Randy O'Connor

Did Amazon cause the precipitous drop in the popularity of Alexa as a name?

A timeline visually representing the advice from my post, emphasising how dramatically and reliably having more time, with a testable build, converts to your game being better and your studio being safer.

I've been running an indie games studio for 15 years now, and it felt like a good time to boil down what I've learned into 4 pieces of advice:

www.pentadact.com/2026-01-08-1...

I hope it's of use, not least because goddamn I forgot how long blog posts take to write.

Yesterday, the Epic Games Store decided at the last minute not to distribute the game, after having previously approved a release build. HORSES is otherwise now available on GOG, Itch, and Humble for $4.99. www.horses.wtf

Made a fascinating little #boardgame history discovery.

Lookin through Twilight Struggle on #BGG, October 2020 (election year) had more recorded play sessions by far, 2707, than any other month in the game's history. Next highest was 1978 sessions in April 2012.

boardgamegeek.com/playsummary/...

A Wicked Problem — The Second Egress: Building a Code Change The Second Egress: A Wicked Problem Conrad Speckert McGill University School of Architecture Written January 4, 2021 Revised March 18,...

And the article that first triggered my interest in this relatively simple rules change: secondegress.ca/A-Wicked-Pro...

Thanks for reading about a nerdy subject near and dear to me! #SingleStairReform

Modern Multifamily Buildings Provide the Most Fire Protection A large body of research has demonstrated that apartment buildings and other types of multifamily housing can provide many benefits to a community, especially when built in high-demand areas where hou...

Here's a link to the Pew Charitable Trust's just-released research on this: www.pew.org/en/research-...

Single Stair letter to Fire Marshal Email to CA Fire Marshal Subject line: Support: single exit stair buildingsAs a California resident, I urge the Office of the State Fire Marshall Single-Exit Stair Work Group to expand its report to...

Talking points/email here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

We can create more apartments on smaller lots, rather than only having those big block behemoths. It will unlock so much housing potential in our housing crisis.

Write to the fire marshal to support increasing the height allowance for Single Exit Stair here: SESworkgroup@fire.ca.gov

The California State Fire Marshal is currently making recommendations about whether or not to increase the floor allowance for single stair apartments in the state. I really want us to allow single stair apartments up to six stories, instead of three.

The double-stair requirement is nonexistent outside of the US and Canada. Apartment buildings in the EU and elsewhere have no discernible issue with taller single stair apartments when it comes to fires.
RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN OFFER PUBLIC COMMENT.

I got news! Multiple recent studies have shown having one versus two stairwells has no measurable impact on the fire safety of apartments, up to six stories. The most important factor in fires for apartment buildings is a good fire sprinkler system.

Did you know... In North America, apartment buildings over 3 stories generally require two stairwells.

Can you guess why North America requires two stairs for taller apartment buildings? That's right. #FireSafety.

Games don’t teach skills, they teach context | Notion I’ve been making edu-games since 2006; they have been about half of the games I’ve worked on. From a small Flash game company in college to big corporate offices, I’ve worked on topics from programmin...

"Games don't teach skills, they teach context." A new article on #gamedesign in #edugames, but I'd argue games more broadly. randyo.notion.site/Games-don-t-...

Fall 2025 Recap: 400+ Attendees | 36 Designers & Special Guests

We had quite the lineup of games from a fan made expansion to a social deduction and area control crossover. Thank you for coming out and supporting indie game designers.

Stay tuned for our next event in late March!

#boardgames

Of rituals, rules, and stories - Players don’t need new games | Notion Digital games were tightly coupled to the advancement of computers. Computers rapidly reshaped the aesthetics of digital games. Digital games became separated conceptually from traditional, physical g...

Players don't need new games.
Been thinking about the tumult of the game industry, and this is what I ended up writing.
randyo.notion.site/Of-rituals-r...

Game Market West Fall 2025 Countdown: Gun It by Randy O'Connor

Gun It is a timed cooperative game in which 1-4 players are packed together in a car in the middle of a thriller. Over a series of rounds, the crew must collaborate to shoot their way through numerous hostile vehicles.

