#329 Small Games with Ellie Dix

This episode, Dirk and David are joined by Ellie Dix, owner of The Dark Imp and author of The Board Game Family. They discuss Ellie’s career and path into game design, as well as the intricacies of how she manages to design so many games. Topics include managing small projects, how to choose which designs to focus on, the importance of managing a playtest group, and the worth of games as educational tools.

Episode Outline

0:00 Beginning of Show

1:04 End of Intro

1:21 Ellie’s Journey

5:24 How is Ellie so prolific?

8:35 Deciding which projects to pursue

16:12 Managing Playtest Groups

18:56 Where did Ellie start

25:23 Working With Publishers

29:42 Interest in Mechanics

32:19 Do you want to design something heavier?

33:47 How can light games help us learn

39:15 Designing for a purpose

42:35 How to make educational games great

47:01 What does the future look like?

49:45 Advice for Listeners

51:32 Outro

52:47 End of Show

In this Episode

Ellie Dix - @elliedixtweets, thedarkimp.com
David V. Heron - @davidvheron
Dirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer