Elan Lee from Exploding Kittens
From The Hard Part with Evan McCann by Evan McCann
October 27, 2025 · 44 min
About this episode
Elan Lee discusses game design, player feedback, and the dynamics of the tabletop gaming industry.
Elan Lee is the CEO of Exploding Kittens . Chapters 00:00 Intro 1:40 Designing Engaging Games 02:49 The Importance of Player Feedback 05:28 Accessibility and Player Experience 08:22 The Golden Age of Tabletop Games 11:25 Kickstarter Success Strategies 13:54 Building and Sustaining Community 16:53 Quality Control in Physical Games 19:25 Expansions and Game Evolution 21:38 Retail Dynamics in Tabletop Games 23:26 Balancing Creativity and Business 26:13 Persistence in Game Development 28:20 Team Structure and Internal Operations 28:47 Understanding Customer Needs 31:12 Designing for Social Interaction 32:21 Innovation vs. Remakes in Gaming 34:21 The Testing and Refinement Process 37:19 Balancing Rigour with Timelines 38:59 Recognizing Joy in Gameplay 39:55 Coping with Hard Times
People in this episode
Host: Evan McCann
Guest: Elan Lee
Topics covered
- game design
- player feedback
- tabletop games
- Kickstarter
- community building
- game development
- innovation in gaming
Keywords
- Exploding Kittens
- game design
- player experience
- Kickstarter success
- community
- game development
- tabletop games
- innovation
- game testing
- social interaction
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Exploding Kittens
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