PODCAST · leisure
Seria Ludo
by Joel Kallstrom and Tim Raveling
Seria Ludo is a podcast about games, game design, games criticism, and the politics that underlie all of it. New episodes every week, each focusing on a specific topic of games and game design.
Episodes
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070: Arco and Anthology
The team discusses anthology as an approach to game design and writing, deep dives on Arco as an excellent example of that, and talks over Godot as the highlight of our new Tool of the Month feature. Introduction 0:00: We introduce Justin Wilson, who will be joining the conversation, and taking...
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069: What Makes Games Replayable?
In this episode, Tim and Joel talk about why certain games are so replayable, why that is, if and when it is important, and how designers can intentionally think about replayability in their own games. We frame this discussion in terms of intrinsic motivations (gameplay that is inherently...
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068: Our Most Played Games (And Why)
When most games, even some of our favorites, will occupy us for at most 40 or 50 hours, some manage to sink their hooks in for much (sometimes *much*) longer. Why is that? What is it about the designs of these games, the cadence, the core loops, that make us keep coming back again and again? What...
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Interview: Nic Tringali of The Banished Vault (Part Two)
In part two of our conversation with Nic Tringali, we go deeper into their development process. Design and prototyping, testing, setting victory conditions, and the delightful old-school addition to the game: the manual. 00:00:00 - Theme - how did the look come together? Concept of cathedrals...
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Interview: Nic Tringali of The Banished Vault
Nic Tringali - The Banished Vault Nic Tringali is a game designer for Bithell Games. Their recent release The Banished Vault (published by Bithell Games' Lunar Division) is a gothic space-faring exploration and survival game, released on July 25th to very positive reviews. We talk with Nic about...
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Interview: Josh Sawyer of Pentiment
Josh Sawyer of Obsidian Entertainment has one of the more robust CVs in game design: Iceland Dale 1 and 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2 and most recently, the highly-praised historical role-playing game Pentiment. We focus on various aspects of the production of Pentiment:...
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2023 Season Intro
Tim and Joel return after a hiatus for the first episode of 2023. We talk about the future direction of the podcast - which, now that Tim's own game development projects are picking up steam - will involve a more design-focussed approach to looking at games. With this in mind, we go into the...
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Developer Interview - Elliot Hudson Part 2
Part two of our conversation goes deeper into the mechanics, narrative and design of Hardspace: Shipbreaker, from its genesis as the winner of an internal company game jam, to early access on Steam, to its full release last year. Elliot talks about wanting to explore the idea of "dangerous…
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Developer Interview: Elliot Hudson of Blackbird Interactive
Elliot Hudson is the game director for Hardspace: Shipbreaker, and was a senior designer for Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. In part one of our two-part conversation, he talks about his beginnings in gaming, from sketching Mario Bros 2 levels out on paper, to making flash games while studying film,...
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Developer Interview: Rami Ismail
There's no one quite like Rami Ismail: game developer, pilot, industry ambassador, consultant. Any one of these could be a full career and somehow Rami does them all. Formerly one half of hit indie studio Vlambeer, he has used his success to advocate for change in the industry for the last…
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Developer Interview: Stephen Danton of 2 Ton Studios
"Imagine you're writing a book and occasionally, when someone turns the page, all the letters fall off the page." Tim and Joel interview Stephen Danton, who developed the excellent Unto the End with his wife Sara. Stephen talks about his career, and the range of experience he brought to bear in…
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Mechanics and Morality in the City Builder
Tim and Joel look again at Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic, a game whose complexity allows for a more nuanced set of mechanics which make it a more "honest" city-building experience, as opposed to the sanitized colonialist and capitalist assumptions of many recent offerings in the genre....
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Unto the End
Tim and Joel look at the delightful Unto the End, an action-adventure game made by the small team at 2 Ton Studios. It is a masterclass in minimalist game design - art, sound, narrative and gameplay mechanics. We give particular attention to the combat mechanics - which are some of the best we've...
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Deck Builders: UI and Mechanics
Having played some "deck-builder" games, Tim and Joel break down the mechanics and aesthetics of card games. We look primarily at Inscryption and Fights in Tight Spaces, and go on to discuss UI and combat strategy mechanics. Games mentioned: Inscryption Fights in tight places Banner Saga Into the...
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Breaking Down Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Tim and Joel take apart Hardspace: Shipbreaker, space-junking game with an anti-capitalist spirit. We examine the ways in which narrative is subtly threaded through gameplay. Games mentioned: Hardspace: Shipbreaker Norco Dead Space
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Steam Deck and the Soviet Concrete Simulator
Tim gives his first impressions of the trailblazing Steam Deck - which brings PC computing power to the handheld gaming experience. Having sampled several games on the platform, he has settled on Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic (aka Soviet Concrete Simulator). What differentiates it from...
