Shows
The Art of PlayThe End: Our RetrospectiveWelcome to the final episode of The Art of Play! After two years of production, join hosts Gaia and Vi as they review the past episodes, what they learned from the show, and what's coming next!
2024-07-0755 minThe Art of PlayHow To Be a Good PlayerIn this episode of The Art of Play, we set out to answer one question: What does it mean to be a good player? From D&D and other TTRPGs to multiplayer video games, join Gaia and Vi as they discuss how to be a good player.
2024-07-0356 minThe Art of PlayRetro Games: Should You Play The Classics?Returning once again, in this episode of The Art of Play, join Gaia and Vi as they discuss the oldest of games, and if they are worth playing!
2024-06-3056 minThe Art of PlayIdle Games: The Most Casual of All GamesContinuing on with the theme of games designed for new audiences or those with less time, join Gaia and Vi in this episode of The Art of Play where we discuss the most casual games of all: Isle Games.
2024-06-2655 minThe Art of PlayAre Casual Games Worth Studying?Possibly the peak of our Evil Episodes, join Gaia and Vi as we discuss an area of gaming that is often ignored, or worse, often seen as directly harmful: Casual Games. In this episode of The Art of Play, we will discuss the history, design, and value of casual games in the gaming industry!
2024-06-2356 minThe Art of PlayHorror GamesEvil week continues with Gaia, Vi, and Téa returning to discuss how to design horror games, and figure out why people truly enjoy them! In this episode of The Art of Play, it's time to handle terror, horror, and jump scares.
2024-05-2356 minThe Art of PlayMorality SystemsIt's time for Evil Week! Join Gaia, Vi, and guest host Téa, in designing morality systems in games. Why do people keep building them, why are they so unpopular, and how do we do them right?
2024-05-1656 minThe Art of PlayToys to Life GamesSkylanders, Lego Dimensions, Disney Infinity - In this episode, join Gaia and Vi in discussing a lost relic of games, the Toys to Life genre.
2024-05-1055 minThe Art of PlayExtra Content - Games Outside of GamesIn this episode of The Art of Play, join Gaia and Vi as we discuss extra content from games: Art, Soundtracks, Recipes, Books, and so much more.
2024-05-0353 minThe Art of PlayThe Open World ChallengeJoin Gaia, Vi, and Téa once again in which we go into a major challenge of game design: How do you plan out your game, when you don't know what your players will do? In this episode of The Art of Play, we will tackle the challenge of building open worlds.
2024-04-2656 minThe Art of PlayMaking Good, Hard GamesIn the Dark Souls of podcast episodes, join Gaia, Vi, and a local friend, Téa, in discussing how to build high levels of difficulty into your games without having your players quit.
2024-04-1956 minThe Art of PlayGame Psychology - An Interview with Matthew MacLeanSpeaking with one of the professionals, in this episode of The Art of Play hosts Gaia and Vi have brought in a professional, Matthew MacLean. As the Mental Health Strategist at UNB, he is joining us to talk all about how we can use psychology in video games.
2024-04-1257 minThe Art of PlayCooperative vs Competitive GamesIn today's episode, it's time to discuss how to design games where competition is unnecessary: Cooperative Games. Join Gaia and Vi in this episode of The Art of Play as we delve into fair, team-based design.
2024-04-0553 minThe Art of PlayHow to Balance Your GamesAs we return to The Art of Play, join your co-hosts Gaia and Vi in discussing how to appropriately balance a video game, and maybe even learn when balance isn't necessary!
2024-03-2956 minThe Art of PlayBoard Game CafesJoin Gaia and Vi in this episode of The Art of Play where we discuss the future of board games: The board game cafe.
2024-03-2256 minThe Art of PlayWhat Are Gaming Peripherals?Moving back into the topic of Hardware, join Gaia and Vi as we host a discussion on the history of peripherals for video games, game consoles, and in game design even today!
2024-02-2356 minThe Art of PlayTurning TTRPGs Into Video Games - Baldur's Gate 3In the next episode of Baldur's Gate 3, join Gaia and Vi as we discuss why this game dominated the game market so suddenly, and what made it so successful.
2024-02-1655 minThe Art of PlayAcademia and Game Design - An Interview with Dr. Scott BatemanIn this special episode of The Art of Play, join Gaia and Vi as they interview a video game researcher at the University of New Brunswick: Dr. Scott Bateman. Going into detail on his work, this episode gives a summary of what academia looks like on the topic of video games, and how you may get involved.
