In the first episode of season 4, Dan Brown joins us to share about his love of hobby board games. He talks about transitioning from games like Monopoly to discovering the more advanced Carcassonne, which became his gateway into modern board gaming. Dan explores the relationship between game themes and mechanisms, saying he’s drawn to games where these elements work together cohesively. He discusses his collection's evolution from simple games he could play with his family to more complex strategy titles, and touches on his fascination with observing how people interact with game systems. Dan emphasizes the tactile, screen-free nature of board gaming as an important escape from digital experiences, and offers advice for newcomers to the hobby on how to look for the right game for them.

Guest Bio

After running boutique design firm EightShapes for 18 years, Dan Brown (he/him) struck out on his own, starting Curious Squid Design Lab to continue providing high quality information architecture and UX consulting to enterprise organizations. Through Curious Squid, Dan helps product teams build complex products to align with user needs while meeting business objectives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he produced the podcast A Lens A Day, conversations about information architecture, and currently co-hosts and produces the podcast Unchecked, the architecture of disinformation. Dan’s passion for information architecture is eclipsed only by his passion for board games.

Links

Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmbrown/

Dan’s podcast, Unchecked: https://unchecked.buzzsprout.com/

The IA Conference: https://www.theiaconference.com/

Credits

Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.