Hi there, I thought I would try my hand at putting a few ideas online. These are ideas that I really want to talk about but don't seem to find the time to talk about. They might also be concepts that I do get to talk about from time to time, but don't get to go into as much depth as I would like. I imagine this will often look at game design, but I might go into other topics too.
Design Resources
I have had several people ask me about how they can get learn about game design. I'm not going to get into engines or structures or tools for making games, but rather blogs, websites, and YouTube channels to help you stay up to date and start thinking critically about game design. I'll likely do another post about engines and tools for making games.
Blogs:
It can be hard to find resources about game development outside of videos online. But many of the people with the knowledge don't have the time to make a high-quality video and instead answer questions or simply write about their experiences.
Ask a Game Dev
This is a blog where the game dev answers a different question each day, these can be regarding any part of game development. The developer chooses to remain anonymous so that they can answer honestly and there is years’ worth already written so feel free to search or ask anything. I check every week.
Sirlin.net
David Sirlin's background is in fighting games, and while his blog often focuses on them it still applies to game development, particularly multiplayer competitive games. The concept of Yomi (reading what the other player will do next) is an important one if you want to build anything where both competing players interact with each other, and Sirlin has several articles about this concept, along with ones about balance, and even save systems.
Xelnath's blog
Alex "Xelnath" Brazie is a friend and former World of Warcraft/League of Legends designer. He has a blog here that mostly focuses on his time at Blizzard. If you’re interested in boss fights and class/character design there is plenty to read here. He does talk about other things, and I strongly suggest taking his class if you have the time/money.
Ghostcrawler's blog
Just like the Ask a game dev, Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street is a long-time industry vet who is very open to talking about his work. He is most known for his work on World of Warcraft, League of Legends, and now Riot’s upcoming MMO. Mostly he answers questions about League but will talk about his previous work.
Videos and channels:
If you want something to listen to while working, or just want some visuals to better absorb the information these are YouTube channels or playlists that should tickle that game designer itch.
The first is Extra Credits. You likely know these but just in case its a staple for the industry and the biggest channel that I'll be linking here. They have videos on basically any gaming related topic you could think of.
The next is Mark Brown. This guy does amazing breakdowns of games, particularly the mechanics and how they create their intended feeling. I really enjoy his boss keys videos about Zelda dungeons.
Razbuten looks at the feel of the game in medium to long video essays, but if you can only watch one of his series I STRONGLY recommend his “Gaming for Non-Gamers” where he has his wife play several of his favorite and most icon games. It is a great dive into what we take for granted, and to keep in mind when designing for new players.
Like the rest Joseph Anderson breaking down games, but as long-form video essays. It's a great place to check out if you want to see a major parts/systems of a game broken apart from start to finish. This will be full of spoilers, but is a great way to check out a game you might not otherwise have time to try or find info about games you hadn't heard of.
Daryl Talks Games: This is a newer channel but it already has some great content such as his video on reducing stimulation. He often focuses on player psychology and how game developers can use psychology to create the experiences they are looking to give their players.
Adam Millard - The Architect of Games: While a bit cocky, Adam Millard has some great content breaking down boss fights or systems commonly used in games, such as when farming becomes grinding. As of this writing, he just released a great video on how NPCs help build the world and great immersion.
Design Doc: has some great breakdowns of how games treat damage or how Breath of the Wild gets you to explore. They look at more subtle techniques that many players won't even notice you are doing. Or what you as a designer can do to avoid player frustration.
Snowman Gaming's "Good Game Design" series: This tends to focus more on indie game through huge titles are often covered too. It's in-depth video game coverage with a feel-good mindset.
GDC This should be a rather obvious place to check out. but the GDC youtube channel puts up A LOT of videos from the conference each year, they don't put everything up but odds are they having what you are looking for. These videos aren't as flashy as the rest of I have linked, and some can make your eyes glaze over, but if you want talks with a bit more meat to them than what else I have linked this is the place to look.
This is a video series about artists in gaming by Riot Games that everyone should check out. I don’t have a background in art, so it can be art to give useful feedback to an artist. This series is a great way to get familiar with the goals of the artists on your team. A must watch for designers and producers working with artists.
New Frame Plus is a series by Dan Floyd on game animation. Dan was formerly the squeaky voice behind Extra Credits, but has started his own channel where he does in depth looks into the animation behind characters and how animation and game design overlap in major ways.
Masahiro Sakurai of Kirby and Super Smash Bros. fame created a great channel with a wide collection of short 5ish minute videos on various subjects of game design. Videos are tagged based on the discipline that is is most related to, but as a designer, it is your job to have some understanding of each of these, I highly recommend checking them all out.
Mental Checkpoint is a channel focused on indie game development and tips from a designer experienced with indie publishing, and quick tips great for anyone new to game development.
Mark Darrah created this channel after years of development at Bioware with the goal of pulling back the curtain on some of the behind the scenes of game development. This less focused on gameplay and mechanics, and more on the larger company and broad problems that all studios run into, all coming from a source with years in the industry.
Signal and Noise is a new channel, so the amount of content is limited but it seems very promising and I suggest checking it out. The first videos on combat design fundamentals are full of useful info.
These last three aren't part of a regular channel, but all important videos for developers. Sequlitis covers how to make an intuitive game tutorial so that your player never knows they are in a tutorial. While the other two videos show you how to enhance your game feel with some quick adjustments that don't drastically change your game's core functionality.
Podcasts:
If your like me you have a bit of a drive to work or you want to listen to something while working. This is the perfect time to listen to a podcast. Here are four game related podcasts, but I warn you each episode is not short and will last you many a drive to work. These first three can all be found on Google Music (where I listen to podcasts) but you should be able to find them anywhere.
Designer Notes This is a interview style podcast where Soren Johnson interviews developers about the games they have made and their career from the first game they played to what the are currently working on.
The AIAS Game Maker's Note Book is similar interview style podcast Hosted by Ted Price from Insomniac Games. There are about an hour each and tend to focus on major games in the industry.
Mark Rosewater's Drive to Work do you like or have heard of Magic: The Gathering? Mark Rosewater is the head designer for Magic. This is him talking about his work, and game design concepts on his drive to work. Good luck getting though it all, but it's well worth trying.
Websites and more:
https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/ This is a place for developers to ask others for help or find some great resources like free sounds or assets.
Udemy I learned a lot about Unreal and Unity on this website. In the future, I will make a post about tools and places to help you learn them, but you can find some great classes on here to follow along with. You can still find great tutorials on youtube if you are looking for something free.
Gamasutra A great combination of game industry news, and articles about how different companies tackle different problems.
Magic: The Gathering about every week you'll see a new post by Mark Rosewater here talking about game design and how they build the mechanics and experience of the game. These are focused around the card game, Magic: the Gathering, that you should really try if you haven't already. This is one of the oldest and biggest table top games and is a cornerstone for any card game.