• Journaling about my Game Development Journey & The Future
    Jan 15 2025

    Hey all!


    After a long hiatus I have decided to return to the Game Design Journal. This time, actually journaling about my own Game Design Journey as a founder of a small indie studio.


    I talk about our current project, and our aims and goals for 2025.


    My Socials: https://linktr.ee/savlef


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    10 mins
  • Backlog Talk Ep.1 & The Importance of Demos
    Mar 3 2023

    First episode of the new year, and the host Lefkos attempts to switch up the formula a bit. 

    In this new episode of the Game Design Journal, he talks about the games he has recently played through, what he is currently playing and goes on to talk about things that stood out, what he liked and what he didn't, much like a real life journal. 

    Episodes with the above format will be titled Backlog Talk.

    As per Game Design Journal tradition, there is also a main topic for today, "Playable Demos". 

    The host gives his opinion on the importance of them and why he thinks that every game if possible should have a demo.

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    18 mins
  • Game Awards Discussions w/ Yiannis Fermanis (2022 Recap + Looking to the future)
    Dec 11 2022

    In this episode of the Game Design Journal Podcast, the host Lefkos Savvides welcomes the second guest of the show, Yiannis Fermanis, a friend, game developer and co-worker to discuss the much awaited Game Awards.

    Between similar opinions, hot takes and a few rants, they take turns to discuss their thoughts about their experience with 2022 as gamers, and what the future entails.

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    1 hr and 52 mins
  • Inspirations, Ambitions, and Game Development with Demetris Tsartsalis
    Nov 16 2022

    In this episode of the Game Design Journal Podcast, the host Lefkos Savvides welcomes the first guest of the show, Demetris Tsartsalis, an indie game developer from Cyprus.

    Demetris talks about his background as an indie game developer, programmer and designer. 

    In this casual chat between friends, they discuss inspirations, ambitions, game design and explore some of the current projects they are prototyping and actively working on.

    LINKS:

    Block Witch Prototype
    Demetris' YouTube Channel
    Platform Fighter Preview

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    47 mins
  • The Necessity (or not) of Replayability
    Nov 13 2022

    In this episode of the Game Design Journal, the host Lefkos Savvides discusses his thoughts on the topic of replayability.

    There are various forms of it, some more effective than others. 

    But are they even necessary to make a game good?

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    9 mins
  • Non Intrusive Tutorials
    Nov 6 2022

    In this episode of the Game Design Journal, the host Lefkos Savvides discusses what he believes to be good practices for implementing tutorials in games, without forcefully interrupting the flow of the game.

    He goes over what he believes to be crucial parts to consider when designing tutorials, and gives an example of a made up game on the spot.

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    9 mins
  • Short - The Importance of Audio
    Oct 23 2022

    In this short episode of the Game Design Journal, the host Lefkos Savvides discusses the his opinion on the importance of Audio Design.

    With examples, he explains how audio enhances an experience and how it can serve as a pathway to revisiting your favourite games, ever years after playing them.

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    5 mins
  • Intentional Randomness (RNG)
    Oct 15 2022

    In this episode of the Game Design Journal, the host Lefkos Savvides discusses what he believes to be good practices for implementing randomness in games, a concept he dubs as Intentional Randomness.

    He goes over what he believes to be crucial parts to consider when designing systems that rely on RNG (Random Number Generation), and how a player might react to certain scenarios.

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    6 mins