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Norco - Part Two
In part two of our look at Norco we expand on some of the first episode's observations, discussing specific plot points. Mentioned: Musée des Beaux Arts (poem) - WH Auden
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Norco - Part One
Norco is a real achievement in video game storytelling - beautifully written and scored. It is a game we will both remember for a long time. In this episode we talk (spoiler-free) about the game and its relationship to the cyberpunk genre. Next week we go into greater depth, with spoilers. Games...
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The Experience of Music in Games
Following last week's music episode, this week we talk with our guests Phil Tucker and Damian Gibson about our more personal experiences with music in video games, from childlike glee to more complicated adult emotions. We discuss some of the earlier music-producing technologies, composition...
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Music in Games - Part One
A very special episode this week: friends of the show Phil Tucker and Damian Gibson - Joel's former radio-show co-hosts - join us to talk about music in games. Damian is the host of the podcasts WrestleWolf and Agents of Narrative. Phil - who made the music for the pod - was a touring musician…
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What Games Are You Glad You Played?
Tim's been reading Alexis Kennedy, which springboards this week's titular discussion. Many games are enjoyable at the time of playing - which games are we glad to have played once we've put them down? And why? Games mentioned: Fallen London Sunken Sea Cultist Simulator Red Dead Redemption 2...
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Weird West - immersive(ish) sim
We wanted to wait until we finished Norco before we talked about it, but it made such an impression that we have to talk about it here. But the bulk of the episode concerns the recent title Weird West, the extent to which it did and didn't live up to our (admittedly unrealistic) expectations, and...
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Planes, Trucks and Mercenaries
Inspired by Tim's adventures in Microsoft Flight Simulator, we talk about gameplay mechanisms which make simulations compelling: the dramatic loop of player agency, planning, mission choice, the minutiae of the mechanical gameplay, and the way these elements cohere. We juxtapose this with games...
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Highfleet, Hitman, Cyperpunk and Kinds of Immersion
After multiple delays - most notably due to the Colorado fires which burned down half of Tim's town - we return to talk video games again. This season's format will be less focussed on specific aspects of gaming and be more general. We found that playing several iterations of the same kind of…
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Value Systems: Paradox Strategy Games and The Sims
Following our look at the Civilization games in the previous episode, Tim and Joel look at the Paradox strategy games and The Sims. In contrast to the Civilization games, Paradox has shown signs of greater engagement with some of the more troubling historical issues that games about…
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Value Systems: Civilization
Tim and Joel look at the Civilization games. We examine the way that, in every iteration, their systems have failed go beyond a view of the world rooted in capitalist realism. Games mentioned: Civilization series Red Dead Redemption
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User Interfaces
Tim and Joel look at different ways of experiencing games, how input and interface can shape an aesthetic experience. We look at simple tweaks like removing the mini-map in Red Dead Redemption 2, and examine a team of developers using old-style telephones as voice-activated input devices. Games...
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UI, UX, VR, and What We've Been Playing
Tim and Joel catch up on some of the games they've sampled over the last few weeks. We go over some preliminary thoughts on UI and UX, and talk about the stunning graphical improvements of PCVR. Games played: The Ascent ShadowRun CyberPunk 2077 Deus Ex Elite Dangerous Half Life 1 Return to Castle...
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Emergent Narrative Continued...
Tim and Joel continue last week's conversation about systemic games. We look at the medieval sandbox game Crusader Kings 3, and Tim goes into his playthrough of Nantucket. We also look at games that come close to being systemic, employing complex systems, but end up relying on authored…
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Emergent Narrative: Battle Brothers
Tim and Joel return from a hiatus with a look at the emergent narrative dynamics of narrative strategy games, beginning with a look at Overhype Studios' Battle Brothers. Games mentioned: Rimworld Crusader Kings 3 Dwarf Fortress Battle Brothers
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Survival Games - Final Thoughts
Tim and Joel finalize their thoughts - for now - about the survival genre. We are shifting to a new format! In future we will take hiatuses to prepare for genre/thematic groupings. The first hiatus begins now - we will return in a few weeks to talk about colony builder and narrative strategy…
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Surviving Space
Last week, Tim and Joel asked: What are we Surviving for? This week we look at a different kind of survival game, Space Engineers. The focus here is less on the immediate human elements of survival and more on resource gathering, building and eventually interplanetary travel. We then look at...
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Survival games: What are we surviving for?
Run, fight, craft, build, eat, survive. Cooperate or kill. But why? Joel and Tim begin to look at games that answer this question satisfactorily, and ones that don't. Games mentioned: Dwarf fortress Valheim DayZ Rust Fallout Deus Ex The Forest Ark: Survival Evolved Subnautica Eco Neo Scavenger…
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Introduction to Survival Games
Tim and Joel introduce some of the fundamentals of the survival genre: environmental pressure, crafting, building, multiplayer. We explore some of the different survival experiences these games are attempting to convey, and the way various games succeed or fail in delivering those experiences....
