On the podcast Overworld: How Design Connects Great Games, we are exploring the games whose designs changed the way we play.
Our roadmap for this exploration is the 2025 Polaris List, which ranks the 100 most influential games according to a cohort of 167 professional game designers.
[PREVIEW] World 14: Super Mario Bros 3 with Drew Mackie
In this episode, writer Drew G. Mackie (https://bsky.app/profile/drewgmackie.bsky.social) joins game design professor Dr. Ada Wish (https://bsky.app/profile/ada-rhodes.bsky.social), playwright Katie Coleman, and elite gamer Gia Szekeres discuss the design of 1989's Super Mario Bros 3, which was ranked #28 on the Polaris List.
Back us on Patreon at Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast (https://Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast) to access our full show notes, pixel art and spritesheets, bonus content, and the next episode one-week early.
Check out Drew's work on Thrilling Tales of Old Video Games (https://www.thrillingtalesofoldvideogames.com/).
Check out Ada's janky Halloween game, Bring Her Back (https://doctorwish.itch.io/bring-her-back) and the rest of the Spoopy Jam Ocho (https://itch.io/jam/spoopy-jam-8/entries) games here.
27 Oct 2026
[PREVIEW] World 6: Rogue
In this episode, game design professor Dr. Ada Wish, playwright Katie Coleman, and elite gamer Gia Szekeres discuss the design of 1980's Rogue, which was ranked #38 on the Polaris List.
Back us on Patreon at Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast (https://Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast) to access our full show notes, pixel art and spritesheets, bonus content, and the next episode one-week early,
11 Oct 2026
World 5: Dishonored
In this episode game design professor Dr. Ada Wish, playwright Katie Coleman, and elite gamer Gia Szekeres discuss the design of 2012's Dishonored, which was ranked #89 on the Polaris List.
Back us on Patreon at Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast (https://Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast) to access our full show notes and the next episode one-week early.
30 Sept 2026
World 3: The Return of the Obra Dinn
In this episode, game design professor Dr. Ada Wish, playwright Katie Coleman, and elite gamer Gia Szekeres discuss the design of 2018's The Return of the Obra Dinn, which was ranked #52 on the Polaris List.
Back us on Patreon at Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast (https://Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast) to access our full show notes and the next episode two-weeks early.
28 Sept 2026
World 4: The Secret of Monkey Island (fixed)
In this episode game design professor Dr. Ada Wish, playwright Katie Coleman, and elite gamer Gia Szekeres discuss the design of 1990's Secret of Monkey Island, which was ranked #74 on the Polaris List.
Back us on Patreon at Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast (https://Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast) to access our full show notes and the next episode two-weeks early.
So we had some audio problems in this one. I've gone back and fixed what I could, Ada is stil very soft, but the background music shouldn't drown anyone out anymore and it should be listenable. It doesn't look like this will be an issue in the other episodes we already have recorded. Sorry about this!
22 Aug 2026
World 2: Inside (2016)
In this episode game design professor Dr. Ada Wish, playwright Katie Coleman, and elite gamer Gia Szekeres discuss the design of 2016's Inside, which was ranked #92 on the Polaris List.
Back us on Patreon at Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast (https://Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast) to access our full show notes and the next episode two-weeks early.
Citations
The Playdead Unofficial Museum (https://sites.google.com/view/playdeadunofficialmuseum/home), created by TEN RAN 432
How Inside's levels were designed (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/how-insides-levels-were-designed#:~:text=This%20is%20The%20Mechanic%2C%20where,inner%20workings%20of%20their%20games.&text=From%20that%20creative%20anarchy%20rose,intricate%20staging%2C%20and%20entirely%20wordless.), by Alex Wiltshire at Rock, Paper, Shotgun (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/how-insides-levels-were-designed#:~:text=This%20is%20The%20Mechanic%2C%20where,inner%20workings%20of%20their%20games.&text=From%20that%20creative%20anarchy%20rose,intricate%20staging%2C%20and%20entirely%20wordless.)
Three GDC talks given by the Playdead team including
Huddle Up! Making the [SPOILER] of 'INSIDE' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFkYjAKuUCE), 2017
Low Complexity, High Fidelity: 'INSIDE' Rendering (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdN06E6Xn9E), 2016
Temporal Reprojection Anti Aliasing in INSIDE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XXS5UyNjjU), 2016
22 Aug 2026
World 1: The Legend of Zelda and Breath of the Wild (1986, 2017)
In this first episode of Overworld, game design professor Dr. Ada Wish, playwright Katie Coleman, and elite gamer Gia Szekeres discuss the design of The Legend of Zelda (1986) and The Breath of the Wild (2017).
Back us on Patreon at Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast (https://Patreon.com/OverworldPodcast) to access our full show notes and the next episode two-weeks early.
Citations:
Super Nintendo, by Keza Macdonald (2025)
Shigeru Miyamoto: Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda (Influential Video Game Designers), by Jennifer Dewinter (2015)
16 Aug 2026
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