Command and Conquer's Louis Castle's Triple Threat

Our guest Louis Castle helped invent real-time strategy games with Command and Conquer and has a BAFTA for Boom Blox. Now leading Childlike Wonder Games, we discuss casino ethics, switching to real-time and building toys - this week!

Top 8 Highlights

[00:00:00] – Lifelong Learning: The Key to Game Design Success
Louis Castle opens the episode by emphasizing the importance of constant learning as a game designer, citing curiosity and adaptability as essential traits.

[00:06:00] – Founding Westwood Studios & Creating the RTS Genre
Louis reflects on co-founding Westwood Studios, the groundbreaking work on Command & Conquer, and helping define the real-time strategy genre.

[00:10:00] – Game Design vs. Casino Game Ethics
He explains how game design in the casino industry is more ethically regulated than video games, raising concerns about manipulation in mainstream game design.

[00:17:00] – A True Multidisciplinary Game Maker
Louis shares how he started as both an artist and programmer, contributing art, code, and design to early Westwood projects.

[00:27:00] – Westwood’s Mission: Make Complex Games Accessible
From Eye of the Beholder to Dune II, Louis discusses how Westwood focused on turning deep mechanics into real-time, accessible gameplay.

[00:41:00] – Technical Wizardry: Building Custom Operating Systems
Louis describes how he built custom OS-level tools and game engines to push hardware limits, including 60 FPS variable frame rate systems in the ‘80s.

[00:44:00] – Childlike Wonder Games: His New Studio & GenAI Vision
He announces his new studio, Childlike Wonder Games, and its mission to create strategy games that let players use generative AI to customize gameplay.

[00:56:00] – The Wild Ride: Selling Westwood 4 Times Before EA
Louis recounts how Westwood was acquired four times—eventually landing at EA—and how he handled all the financial and legal negotiations himself.

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