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Gaming News - Subscriptions, Acquisitions, Changing Demographics
Tim and Joel cover a selection of news items. We begin by looking at some of the corporate moves being made, from streaming and subscription models to acquisitions of smaller companies. This turns into a wider discussion about art and capitalism. Finally we look at the changing demographics of...
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What We've Been Playing
After the recent narrative deep dive, Tim and Joel catch up on what we've been playing. Large doses of Valheim, the dumb fun of Outriders, and some other survival games in preparation for our upcoming look at the genre. Tim goes into the community-based civilizational survival game Eco, and the...
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Part Two: The Future of Storytelling
In Part One, Tim and Joel looked at how procedural generation can aid or detract from video game narrative. This week, we look at artificial intelligence - a nascent field with immense possibilities. We look at the fundamental difference between AI and traditional systems, and explore the...
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Part One: The Future of Storytelling
Tim and Joel begin with a discussion of games we recently played. We highlight the problems of returning to grand narrative games like Mafia 3, and the possibilities of player-defined narratives, before looking at procedural generation and its role in game narrative construction, looking at...
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Part Two: Giving Players Authorship in Systemic Games
The systems a game employs to create a narrative or experience are an expression of the way the developers see the world. After looking in depth at Dwarf Fortress last week, Tim and Joel note the different systems in Stardew Valley and Farming Simulator, both ostensibly games about farming. We…
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Part One: Giving Players Authorship in Systemic Games: Return to Dwarf Fortress
Tim and Joel look at the way systemic games allow players to create stories. After a brief digression into the mechanics of character creation, we look once again at Dwarf Fortress, and its unique ability to generate story through its systems. Games mentioned: The Witcher 3 Mass Effect ADOM:...
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Part Two: How Game Storytellers Collaborate With the Player
Following from last week's episode, Tim and Joel begin by looking at Kentucky Route Zero, which does interesting things with narrative interactivity - positioning the player as stage director rather than performer. We talk about the ways games suggest ways of playing through creative constraint,...
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Part One: How Game Storytellers Collaborate With the Player
Tim and Joel examine the difference between passively experiencing and actively performing or participating in narrative, and the different degrees to which games make that participation meaningful. We begin by looking at branching narrative, with reference to The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, a...
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Tools for Authoring Games
Tim and Joel begin by discussing Kentucky Route Zero, a "postmodern capitalist horror story", before looking deeper at the relationship between game mechanics and narrative. We examine cinematic storytelling, environmental storytelling, and environment as art. Finally we look at dialogue and...
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Why Stories in Games Don't Work
Tim and Joel begin with a discussion of ludonarrative dissonance -- when the act of playing a game is in conflict with the story or theme it is trying to portray. We look at specific examples of dissonance like the achievement system in Red Dead Redemption 2 and the crafting system in The Walking...
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Why Stories in Games Work
This is the first look at aspects of narrative for Season Two, building on our examination of narrative in episodes 4-7 of Season One. Joel and Tim begin with a brief discussion of the inherent tensions between seriousness and play, with reference to The Last of Us 2 and Death Stranding. We talk...
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What We've Been Playing
In this first episode, Joel and Tim discuss the games they played over the break, on Xbox, PC and the newly released Oculus Quest 2. They talk about the revelations of VR, and the initial strangeness of adjusting from regular gaming, and potential the directions for the medium in gaming and…
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Season 2 Intro
In this short intro, Tim and Joel give a preview of what's coming over the course of Seria Ludo, Season 2.
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Ep. 25: 2020 Ludo Awards, Part 2
In this episode, Tim and Joel conclude their list of most impactful games played in 2020. Again, these aren't all games made this year, but they are all games that impacted us deeply over the course of the last twelve months. Awards List, Part 2: Deus Ex: Human Revolution got "best immersive sim"...
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Ep. 24: 2020 Ludo Awards, Part 1
In this episode, Joel and Tim talk about the games that left the biggest impact on them over the course of 2020 (even though many of these games were made in earlier years). The list is continued in part 2. Award List, Part 1: Technomancer gets "best combat system" and "best bang-for-the-buck…
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Ep. 23: UI and Dramatic Constraints
In this episode, Tim and Joel discuss how UI that limits the information and actions of the player can be dramatically useful, as seen in the tense radio interactions of Radio Commander, the manual navigation system in Miasmata, and the text-message-like interface of Lifeline. We also talk about...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Seria Ludo is a podcast about games, game design, games criticism, and the politics that underlie all of it. New episodes every week, each focusing on a specific topic of games and game design.
HOSTED BY
Joel Kallstrom and Tim Raveling
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Seria Ludo have?
Seria Ludo currently has 75 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Seria Ludo about?
Seria Ludo is a podcast about games, game design, games criticism, and the politics that underlie all of it. New episodes every week, each focusing on a specific topic of games and game design.
How often does Seria Ludo release new episodes?
Seria Ludo has 75 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Seria Ludo?
You can listen to Seria Ludo on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Seria Ludo?
Seria Ludo is created and hosted by Joel Kallstrom and Tim Raveling.
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