Hi! I'm Matteo

I design coop games
and playful workshops

Want me to run a workshop?

Six people playing a cooperative card game about sharing memories
Photo by Dionne Fairnie

When I was a kid, I spent many afternoons playing videogames. A few years later, I learned to code so that I could hack together a game about ancient Greek philosophy. Then went on to build digital toys for the BBC, teach game design at universities around the UK, and make board games at the V&A.

As a grown-up, I’m still obsessed with games, but not your typical kill-everyone-loot-everything type game. I draw inspiration from social issues and current events to make games that provoke what I call minimum playable dilemmas.

I believe games have a huge expressive potential. They can make complex systems understandable, and empower people to engage with tough questions. It’s more than just playing games. We can have the most transformative learning experiences when we make games.

Want to make your own games?

What if you could tell your stories and express your ideas through a game? And what if making that game didn’t have to take weeks or months, but it could be done in one day?

My online game design course will teach you how to turn an idea into a playable prototype of your own board game, ready to be played with your family, friends or fellow workers!

Want to play my games?

Daybreak cover art by Mads Berg

Daybreak is a cooperative board game about stopping climate change. Can you build a decarbonised world for all of us to thrive as well as survive?

Fading Memories is a cooperative twist on the classic Memory, in which all players work together to prevent memory loss by telling personal stories.

Download print&play versions of my games on baddeo.gumroad.com

Want to read my blog?

I document my latest projects and muse upon bees, politics and the climate crisis on medium.com/@baddeo

Want to get in touch?

Email me m@tteo.me