Game designers! Make sure you avoid this common goof-up
Photo by Thomas Buchholz on Unsplash
Most first-time game designers start out full of excitement—until they try to turn their idea into a working game. What seemed simple in their head suddenly isn't, and before they know it, they're stuck with clunky mechanics, broken rules, or a game that just isn't fun. It happens all the time, but the good news is, most of these mistakes are easy to avoid once you know what to look for. That's where this guide comes in. Whether you're making a game just for fun or hoping to see it on store shelves one day, steering clear of these common pitfalls will give you the best possible start.
At some point, most board game fans get the itch to create their own. Maybe you're bored with what's out there and want to play something based on your own ideas. Maybe you dream of seeing your game published and making your mark on the industry. Or maybe you want to follow in the footsteps of Chris Haney and Scott Abbot, Richard Garfield, or Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson (creators of Trivial Pursuit, Magic: The Gathering, and Dungeons & Dragons), sell your game to a big publisher, make millions, and retire to Barbados.
All good reasons to dive into game design. If you just want to make one for fun, what's stopping you? If you're aiming to self-publish, a well-run Kickstarter could get it off the ground. And if you're hoping to hit the big time, over 400 new games are published every year—why not yours?
There's a lot to learn when designing a game, and it won't happen overnight. Before you set out on what will be a fun but often frustrating journey, let's talk about one of the biggest rookie mistakes—the one that can derail your project before it even begins: not playing enough games.
Are you a player?
Game creation—at its best—is an art form, much like literature. Many elements of storytelling map onto gameplay and vice versa. One of the biggest hurdles creative writing teachers face is that aspiring novelists often don't read novels.
It's not usually as bad with game designers, since most come to design through playing. But you'd be surprised how many have only played a handful of games—mostly outdated ones like Monopoly, Scrabble, and Clue.
If you want to be taken seriously in the industry—and if you want the knowledge and experience to design something truly great—you need to play a lot of games. Hundreds. You should play every game you can. Here's why:
- You need to see the full range of modern games and understand what excites players beyond your own group.
- Reinventing the wheel is a waste of time. If you don't study existing games, you might unknowingly create something too similar—or worse, open yourself up to accusations of plagiarism. You can take inspiration from others, but you need to do it with awareness, creativity, and a unique spin.
- To understand what makes a game brilliant—or a total flop—you need firsthand experience. The only way to get that is to play tons of games.
This should be fun. Go all in. Play the best and the worst, soak up every detail, and let it all fuel your creativity. You'll learn more than you realize just by playing as if playing is work.
And take this seriously. If your experience is limited to Checkers, Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble, Dungeons & Dragons, Trivial Pursuit, and Clue, that won't cut it. If you've never heard of Magic: The Gathering, Azul, Pandemic, Codenames, or Arkham Horror, it's time to start gaming.
Game like an industry spy
To take full advantage of all this gaming, you'll need to take a lot of notes. Game like an industry spy. Imagine you're on a mission to find out all the hidden secrets behind all the best games and steal them to deploy in your own bid for world game domination. Which is, after all, kinda true, right? Take notes of everything that matters:
- The title, tagline, and key image of each game
- The theme and 'storyline'
- The mechanics and practicalities of play
- The components
- The win conditions
- Speed of play and overall game length
- Re-playability
Also:
- The reactions and emotional involvement of players
- Each game's popularity and with whom?
- The age of each game
- The game's publisher
And while you're at it, make a record of all your own thoughts, ideas, and responses; not forgetting to capture any inspirations you have for your own board game; mechanics or ideas you could borrow, or ways in which you think each game might be improved.
How you keep these records is up to you, your personal style and preferences, and your creativity. We recommend old-fashioned notepad and pencils or pen because it's super-portable, you don't need an Internet connection, the batteries don't run out, you don't need to back it up, and it's dirt cheap. But if you prefer a smartphone app or your tablet, or maybe even a voice recorder and digital camera, go for it. Whatever works is always the right solution.
Infiltrate behind the lines
Continuing with the spy theme — because we're enjoying it! — make sure to get into as many gaming situations as you can, even if you need to go undercover. So, go to all the game nights you can get to. Join all the game clubs you can afford. Make new friends in the gaming community and angle to be invited along to private game sessions. Go to game conventions, trade fairs, and new game launches. Call up game manufacturers and publishers large and small and ask them if they're looking for play testers. Get on those lists! Ask questions, try everything out, make contacts.
You needn't do all this before you start working on your own game. Like other creatives, you're probably working on it all the time, even in the shower or while you're asleep. But you should totally consider 'maxing out' on all possible game play situations as the first — and ongoing — step toward a successful board game of your own.
Now, go make yourself a coffee and settle down for the long read. Because we'd like you to check out this post: How to Design a Professional Board Game. It's long, and it's super in-depth. Basically, it's a detailed total guide to everything you need to know to design a successful board game. Go check it now, bookmark it for later; read it. It'll save you a lot of money on expensive game design books.
Talk to us. We can help.
When you're ready to make your prototype game, get in touch. We have decades of experience helping up-and-coming game designers just like you to print and manufacture either a professional-level prototype to tout around trade fairs, conventions, and game publishers; or a batch to send to your Kickstarter supporters; or a long run if you've already decided to go the full self-publishing route. We're friendly, we have the knowledge, and we have the latest technology at our disposal.
Now, go get creative. We can't wait to help you realize the world's next mind-blowing new board game. And whenever you're ready to chat, shoot us an email to [email protected] or call us on +1 951 866 3971 and we'll be delighted to do all we can to help you.