How to Start as a Game Designer

A question I get asked a lot back at home in Maryland is something along the lines of "I am interested in Game Design, where do I start?" People seem to really enjoy playing games and consider becoming a Game Designer because of this. This goes with any person still in grade school who is looking to seek a profession. It takes a lot of time for many people to find what their purpose in life is, but as a Game Designer, it is very easy to find out if you like it or not. So my advice is not only applicable to finding a passion in Game Design, but with all professions. The advice is the following:

If you have a passion for it, do it.

Let me clarify, having a desire or curiosity for Game Design can be sated by actively practicing it. Here is a short guide to starting out as a Game Designer if you do not know where to start. Be sure that while you follow these steps, look inward and see if you really enjoy doing this. There have been countless designers at my school who have naively pursued game design because they enjoy playing games. Pursue it because you love making them. Here are the steps:

1. Critical Thinking: Start small and play a board game you enjoy and think critically about it. Look at the mechanics and design of the game and try and find out why the designers made the decisions they did.

2. Game Modification: Make a modification to a board game you enjoy playing. This modification could be rolling two dice instead of three for movement, but make sure to keep the change small. After you make a modification. Play the game with family or friends and see how it turned out. Afterwards, ask them what they liked/disliked. Bonus points if you play with people you do not know, as they are likely to give you unbiased feedback. Once you get feedback, see what went wrong and try and fix it. Repeat this process a few times. Be sure to not do it forever as you will eventually end up going in loops.

3. Make a board game: This may seem like a daunting task, but it will only help you hone your skills. Playtest your game a lot more this time. Except make sure to specify what you are testing and not the entire game. Otherwise, you will get a lot of information at once and it will be hard to discern the information given.

For explanation as to why to start with board games, it is the easiest and cheapest way to understand Game Design. You can see all the components right in front of you and are also able to see the inter workings of the design. A video game takes a lot more effort to put together with programming knowledge required.

If you do all three of these steps with joy, you will be in good standing to pursue Game Design. If you have any further questions regarding starting with Game Design or anything, feel free to email me at johngheadley@gmail.com. Good Luck!