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Probably Designed

Probably Designed

By: Harry Dean Hudson
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About this listen

A podcast about designing for randomness, and designers who use, abuse, or manage chance and variance in their work.

The podcast explores systems and design that are built around chance.

While the podcast isn't exclusively about games, game design spends a lot of time in this space.

Beyond games, conversations with other kinds of designers: composers and instrument designers who use random elements, speed and no-hit runners (who design routes to minimize variance), various engineers, process designers (who have to manage the random behavior of humans), etc.

I'm Harry Dean Hudson, a lifelong math, games, and systems nerd. I'm a hobbyist game developer and I'm passionate about play and games.

I have a masters degree in Communication and Digital Media from the University of Washington, where I focused on games as communications media and the interaction of digital media and intellectual property.

Playful Work 2025 Art
Episodes
  • Episode 3: Kev Chang and Eddie Cai pt. 2

    Episode 3: Kev Chang and Eddie Cai pt. 2
    Sep 23 2025

    This epside is the second of an epic two part conversation with Eddie Cai and Kev Chang. Eddie is the lead designer at Pengonauts who released Star⭐Vaders earlier this year. Kev is the director of Box Dragon Studios in Sweden. Their game, As We Descend, went into Early Access at the end of May.

    You can find both games on Steam.

    A transcript of the episode is here: https://my.playful.work/probably-designed-eddie-cai-and-kev-chang-part-2/

    Pengonauts: https://pengonauts.com/

    Star⭐️Vaders: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2097570/StarVaders/

    Box Dragon: https://www.boxdragon.se/

    As We Descend: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1769830/As_We_Descend/
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    36 mins
  • Episode 2: Kev Chang and Eddie Cai pt. 1

    Episode 2: Kev Chang and Eddie Cai pt. 1
    Sep 16 2025

    This epside is the first of a two part conversation with Eddie Cai and Kev Chang. Eddie is the lead designer at Pengonauts who released Star⭐Vaders earlier this year. Kev is the director of Box Dragon Studios in Sweden. Their game, As We Descend, went into Early Access at the end of May.

    You can find both games on Steam.

    A transcript of the episode is here: https://my.playful.work/probably-designed-eddie-cai-and-kev-chang/

    Pengonauts: https://pengonauts.com/

    Star⭐️Vaders: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2097570/StarVaders/

    Box Dragon: https://www.boxdragon.se/

    As We Descend: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1769830/As_We_Descend/
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    42 mins
  • Episode 1: Ezra Szanton

    Episode 1: Ezra Szanton
    Sep 9 2025

    Links from the episode:

    • Ezra's Itch Page - https://ezra-szanton.itch.io/
    • Mr Magpie's Harmless Card Game - https://giantlight.itch.io/mr-magpies-harmless-card-game
    • Fergus Ferguson's portfolio - https://fergusdraws.com/
    • Rebel Jester Studios - https://www.rebeljesterstudios.com/
    • Petricore - https://petricoregames.com/
    • Input / Output Randomness Article - https://ezraszanton.substack.com/p/output-randomness-game-designers
    • Isaac Shalev's Article - https://www.kindfortress.com/2018/10/03/design-patterns-random-loops/
    • UFO 50 (with Party House and Devilition inside) - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147860/UFO_50/
    • Dorfromantik (Digital and Physical) - https://www.toukana.com/dorfromantik
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    50 mins
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