Game Design Crimes (with Jamie Smith)

Game Design Crimes (with Jamie Smith)

From The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast by Samuel Roberts and Matthew Castle

April 17, 2026 · 2h 4m

About this episode

The episode discusses listener complaints about game design in a Room 101-style format with guest Jamie Smith.

New podcast format time! 10 of our listeners' biggest gripes with games get litigated in a Room 101-style format (except legally distinct), from tailing missions in open world games to mandatory stealth sections in non-stealth games. Joining us once again is designer Jamie Smith! The very last entry was provided by SAFC_Jack91, which Samuel forgot to write down in the original episode plan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Samuel Roberts, Matthew Castle

Guest: Jamie Smith

Topics covered

  • game design
  • listener feedback
  • game mechanics
  • open world games
  • stealth sections
  • game gripes

Keywords

  • game design crimes
  • listener gripes
  • open world
  • stealth missions
  • game mechanics
  • video games

More episodes of The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast podcast page.