The next generation of games
will be built by operators,
not investors.
Player Driven is the learning network for the people who design, run, and rebuild live games. Four shows. One academy. A growing room of practitioners who actually keep games running — and the thinkers helping them see further.
“No AI Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does”
Guest: Tess Lynch, Founding Attorney, Clause and Affect When Crimson Desert announced "no AI in our game," the internet applauded.
FULL EPISODE PAGE →Read —
while you wait for Wednesday.
MUST READMediating Irreconcilable Differences with Behavioral Game Economist Catalin Alexandru, Part 2
The consulting vet offers hot takes on what’s derailed Web3 gaming, SDT’s upsides, and the importance of bridging the gap between game design and production processes
Navigating Irreconcilable Differences with Behavioral Game Economist Catalin Alexandru, Part 1
He’s always surfing the next big, sexy, dangerous, and psychologically meaningful logarithmic or asymptotic curve
Utrecht University’s Dr. Joost Vervoort on Gaming’s Potential to Help Build a Better Future, Part 2
Forces in the EU are working to tap into video games’ latent potential to make the real-world a better place for everyone and the environment
One network.
Four formats.
Whether you read at lunch, listen on the commute, or block off Thursdays to watch the chat — there's a way to learn that fits the rest of your job.
podcast
Two hours, one operator. We sit with the people behind the systems you ship.
live
Postmortems, retros, watch-alongs. The chat is the curriculum.
design desk
Essays, profiles, and field notes from operators worth reading twice.
workshops
Hands-on 4-week sprints. Real briefs. Cohort + critique.
Player Driven
Academy.
A skills credential built by operators, scored by operators. Stack credits from every Player Driven show, complete two studio briefs, get certified.
Three verbs.
One credential.
- ✓Built from the same shows you already watch
- ✓Scored by working operators, not academics
- ✓Studio-recognized — partner programs coming later this year
Foundations
- · Player psychology
- · Live game lifecycle
- · Reading an economy
Operator
- · Live ops cadence
- · Moderation & trust
- · Reading a dashboard
Lead
- · Org design
- · Crisis playbooks
- · Mentoring operators
One email a week.
Worth opening.
Three things every Friday: the week's best essay, the next live drop, and one thing we're still arguing about internally.