Episodes

  • Ep. 37 - Emotional Game Design with special guest Marina Díez

    Ep. 37 - Emotional Game Design with special guest Marina Díez
    Aug 1 2025

    Game Designer Joe Mares, and Narrative Designer Ariel Giacobbe chat about creating an emotional hook in games, and what better guest to chat about this topic with than Emotional Game Designer Marina Díez. We talk about why emotions matter in game design and how to intentionally create them.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Ep. 36 - Blueprint for Fun author interview!

    Ep. 36 - Blueprint for Fun author interview!
    Jul 16 2025

    The tables have turned! The author of Blueprint for Fun and the host of this podcast Joe Mares, is interviewed about his recently released book! Narrative Designer Ariel Giacobbe asks about why it's important to engage an audience, where this Blueprint came from, and how it can make your product more fun.
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • Ep. 35 - Author, E.K. Johnston

    Ep. 35 - Author, E.K. Johnston
    Jun 26 2024
    Joe (game designer) and Ariel (narrative designer) interview author of Ahsoka, Star Wars: The Padmé Trilogoy, and Crimson Clmb, EK Johnston. We chat about her writing process, working with IP such as Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons, and what to focus on when you're starting out as a writer.
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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Ep. 34 - World's leading expert on location based VR, Bob Cooney

    Ep. 34 - World's leading expert on location based VR, Bob Cooney
    Jun 19 2024
    Joe (Game Designer) and the World's leading expert on location based VR, Bob Cooney chat about trends in VR, how to make your location based VR business profitable, and common mistakes VR entrepreneurs make in their ventures.
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    44 mins
  • Ep. 33 - Mental Cartographer, S. Stephon Brown

    Ep. 33 - Mental Cartographer, S. Stephon Brown
    Jun 12 2024
    I chat with Mental Cartographer and Muse for Hire, S. Stephon Brown. We chat about the principles of improv, how to create psychological safety on a creative team, and why certain companies may only be filling their wants and not their needs.
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    54 mins
  • Ep. 32 - Narrative Designer Ariel Giacobbe

    Ep. 32 - Narrative Designer Ariel Giacobbe
    May 30 2024
    Game Designer Joe Mares and Narrative Designer Ariel Giacobbe chat about what a Narrative Designer does in the game industry, the difference between writing for linear story telling (tv/books) vs writing for interactive story telling (video games), and what makes a compelling story. Also Star Wars
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Ep. 31 - Disney Imagineering Legend, Tony Baxter

    Ep. 31 - Disney Imagineering Legend, Tony Baxter
    Apr 9 2024
    Tony Baxter created the biggest hits in Disneyland history, Splash Mountain, The Indiana Jones Adventure, Star Tours, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, to name a few. Tony gives insight into his thought process on how he goes about designing themed attractions as he did for Disneyland and other Disney parks. We also talk about what makes something fun in general, how to be a maverick when it comes to innovation and design, and how to communicate your design to a larger team. I was beyond honored to be interviewing this man.
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    1 hr and 27 mins
  • Ep. 30 - Psychiatrist, Neuroscientist and Author of "Afraid", Arash Javanbakht

    Ep. 30 - Psychiatrist, Neuroscientist and Author of "Afraid", Arash Javanbakht
    Jan 1 2024
    My co-host Paulina Slivkova (UX/UI designer) and I chatted with Arash about understanding the mental health of creatives. How we create ideas and explanations to help anxieties and fears, and when it becomes hurtful. We also talk about mental illness, how fear can make creative people rigid but also provide motivation, and how new technology such as VR and AR can help via exposure therapy. Check out his book Afraid: Understanding the Purpose of Fear and Harnessing the Power of Anxiety.
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    1 hr and 3 mins