Want to see more of Dr. Scott Bateman? You can learn more below:
Email: scottb@unb.caPersonal Webpage: http://hci.cs.unb.ca/
2024-02-0956 minThe Art of PlayThe Weird World of Motion ControlsIn today's episode of The Art of Play, join Gaia and Vi as we host a discussion on one of the weirdest, but most interesting items in the history of video games: Motion Controls.
2024-02-0256 minThe Art of PlayThe History of Game ConsolesJoin Gaia and Vi once again as we begin a discussion on the history of game consoles, how they have evolved over time, and how this has impacted game creation over the decades!
2024-01-2656 minThe Art of PlayArtists and CreatorsIn today's episode of The Art of Play, join Gaia, Vi, and a special guest, Kit, as we discuss the various creators outside of the games themselves: The artists, the storywriters, the cosplayers, and so much more.
See more from Kit:
Twitter (X): @kitschycreates
Instragram: @kitschycreates
2024-01-1957 minThe Art of PlayWhat Are Game Engines?For our first major episode of The Art of Play Season 2, join Gaia and Vi as we discuss what a game engine is, and why you should care!
2024-01-1255 minThe Art of PlayWelcome Back To The Art of PlayWelcome back to The Art of Play, where we finally begin Season 2 of our show! In this episode, after the considerable delay, we give a rundown of what we have been up to since Season 1, the games we have played, and what the show will look like for the next few months!
2024-01-0557 minThe Art of PlayThe First Five MinutesJoin Gaia and Vi in this episode of The Art of Play where they discuss how important the first five minutes of a game really are, and how some games do it perfectly.
Note: This is one of two episodes that were recorded at-home rather than in the station. So, some delays in speech, changes in tone or voice, or other negative effects may be present.
2023-10-2056 minThe Art of PlayTurning Singleplayer Games into MultiplayerWelcome back to The Art of Play! In this episode, Gaia and Vi return to answer one, shockingly difficult question: How do you turn a singleplayer game into a multiplayer one?
2023-10-1350 minThe Art of PlayBoard GamesToday, rather than going into Video Games and TTRPGs like before, join Gaia and Vi as we approach the topic of Board Games. Joined by our friend David, we will go into what makes a good Board Game.
If you want to hear more from David, go to Twitch.tv/CyberpunkButterflyEffect
2023-10-0654 minThe Art of PlaySimulating a Session 0Join our three previous hosts, Gaia, Vi, and Mark Kilfoil from CHSR FM in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada as we return to the topic of Session 0's in TTRPGs. But, this time, instead of explaining how it functions, we present to you a simulation of what it looks like.
2023-09-2955 minThe Art of PlaySession 0In this episode of The Art of Play, join not only Gaia and Vi, but also Mark Kilfoil from CHSR FM in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada as we give a proper description of how to go about doing your Session 0 in TTRPGs!
2023-09-2255 minThe Art of PlayWorldbuildingAs we return to The Art of Play, join Gaia and Vi as we finally cover our long-awaited episode: Worldbuilding. In this episode, we will go through the process of building a world on air, to show how it can be done!
2023-09-1555 minThe Art of PlayUnderstanding Your PlayersDeviating from our main style of episodes, join Gaia and Vi as they attempt to tackle the monsterous task of understanding who your players are, why they play, and how to make games better for them!
2023-09-0855 minThe Art of PlayGame LiteracyAs we join our hosts once again, tune in to find Gaia and Vi discussing another new topic on game design for you all: What it means to be literate in video games.
2023-09-0154 minThe Art of PlayReward SystemsIn this episode of The Art of Play, join Gaia and Vi as we dive into how to create good Reward Systems in games. Especially focused on the TTRPG players, learn a few tricks on how to make a game just that much more fun for your players or DM!
2023-08-2554 minThe Art of PlayEnvironmental StorytellingIn this episode of The Art of Play, Gaia and Vi sit down to discuss how the environment of a game, and especially the music, can add to the storytelling, rather than simply relying on spoken word or text.
Note: This episode was originally intended to include segments of the music discussed, but to respect the copyright of the respective artists and producers, that music has since been removed. Sorry!
2023-08-1854 minThe Art of PlayTutorialsAs we continue on our adventure of diving into the fundamental concepts of game design, join Gaia and Vi and we make our way into our second major topic: How to make a good Tutorial.
2023-08-1154 minThe Art of PlayDepth vs ComplexityIn our first major episode of The Art of Play, join hosts Gaia and Vi as we delve into the topic that started this entire show: The differences between depth and complexity in games.
2023-08-1150 minThe Art of PlayIntroductionsWelcome to The Art of Play, your weekly podcast to learn about game design fundamentals from two players, rather than developers. In this episode, we provide a few introductions, and talk about what this show will look like!
2023-08-1151 min