BGDL is the best

I started listening in 2023 and found each episode so relevant to my interests that I listened to every show from when Gabe Barrett started in 2016. Gabe creates shows with excellent and relevant topics on board game design and has had interviews with many key people in the industry. There is so much great material on board game design in this show that Gabe has even compiled it all into a book and other design aids. I was so glad to see Gabe resume the show in 2023 after a one year break in which he was focused on getting his Robomon game released.

I’m a late comer to board game design, and to this podcast, but I’ve immersed myself in both, and this podcast has been a phenomenal help!!I haven’t even touched the numerous streaming options on tv because I have this to listen to while I stay focused on “work”. Great job Gabe!

Great interviews

Where to start! Gabe’s BGDL podcast has been an inspiration and a joy to listen to for years. The episodes focus on very specific topics which allow you to focus in on what you want to hear. Heck, I’ve practically listened to them all since they’re so interesting, no matter the subject matter. I can say, without a doubt, that Gabe provides the BEST tabletop game design device through incredible interviews and thoughtful words of his own. He’s a friendly and professional host that has delivered priceless content to thousands of designers, and I have no doubt is responsible for many completed projects and even more realized dreams. If you’re starting your BGDL journey, buckle up, it’s a fantastic ride!

We love listening to this podcast every week to learn about game design and all types of executing Kickstarter projects. Lots of great guests and a very knowledgeable host.

If you are a board game designer, this is the best podcast out there for it!

Gabe has been doing an outstanding job helping the board game creators with their game designs by making a really useful content. I'm also following his group on Facebook which has been a great place to go for a game advice. In addition Gabe is a real example of how his work benefits designers as I've supported a couple of his Kickstarter projects and they prove to be successful! Plus my board game design has been improved as a result of his podcast being super helpful!

What I really appreciate about Gabe's show is he gets right to the point of each episode and mini-episode. These shows are packed with valuable information for board game design and go deep into specific topics without a lot of filler. He also manages to keep it light and entertaining.

BGDL covers a wide range of topics on game design which will help any fledgling designers enter the hobby while also helping seasoned designers hone their craft. Gabe does an excellent job getting a variety of guests to share their experience and advice. The spectrum runs from prolific designers to newer designers giving listeners perspectives from people just like them and from those whose success they aspire to emulate.

This is a fantastic podcast! I learn something new every time I listen to a new episode. It has inspired me to take some of the ideas I’ve kicked around for a long time and see if I can develop them further.

Gabe has done an amazing job at providing a repository of incredibly useful content for publishers and designers. I’ve been listening since episode and I’m always learning something new. Great guests with great insights make this an ever valuable resource for aspiring and established designers.

Listening to Gabe and those he interviews is extremely helpful. This should be mandatory listening for anyone who is in the board game design or publishing industry. I love how he focuses on a specific topic every episode. Hard to find this good of information in the board game industry that dives deep on specific subjects.

My favorite board game design podcast. Gabe is a great host, and the guests and information he’s gathering for us is phenomenal. Thank you.

Like many in this world of board games I play and design board games as a hobby. Gabe’s podcast has enriched my experience considerably and fueled my desire to continue designing, play-testing and getting feedback. I can’t recommend this podcast enough. Special guests, great interviews and plenty of advice for the novice and the expert. Thanks for putting your time and effort into doing this podcast! I, for one, am very appreciative and look forward to listening to each episode and bonus round. Keep up the amazing work!

Being relatively new to the board game design industry, I have found this podcast incredibly helpful. My greatest listening experience was during the Kirk Dennison interview, which literally happened right as I was about to refactor and print some cards for an upcoming playtest. During the episode, Kirk outlined some extremely helpful resources for rapid iteration on laying out and printing these cards, specifically the data merge tool of InDesign. It was entirely coincidental and came at the perfect time, and I was able to implement this strategy and save hours of time on the cards.

Entertaining, #realtalk about game design, the board game field, and game culture.

As someone who has worked parttime in the board game business, this podcast has been very helpful to me. Once I started listening to it, I heard all 20 episodes in less than a week, which is something I've never done before. Disclosure: I'll appear in an interview on this podcast at a later date.

