In today’s episode, we are joined by one of the OGs of game development, Noah Falstein, Executive Advisor at Akili Interactive. Noah has been designing games since 1980; he has worked for LucasArts, 3DO, Dreamworks Interactive, and Google.

Noah is also the Owner of The Inspiracy, a consulting game production and design company focusing on neuroscience and health games.

In this episode, we delve into one of Noah’s many passions in gaming, creating games to improve health. Noah shares fascinating facts about the connection between gaming and neuroscience and how games can effectively mitigate the symptoms or even cure many health issues like anxiety, phobias, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and even myopia. 

We also learn about his journey in the industry, from creating tabletop games to video games. We discuss the implications of game developing tools’ evolution, his consultant experience, and more. 

Resources:

Visit The Inspiracy website: http://www.theinspiracy.com/.

Visit the Akili Interactive website: https://www.akiliinteractive.com/.

Or connect with Noah on social media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gamedesignexpert/.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfalstein

Full Episode Breakdown:

3:05 – Noah talks about his passion for Sci-Fi and how it influenced and inspired him in his game creation journey.

8:11 – Not all games start with a story. Noah explains the origin of games, which is not always a story.

12:01 – Noah talks about his first job at Milton Bradley and the company’s reluctance to create electronic games.

15:38 – Gary and Noah discuss the moving parts of game creation, from music and art to video games’ mechanics and dealing with stakeholders.

19:19 – Noah shares his thoughts on the evolution of game creation tools and their impact on the community of creators and players.

24:18 – Noah talks a bit about his experience at Google and as an independent consultant.

28:14 – Noah talks about his passion for understanding how the mind works and how video games stimulate gamers’ brains.

30:19 – Noah explains how he blends neuroscience with his games’ mechanics and playability. 

35:16 – Noah talks about his relationship with new technologies and how AI and VR are instrumental in many patients’ recovery.