#boardgames

He was a child refugee. Now he’s a bishop navigating Trump’s deportation push. San Diego Bishop Michael Pham, the first U.S. bishop picked by Pope Leo, is part of a new wave of clerical leaders speaking out about migrants’ rights.

wapo.st/3VidvwY

Game Market West is a great event, and I'm excited to bring my tabletop games for sale there!

YouTube video by Randy O Learning through friction and boundaries (Game design talk, GBLVC 2024)

I love talking #gamedesign and how games teach.

Watch (for free) this quite nerdy talk I gave last year, about how games teach through their arbitrary choices!

You, too, will teach players something by how you arbitrarily constrain them in your game.

youtu.be/d3VU4IFYb0w

#education #edugames

Thank you so much for the kind words, I look forward to running it!

An introduction to game design with Randy O'Connor.

I signed up for this seminar at the East Bay Board Game Convention in July purely based on the conversation @randyogames.bsky.social had with @themisplay.com in their May 18th podcast. 🎲✂️

Episode 140 Randy O'Connor on Designing Through Constraints — University XP In this episode of Experience Points, Dave Eng welcomes game designer, artist, and educator Randy O’Connor to explore the crucial role of constraints in game design and learning. From limited resource...

Thanks @davengdesign.bsky.social for having me on the Experience Points podcast! It's a 20-minute episode going into some of my philosophy and understanding about games-based learning. #edugames #gamedesign #gamesbasedlearning www.universityxp.com/podcast/140

a cartoon of a boy pushing another boy in a shopping cart with the words win lose written on the bottom ALT: a cartoon of a boy pushing another boy in a shopping cart with the words win lose written on the bottom

Watched the #Pixar TV show "Win or Lose", and adored it. Gets better with each episode.

I have cancelled my Microsoft Game Pass subscription until #Microsoft is no longer complicit in the genocide of Palestinians. It's not much, but it's something I can do.

If a foreign adversary snuck into our Federal budget and cut science research and education the way we’re cutting it ourselves — strategically undermining America’s long-term health, wealth, and security — we would likely consider it an act of war.

"This unassuming golf game makes one of the best uses of dice I have ever seen in a tabletop game." - BGG user, Roll In One.

Some reviews truly, truly warm my heart.
#boardgames #tabletop #bgg #rollinonegame

Video Game Reviewers Looking at how video game review outlets score games, how long they've been around, and where they're from.

As someone who grew up on PC Gamer and still peruses reviews plenty, this is a cool breakdown of video game reviewers over history. Bunch of fun charts, and interesting to consider. spritecell.com/bp13-reviewe... (h/t to @gamediscoverco.bsky.social for finding this!)

2024 Board Game Award Nominees We are excited to present the nominees for our 2024 board game awards. Congrats to all the games nominated!

Oh, cool! 'Gun It' got nominated for BoardGameQuest's "Best Small Publisher Game".

Voting is open, and ends tomorrow. If you like voting, check it out? #boardgames #coopgames #gunitgame #oopsididnotnoticethis

www.boardgamequest.com/2024-board-g...

Has text, plus an image of three illustrated characters in an 80s vibe. Text: THE CRITICS APPROVE “This is so fun. A small affordable game that has a lot of game in it.” - The Dice Tower “Thematically, I don’t think the designer could have done much better. This one’s definitely staying in my collection.” - Coopboardgames.com “It’s a great game with some really unique gameplay.” - Board Game Quest “I love the theme of Gun It, I love the structure of Gun It, I love the moments of Gun It.” - So Very Wrong About Games

It's ACTION APRIL! Get my now critically acclaimed game 'Gun It' for $30 with free shipping, all this month on my website! www.randyo.net/gunit.html

#boardgames #coopgames #tabletop #gunitgame #dicetowerapproved

Randy O’Mails | Randy O'Connor | Substack Thoughts on every and anything. I’m a game designer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Often a peek into my latest doings, always a Spotify playlist. Sometimes game design, or city planning, or the outdoo...

This month, on my substack, I write about Paul McCartney's awful song that I discovered recently and got my toddler addicted to. And then I talk about public education. What more could you want in a personal newsletter? randyoconnor.substack.com