As an aspiring board game desinger, I tend to listen to and read everything I can about the subject. This podacast is easily in the top 5 most valuable resources. The guests are incredible, his questions are thoughtful and illicit helpful advice, and the bonus material on the website is a great plus. The great part is, this isn't just a podcast, you can sign up for a weekly newsletter filled with links to design-related resources. Awesome stuff!

High quality content with in depth interviews on game design.

I've listened to a fair number of game design podcasts, and I've got to say, I'm more than impressed with the inaugural outing of Gabe's Board Game Design Lab. His guests are superb, and the conversations are insightful, and provide a lot of nuance. Gabe is (apparently) well-enough-connected in the industry to bring in interesting and well-known guests, and is a top notch interviewer. He's a genuinely warm and interested fan of boardgames, and it brings out the boardgame-fan in the folks he interviews. I'm 4 episodes in now, and excited to see where this goes. I should also note: the sound quality is solid, and either Gabe is a broadcast professional, or he's one hell of an editor. No um's, ah's, or odd vocal tics. Just smooth voices and an engaging conversation.

Board Game Design Lab reminds me of the great podcasts Ludology and Board Game University. Very informative. Production value effects are passable, but the content is so good no additional bling is even necessary. Host Gabe Barrett draws a supurb quality of guests. These are exactly the folks to whom budding designers should be listening because they definitely know their stuff and their wisdom is invaluable. Also, you get to hear a guy that sounds a whole lot like Eric Summerer voicing the Intro and Outro. Nice bonus.

This podcast is an incredibly useful and insightful resource if you're looking to become or are already a part of the board game design community. The guests Gabe interviews are titans of the industry. Keep up the great work!!

Podcasts brings in many guests with informative q&a for those looking to gain insight into game making!

Gabe does an incredible job on this podcast. He's put in years of research and is lending his experience to the community. He has top notch interviews with the best of the best in the board game community. He's also quick to respond to ideas and suggestions from his listeners. Bonus content is fun as well! As the title says, this is a must listen for any aspiring designers in the board game community!

Gabe has put together such a great resource in BGDL. Such a friendly, approachable, and helpful guy. A great listen.

The design lab podcast is like the perfect Design Toolkit for board game designers. Up to date info on playtesting, mechanics, design theory, give both designers and fans a valuable peek behind the curtain of game design. The weekly podcast serves as a re-charge for game developers to stay motivated and excited about the games they are working on, it's a weekly highlight for me!

I really love this podcast. As an aspiring game designer myself, it has been great to hear the advice and insight of professional designers who were themselves just amateurs not too long ago. The content is all very useful and is presented in manageable "bite-sized" segments. Definitley worth a listen!

Great to hear from different perspectives about the board game design.

This podcast picks up where Board Game University left off - great interviews with industry folks that help educator game designers (and fans). The production quality is great and the frequent updates with new episodes is fantastic.

Gabe brings in some pretty big names in the industry to share tips right off the bat. Extremely useful information in an easy to digest format.

Listening to these podcasts has been getting me back into developing some board games I had on the shelf. I am also getting some new ideas down. So fun to hear how the new games are being made and the overall process of developing board games! Keep it up.

Gabe does an excellent job at choosing informative topics and guests that are both engaging and insightful. I always learn a lot with each podcast I listen too, and Gabe does a fantastic job at conducting the interviews in a fun and professional manner. I'm hooked!

If your a game designer this Podcast is for you! I love your podcast and what it represents; key and timely resources for the game designer. Love the industry leader interviews and insite you give. Look forward each week for your posting!

After listening to 3 or 4 episodes I'm definitely a subscriber and can recommend the show to anyone interested in game design. Sometimes the subject sounds more specific than you might think relevant to you, the discussion is engrossing and insightful.

Fantastic podcast, my go-to game design podcast now. Gabe has managed to get some really superb guests so far and does a great job interacting with them and taking part in the conversation.

Great new podcast! Worth a listen even if you aren't a designer. Keep up the great work!