{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/63b458521043e00011114396/6a872ac7c71d02aaba567747?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Soren Johnson, game designer (Civ III, Civ IV, Spore, Old World)","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/63b458521043e00011114396/1787243058127-235f94af-b5c8-46dc-bd2e-20f42f8b18c7.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Soren Johnson is an American programmer and game designer whose work has helped shape the modern strategy genre. After earning a master’s degree in Computer Science from <strong>Stanford University</strong>, he joined <strong>Firaxis Games</strong>, where he worked as both a programmer and designer on <strong>Civilization III </strong>before going on to lead the design of <strong>Civilization IV</strong>, one of the most celebrated strategy games yet made.</p><p><br></p><p>Over the years he has contributed to a wide range of projects, including <strong>Spore</strong>, <strong>Dragon Age Legends</strong>, and <strong>Offworld Trading Compan</strong>y, bringing a distinctive blend of historical insight, systemic thinking, and player-driven design. Today he is the founder and design director of Mohawk Games, where he recently led the development of the acclaimed historical strategy game <strong>Old World</strong>. Alongside his development work, he continues to explore the craft of game design through his long-running blog and podcast, both of which are titled “Designer Notes”.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Soren Johnson – website &amp; podcast</strong></p><p><a href=\"http://www.designer-notes.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Soren Johnson – Designer Notes blog</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/episodes\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Designer Notes podcast – episode archive</a></p><p><a href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designer-notes/id935345158\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Designer Notes – Apple Podcasts</a></p><p><a href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/6olSupiE8sNmVfBdVFvVr6\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Designer Notes – Spotify</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Mohawk Games &amp; Old World</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://mohawkgames.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Mohawk Games – official site</a></p><p><a href=\"https://mohawkgames.com/oldworld/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Old World – official page</a></p><p><a href=\"https://store.steampowered.com/app/597180/Old_World/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Old World – Steam</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.gog.com/game/old_world\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Old World – GOG</a></p><p><a href=\"https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/old-world\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Old World – Epic Games Store</a></p><p><a href=\"https://mohawkgames.com/2026/03/30/empires-of-the-indus/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Old World: Empires of the Indus DLC – Mohawk Games</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Soren's Perfect Console</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball_Construction_Set\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Pinball Construction Set (1983) – Wikipedia</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.U.L.E.\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">M.U.L.E. (1983) – Wikipedia</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Cities_of_Gold_(video_game)\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Seven Cities of Gold (1984) – Wikipedia</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy_of_the_Ancients\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Legacy of the Ancients (1987) – Wikipedia</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier%27s_Alpha_Centauri\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (1999) – Wikipedia</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Other games and references mentioned</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_IV\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Civilization IV – Wikipedia</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_III\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Civilization III – Wikipedia</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier%27s_Pirates!_(2004_video_game)\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004 remake) – Wikipedia</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_Revolution\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Civilization Revolution – Wikipedia</a></p><p><a href=\"https://store.steampowered.com/app/271240/Offworld_Trading_Company/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Offworld Trading Company – Steam</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spore_(2008_video_game)\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Spore (2008) – Wikipedia</a></p><p><a href=\"https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Balatro – Steam</a></p><p><a href=\"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680/Vampire_Survivors/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Vampire Survivors – Steam</a></p><p><a href=\"https://store.steampowered.com/app/3164500/Schedule_I/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Schedule I – Steam</a></p><p><a href=\"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1966720/Lethal_Company/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Lethal Company – Steam</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.foddy.net/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bennett Foddy – personal site</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Bunten_Berry\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Danielle Bunten Berry – Wikipedia (designer of M.U.L.E.)</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trip_Hawkins\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Trip Hawkins – Wikipedia (founder of Electronic Arts)</a></p><p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Solomon\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Jake Solomon – Wikipedia</a></p><p><a href=\"https://gdconf.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Game Developers Conference (GDC) – official site</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Simon's book</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/trial-of-the-space-invaders-simon-parkin/7935152\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Trial of the Space Invaders – pre-order (Bookshop.org UK)</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trial-Space-Invaders-Simon-Parkin/dp/1399728830\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Trial of the Space Invaders – pre-order (Amazon UK)</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Support the show</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://www.myperfectconsole.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">My Perfect Console – episode archive</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Support My Perfect Console on Patreon</a></p>","author_name":"Simon Parkin"}