It Takes a Village to Make a Game

I’m incredibly fortunate to have a family who supports my dream of making Gamestormers a reality. Whether it is sharing social media posts, telling friends about the game’s progress, or lending a hand with baby Sloane or Mozzie the pup, my parents, in-laws, and many more have been there to help.

So, naturally, when I sheepishly asked my parents and in-laws to help my wife and me put together Gamestormers kits for playtesters, they did not hesitate. Little did they know that making the kits involved putting tiny stickers on dice, oh-so-carefully stapling the bindings of instruction booklets, and laminating playmat after playmat for Gamestormers.

Long story short, they realized quickly that assembling kits sounded a lot easier than the reality. Thankfully I was able to compensate them with some pizza and quality time with their baby granddaughter, Sloane. My wife and I, however, realized a simple truth: we would have been absolutely drowning in kit assembly without this family support!

My takeaway from the whole experience has been simple: it takes a village to make a game. It may sound glamorous to go it alone, be your own designer, playtester, and assembly line, but you’ll end up with tunnel vision and a metric TON of work. I cannot describe how many times my wife has given me incredible, honest feedback. I cannot describe how many times a friend has noted an area of improvement or idea for the game. And I cannot describe how much my parents and in-laws have given their time to help us with Sloane while I continue to refine Gamestormers.

Find your village – it doesn’t have to be family either. It could be a local playtesting and gaming group. It could be some passionate coworkers. But you’ll need a village in any creative endeavor, and you need to be willing to pay it forward to your village as well. For my parents and in-laws, my paying it forward is usually technology support and troubleshooting. And it’s worth every minute to have that village along for this ride.

I’m incredibly excited to hear the playtester’s feedback about Gamestormers. All of these kits were made possible by my village – a combination of people who inspired me, a family who supported me, and a wife who pushes me each day. Who’s in your village? Make sure you thank them for what they do to support your endeavors!