──ACADEMY · LEVEL 01 · FOUNDATIONS

Foundations

Learn.

The basics every operator should have.

OPEN L01 IN ACADEMY ↗

HOURS: 24
TIME: ~6 weeks
CREDIT THRESHOLD: —
ASSESSMENT: None

──── SKILLS UNLOCKED

What you'll be able to do.

✓Player psychology
✓Live game lifecycle
✓Reading an economy

──── FEEDS FROM

Content that counts toward L01.

↗ PODCAST ↗ DESIGN DESK

↳ LATEST EPISODES

The game backend is 5% of the budget and 100% of the launch

45:12

EP_172

The game backend is 5% of the budget and 100% of the launch

Mitchell Patterson of Wolfjaw Studios on the invisible layer that decides whether players ever reach your game, and why a launch that works shrinks the contract.

WITH MITCHELL PATTERSONOCT 6, 2026

Nobody was on the hook for fourteen years of Halo

1:05:03

EP_171

Nobody was on the hook for fourteen years of Halo

Microsoft cut five studios loose, Bungie began giving back the Destiny content it deleted, and a game from 1996 posted the biggest opening in its franchise's history. The panel on why nobody in AAA is on the hook for what they ship.

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 29, 2026

Game Pass bought installs, not players: what actually brings someone back

1:04:34

EP_170· VIDEO MISSING

Game Pass bought installs, not players: what actually brings someone back

Microsoft is reportedly ending day-one first-party releases on Game Pass and capping cloud gaming hours. Most people read that as a subscription story. On this episode it turns into a much bigger one.

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 22, 2026

↳ LATEST ESSAYS

· FIELD NOTES

Make-A-Wish’s April Stallings Illuminates the ‘Whys’ of Gaming: Joy, Well-being, and Connection

Make-A-Wish has granted >650,000 wishes to critically ill kids, and Stallings sheds light on why gaming-related requests are at the heart of one of the nonprofit’s four wish categories

Lewis Ward

· TEARDOWN

Make-A-Wish’s April Stallings Illuminates the ‘Whys’ of Gaming: Joy, Well-being, and Connection, Part 2

More insights on the positive effects of granted wishes, Roll for Wishes, and John Cena’s “inspirational…attention and detail” in wish grating

Lewis Ward

· POSTMORTEM

Susanna Pollack, President of Games for Change, Pushes the Video Game Industry Toward a More ‘Hopeful and Optimistic Future’

In an exclusive sit-down with her at Games for Change (G4C) in July, we covered mission, impact, and inspiring participation in the hands-on, playful community

Lewis WardSEP 22, 2026

──── NEXT STEP

Open L01 in Academy.

OPEN L01 IN ACADEMY ↗