Episode 030

Life after Launch: Game Design with Christine Risinger

Christine Risinger joins us in this episode to shed light on the complex and well researched world of game design. In her over 10 years at Wizards of the Coast, she worked on everything from packaging to company direction and strategy. We discussed how rewarding it is to work for a consumer base that is incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about the product you create, the opportunities that lie in working in the fantasy space, and designing an item that helps people connect and build community. This product category is made to bring people in and every detail matters. The packaging lives as long as the game, acting as storage and enhancing the experience. Magic decks are built painstakingly by players, meaning that every new card introduced has gameplay research behind it. Christine was new to this world when she joined the company and stayed because the relationship between the game players and makers had so much exchange. The cyclical nature of game design helps us understand how a designer's identity shapes their product and vice versa.

Show notes:

• Magic the Gathering World of Kamigawa

• Magic the Gathering Universes Beyond

• Mox Boarding House