Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The hardest tricks don't always look hard when one is making magic.
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Full lecture (with slides):
youtu.be/DUKpsWFUy1U
Designing Games for Spectators
Presented at Super MAGFest 2026 by Rym and Scott, hosts of the GeekNights podcast.
Most game design discussion focuses on the players. But some of the most popular games on Earth are watched by more people than will ever play them. From sports to live streams, spectators are a fascinating and important aspect of game design. Think about it. Is a game show really a fair competition? Does a game show need to be fun for the players? How different do games look when they’re designed primarily for players versus for spectators? Can you design for both?
#gamedesign #couchgaming #esports
The hardest tricks don't always look hard when one is making magic.
--
Full lecture (with slides):
youtu.be/DUKpsWFUy1U
Designing Games for Spectators
Presented at Super MAGFest 2026 by Rym and Scott, hosts of the GeekNights podcast.
Most game design discussion focuses on the players. But some of the most popular games on Earth are watched by more people than will ever play them. From sports to live streams, spectators are a fascinating and important aspect of game design. Think about it. Is a game show really a fair competition? Does a game show need to be fun for the players? How different do games look when they’re designed primarily for players versus for spectators? Can you design for both?
#gamedesign #couchgaming #esports


![Deltarune and Asteroid City are the same
If you played #deltarune or #undertale, they are about the same thing as #asteroidcity
Presented at Super #magfest 2026 on Saturday, exploring #modernity and metacontextualism in videogames and game design.
What’s after Post-Modernism? Perhaps “Metacontextualism.” This is a movement of art and design, unique in and catalyzed by the existence of videogames. Remember that videogames are a literally new form of art. They were invented in the lifespan of people who are attending MAGFest today.
Panelists: Rym DeCoster [Producer of GeekNights, frontrowcrew.com] Emily Compton [Art Director, 3D Artist]
Full lecture:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12xey7NqSFg Deltarune and Asteroid City are the same](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W4HVwLtTbXw/mqdefault.jpg)

![Disco Elysium and Night in the Woods explore a world that could be better
Could #discoelysium and #nightinthewoods show us a better world, in the metacontext of their worlds?
Presented at Super #magfest 2026 on Saturday, exploring #modernity and metacontextualism in videogames and game design.
What’s after Post-Modernism? Perhaps “Metacontextualism.” This is a movement of art and design, unique in and catalyzed by the existence of videogames. Remember that videogames are a literally new form of art. They were invented in the lifespan of people who are attending MAGFest today.
Panelists: Rym DeCoster [Producer of GeekNights, frontrowcrew.com] Emily Compton [Art Director, 3D Artist]
Full lecture:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12xey7NqSFg Disco Elysium and Night in the Woods explore a world that could be better](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WmUoWpxQ5ug/mqdefault.jpg)





