Rephonic
Artwork for Building the Game

Building the Game

Jason Slingerland
Game Design
Kickstarter
Board Games
Fight Sequence
Gen Con
Board Game Design
Grandcon
Feedback
Party Games
Escape Room Games
Indie Games Night Market
Camping
Solo Playtesting
Gencon
Settlers Of Catan
Game Teaching Strategies
Playtesting
Outdoor Cooking
Worker Placement
Ovation
PublishesWeeklyEpisodes788Founded14 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
GamesLeisure

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Building the Game

Latest Episodes

Jason chats with Jack Rosetree.

Jason Chats with Eric Dittmore.

Jason Chats with Ted Schaller.

Jason Chats with Rosco Schock

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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People also subscribe to these shows.

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Recent Guests

Ted Schaller
Game designer, musician, founder of Square Cactus Games
Square Cactus Games
Episode: Episode 719: What’s The Scenario?
Gene Koo
Game designer based out of Maryland
Stickydoodler
Episode: Episode 715: Writing the Game: Part 1 of…
Paul Czege
Game designer and author from Denver
Episode: Episode 715: Writing the Game: Part 1 of…
Rosco Schock
Returning guest and game designer
Episode: Episode 703: Building the Pyramid
Eric Dittmore
Game designer and discorder
Episode: Episode 696: Adulting is Six Seven
Jack Rosetree
Game Designer and Guest
Episode: Episode 695: Jason Misses Puns
Sabrina Soba
Game designer and owner of Ludo Liminal
Ludo Liminal
Episode: Episode 688: Loosey Boothy
JC Wolfslayer
Episode: Episode 688: Loosey Boothy
Zach Morris
Game designer and recurring guest
Episode: Episode 684: Audience Agency

Hosts

Jason
Host of Building the Game; frequent collaborator in design discussions and industry insights.
Emily Vincent
Co-hosts; active in game design discussions and industry conversations.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 61 ratings
  • Stellar Podcast!

    This podcast delivers the Death Star plans with waaaay fewer dead Bothans. Would highly recommend if you’re interested in the hobby board game design life, or if you’re planning the final assault on Emperor Palpatine.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Gray Detrick
    United States2 years ago
  • Lovely Game Design Discussions

    Each week, one or more folks from the community join Jason and talk about applicable topics in game design.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AMKELL23
    United States2 years ago
  • Great podcast. I can't believe they platformed my propaganda twice.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Xoe
    2 years ago
  • Great board game design resource!

    Great podcast for people just starting out in their board game design journey. I do wish they talked about shapes more, especially rectangles!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    rosco.schock
    United States4 years ago
  • Fun, approachable, inclusive, supportive

    Come for the game design advice and interviews and stay for the sick burns. This is an insightful yet laidback podcast with a diverse and supportive community.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Hrm_rob
    United States4 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The show offers practical, design-focused discussions with actionable takeaways for new designers.
Audience loves the honest, friendly banter and depth on crowdfunding and publishing.
Listeners praise the community feel and the consistent, insightful pitches and design debates.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#147
New Zealand/Leisure/Games
Apple Podcasts
#231
Sweden/Leisure/Games

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 718: A Gammon Plus Back
Q: What do you find elegant about the start of Backgammon?
The initial roll to determine who goes first also determines that player's first move, making it fair and streamlined.
Episode 702: Should You Even Germany?
Q: Is it worth the cost?
Only you, dear listeners, can value your own time and money, but attending helps in terms of networking and gaining exposure to new ideas.
Episode 674: This Episode Might Be Intelligence
Q: What keeps you up at night regarding AI?
The use of AI in autonomous weapon systems and the potential for humans to trust AI decisions over their own in critical situations is a major concern.
Episode 674: This Episode Might Be Intelligence
Q: What are your thoughts on the range of human intervention required for AI-generated art to be considered copyrightable?
It's very unclear what level of creative control is needed for something to be copyrightable, and it may hinge on how much human creativity guided the AI-generated output.
Episode 658: The Coping Saw
Q: How did you find support at the convention?
We had great support from friends and Kickstarter staff, which made the experience much more enjoyable.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Building the Game

What is Building the Game about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A design-forward show that explores board game creation from multiple angles: mechanics, balance, publishing, and community. Episodes mix practical design discussions (mechanics, pitching, play-testing) with creator interviews and convention coverage, offering actionable insights for aspiring designers and indie publishers. The tone blends candid banter with thoughtful analysis, making complex design concepts approachable while highlighting the realities of running a small game studio. A standout aspect is the recurring Practicing the Pitch segment and in-depth dives into both the craft and the business of bringing games to market.

Where can I find podcast stats for Building the Game?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Building the Game. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Building the Game and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Building the Game get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Building the Game, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Building the Game?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Building the Game, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Building the Game have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Building the Game has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Building the Game?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Building the Game:

1. Fun Problems
2. Ludology
3. The Game Design Round Table
4. Unboxed: A Board Game Industry Discussion
5. Think Like A Game Designer

How many episodes of Building the Game are there?

Building the Game launched 14 years ago and published 788 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Building the Game?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Building the Game?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Building the Game from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Building the Game?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Building the Game. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Building the Game?

Recent guests on Building the Game include:

1. Ted Schaller
2. Gene Koo
3. Paul Czege
4. Rosco Schock
5. Eric Dittmore
6. Jack Rosetree
7. Sabrina Soba
8. JC Wolfslayer

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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