──PLAYER DRIVEN · DESIGN DESK

Operators worth reading twice.

28 ESSAYS

UPDATED WEEKLY

CURATED + GATED FOR MEMBERS

Under the Hood of Call of Duty’s Matchmaking System and MMR With Charlie Olson, Part 2

MUST READ

↳ FEATURED ESSAY·LIVE OPS

Under the Hood of Call of Duty’s Matchmaking System and MMR With Charlie Olson, Part 2

Low-skill players prioritize match quality over speed — weight their matchmaking toward quality, not fast queue times.

L02 Operator↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

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↳ DEPTHAll28 L01 Foundations9 L02 Operator18 L03 Lead1↳ PILLARAll Live Ops5 Community6 Trust & Safety1 Monetization1 UGC & Creators3 Player Psychology2 Game Design10

· THEORY· GAME DESIGN

Under the Hood of Call of Duty’s Matchmaking System and MMR With Charlie Olson

Olson spills the beans on the original COD matchmaking rating (MMR) system that he authored, before hanging out his own shingle with colleagues in 2022

L02 OperatorLIVE OPS +2

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis Ward

· POSTMORTEM· COMMUNITY

Games for Change 2026: “Reimaging Play” Through Social Impact and Tools for Raising “Good” Gamers, Part 2

The 23rd annual Games for Change festival was held in New York City on July 21-22 and we highlight a handful of day two sessions and key takeaways

L01 FoundationsCOMMUNITY +2

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis Ward

· FIELD NOTES· COMMUNITY

Fiene Ziegler’s Accidental Path from Cultural Studies to Player Community Management at InnoGames

The community management specialist offers insights into how she orchestrates communications between the developers and global player base of Forge of Empires…and explains why she’s so into road trips

L01 FoundationsCOMMUNITY

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis Ward

· FIELD NOTES· COMMUNITY

Fiene Ziegler’s Accidental Path from Cultural Studies to Player Community Management at InnoGames, Part 2

The community management specialist shares tips on getting video game content noticed and assessing KPIs on popular social media platforms

L01 FoundationsCOMMUNITY

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis Ward

· POSTMORTEM· COMMUNITY

Games for Change 2026: “Reimaging Play” Through Social Impact and Tools for Raising “Good” Gamers

The 23rd annual Games for Change festival was held last week in New York City and we highlight a handful of key sessions and takeaways

L01 FoundationsCOMMUNITY +1

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis Ward

· PROFILE· LIVE OPS

Thad Sasser Loves Learning, Smart Risk-taking, Fun, and MERICA, Part 2

The vet FPS studio exec and current creative director of COD Warzone talks vision, the ‘friendship hostage’ problem, shooter innovations, and American grit

L02 OperatorLIVE OPS +2

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardJUL 1, 2026

· PROFILE· GAME DESIGN

Thad Sasser Loves Learning, Smart Risk-taking, Fun, and MERICA, Part 1

The vet FPS studio exec and current creative director of COD Warzone opens up about his break into gaming, why QA is a “great path for developers,” and skiing in Tribes

L02 OperatorLIVE OPS +2

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Editorial DeskJUN 24, 2026

· PROFILE· LIVE OPS

ARCANIX’s Oscar Clark on the EU’s DFA, Lightning Lessons, and the Primacy of Player Value, Part 2

The industry vet talks Lightning Lessons, ARCANIX, and how studios can “find the fun” in a sustainable way

L01 FoundationsLIVE OPS +2

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardJUN 16, 2026

· PROFILE· MONETIZATION

ARCANIX’s Oscar Clark on the EU’s DFA, Lightning Lessons, and the Primacy of Player Value, Part 1

The veteran gaming industry exec, speaker, and author is acutely attuned to the interplay of ethics and regulation

L01 FoundationsLIVE OPS +2

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardJUN 9, 2026

Mediating Irreconcilable Differences with Behavioral Game Economist Catalin Alexandru, Part 2

MEMBERS

· THEORY· GAME DESIGN

Mediating 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

L02 OperatorDESIGN +2

↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardMAY 26, 2026

Navigating Irreconcilable Differences with Behavioral Game Economist Catalin Alexandru, Part 1

MEMBERS

· PROFILE· GAME DESIGN

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

L02 OperatorDESIGN +2

↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardMAY 15, 2026

Utrecht University’s Dr. Joost Vervoort on Gaming’s Potential to Help Build a Better Future, Part 2

MEMBERS

· PROFILE· GAME DESIGN

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

L01 FoundationsCOMMUNITY +1

↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardMAY 8, 2026

Utrecht University’s Dr. Joost Vervoort on Gaming’s Potential to Help Build a Better Future, Part 1

MEMBERS

· PROFILE· GAME DESIGN

Utrecht University’s Dr. Joost Vervoort on Gaming’s Potential to Help Build a Better Future, Part 1

He's helping to shape Speculative Agency's strategic deck-builder, All Will Rise, to be a means toward that end

L01 FoundationsCOMMUNITY +1

↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardMAY 1, 2026

Quantic Foundry’s Nick Yee on Gamer Motivations, Part 2

MEMBERS

· PROFILE· PLAYER PSYCHOLOGY

Quantic Foundry’s Nick Yee on Gamer Motivations, Part 2

The consultancy’s Gamer Motivation Model is like a Swiss Army knife for understanding what motivates video game players

L02 OperatorCOMMUNITY +3

↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardAPR 24, 2026

Quantic Foundry’s Nick Yee on Gamer Motivations, Part 1

MEMBERS

· PROFILE· PLAYER PSYCHOLOGY

Quantic Foundry’s Nick Yee on Gamer Motivations, Part 1

The company’s model of twelve motivations is a window into the hearts and minds of “the gamer” and helps explain and predict their behaviors

L02 OperatorCOMMUNITY +3

↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardAPR 17, 2026

GDC 2026: Riot Games’ Stone Librande on Game Design

MEMBERS

· FIELD NOTES· GAME DESIGN

GDC 2026: Riot Games’ Stone Librande on Game Design

The veteran designer helped lead workshop participants through two exercises that connected video game design elements to positive emotional and psychological outcomes for players.

L02 OperatorDESIGN

↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardAPR 2, 2026

NYU Professor Eric Zimmerman On Game Design's Deep and Broad Potential

MEMBERS

· PROFILE· GAME DESIGN

NYU Professor Eric Zimmerman On Game Design's Deep and Broad Potential

From Diner Dash and Balatro to redesigning capitalism, Zimmerman is interested in creating, iterating, and playing with systems that deliver "mouthfuls of delicious meaning"

L01 FoundationsDESIGN +1

↳ 4 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardMAR 19, 2026

Player Support at Schell Games with Laura Hall

MEMBERS

· PROFILE· LIVE OPS

Player Support at Schell Games with Laura Hall

Among other insights, Hall highlights why AI-based tools such as ToxMod add significant valuable in a Live Ops gaming context

L02 OperatorLIVE OPS +2

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardMAR 17, 2026

Meet Christina Camilleri, Netflix Games' "Chaos Gremlin" and "Safety By Design" Champion

MEMBERS

· PROFILE· TRUST & SAFETY

Meet Christina Camilleri, Netflix Games' "Chaos Gremlin" and "Safety By Design" Champion

From a dedicated MapleStory player to an "ethical hacker" to the Head of Trust and Safety at Netflix Games, Camilleri has blazed a unique trail across the digital community support landscape

L02 OperatorTRUST & SAFETY +2

↳ 5 TAKEAWAYS

Lewis WardMAR 12, 2026