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

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

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 FoundationsDESIGN +1

Lewis WardMAY 8, 2026

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

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 FoundationsDESIGN +1

Lewis WardMAY 1, 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

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

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

Lewis WardMAR 19, 2026

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

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

Profiling the Pariah Teenage Guild Leader

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

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