Operators worth reading twice.

· 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

Lewis WardMAY 26, 2026

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

· 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

Lewis WardMAY 15, 2026

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

· 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 OperatorDESIGN +1

Lewis WardAPR 24, 2026

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

· 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 OperatorPRODUCT +2

Lewis WardAPR 17, 2026

GDC 2026: Riot Games’ Stone Librande on Game Design

· 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

Lewis WardAPR 2, 2026

Player Support at Schell Games with Laura Hall

· 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

Lewis WardMAR 17, 2026

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

· 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

Lewis WardMAR 12, 2026

How Focused Player Psychology, Design, and Post-launch Process Sets the Stage for Live Ops Success

· PROFILE· LIVE OPS

How Focused Player Psychology, Design, and Post-launch Process Sets the Stage for Live Ops Success

ArenaNet’s Crystin Cox, a veteran Live Ops video game designer, director and publisher, warns that Games-as-a-Service overthinking can spell doom

L02 OperatorLIVE OPS +2

Lewis WardFEB 26, 2026

A Discussion With James Au, Author of Making a Metaverse That Matters

· PROFILE· GAME DESIGN

A Discussion With James Au, Author of Making a Metaverse That Matters

The 20-year metaverse vet shares his thoughts on what's gone right and what's gone wrong relative to the Snow Crash vision

L02 OperatorPRODUCT +2

Lewis WardFEB 11, 2026

Gamefam's Joe Ferencz On Roblox's Metaverse Potential

· PROFILE· UGC & CREATORS

Gamefam's Joe Ferencz On Roblox's Metaverse Potential

The CEO of Gamefam, Ferencz has had a front row seat to Roblox Corp's wild rise and ride across the metaverse's ever-shifting terrain for 7+ years

L02 OperatorLIVE OPS +1

Lewis WardFEB 4, 2026

A Window Into Alex Seropian's UGC-based Studio, Look North World

· PROFILE· UGC & CREATORS

A Window Into Alex Seropian's UGC-based Studio, Look North World

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a studio working to fly in someone else's sky!

L02 OperatorLIVE OPS +2

Lewis WardJAN 27, 2026

Profiling the Pariah Teenage Guild Leader

· PROFILE· GAME DESIGN

Profiling the Pariah Teenage Guild Leader

A cautionary tale for social economy designers and participants: don't let your "foxes" run the "henhouse"

L02 OperatorDESIGN +1

Lewis WardJAN 20, 2026

Meet Francisco "Sandi" Montaño, Overwolf's Poster Child For PC Game Mod Breadwinners

· PROFILE· UGC & CREATORS

Meet Francisco "Sandi" Montaño, Overwolf's Poster Child For PC Game Mod Breadwinners

For many months last year, Sandi's ARK: Survival Ascended mods cleared >$15,000

L02 OperatorLIVE OPS +1

Lewis WardJAN 8, 2026

· PROFILE· GAME DESIGN

Nine Seconds to Fun

Mark Otero built Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes into a $1.4B mobile franchise by obsessing over one metric: time-to-fun. Tracing his path from a South Korean village to EA Capital Games reveals how personal obsession, financial modeling, and a camera-angle insight reshaped the collectibles RPG genre.

L02 OperatorDESIGN +2