuring:
Ben Rosset - Guest
Danielle Reynolds - Host
8 Sept 2026
GDU 149 - Jewel Box
In episode 149 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with Zac Loveless, game designer and owner of Lovemore Games, about how anything can provide inspiration; for instance, a random Instagram post about beetles that was the catalyst for our featured game, Jewel Box.
Major topics include the differences between educational games vs. games you can learn from, the knowledge you gain from creating a themed game, how to decipher and apply playtest feedback, incorporating classic mechanics into something new, and “theme” collectors.
We also dig into how to come up with a name for your game, the origin behind Lovemore Games (as opposed to Loveless Games), symbiotic publisher/designer relationships, designing around a theme or mechanic before gameplay, and why butterflies are, in theory, the most well-liked insect.
Featuring:
Zac Loveless - Guest
Danielle Reynolds - Host
Who has been a guest on Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Pat Marino
Simon Weinberg
Leonie Grundler
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.3 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
36
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
68
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