GDAM Mature Games Podcast

[This article originally appeared on Game Design Aspect of the Month under the topics of Mature Games.]

For the discussion questions, go to the Mature Games Topic Submission.  We do not mean games about pornography or rated M but games designed with mature themes.

[Spoiler Alert: This podcast discusses aspects of the games, Passage and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, that you may want to experience on your own.]

To download the podcast: go here.

Games Referenced: The Witcher, Imagination is the Only Escape, Frontlines: Fuel of War, Far Cry 2, Grand Theft Auto 4, Passage, Guitar Hero, Pong, Space Invaders, Habbo Hotel, Six Days in Fallujah, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Starcraft 2, System Shock, Persona 3, Mass Effect

Quote From Podcast:

Are you guys familiar w/ the Starcraft 2 teaser/trailer? ... I think a lot of games do the exact opposite, where they have the suit of armor already there and just a big hose comes down and squirts a different kind of meat into the armor. You've got the grizzled space marine meat, the black drill sergeant meat, the wise-ass skater punk meat, but they're basically all just space marines.

Sande Chen is a writer and game designer whose work has spanned 10 years in the industry. Her credits include 1999 IGF winner Terminus, 2007 PC RPG of the Year The Witcher, and Wizard 101. She is one of the founding members of the IGDA Game Design SIG.

C.J. Kershner is a writer and game designer, and the head of Polyhedron Productions, an independent studio in the wilds of upstate New York. His previous credits include games like Far Cry 4, Homefront, and Assassin's Creed Syndicate (nominated for the 2016 Writers Guild award). When not writing, he spends his time reading, hiking, listening to old time radio, and tinkering with craft projects.

Ryon Levitt is a programmer-turned-designer with 10 years of industry experience. He is credited in 7 AAA titles across multiple platforms. Ryon is one of the founding members of the IGDA Game Design SIG, and helped coin the acronym GDAM.