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Gamestormers (and Sloane) Took Their First Steps

My daughter, Sloane, has been flirting with taking her first steps these past few weeks. She easily pulls herself up from sitting, wobbles a bit, and then sits down. Each time, she cracks a smile… almost as if she knows that she can do… Continue Reading “Gamestormers (and Sloane) Took Their First Steps”

Lessons We Can Learn from from Wordle

Unless you’ve been without internet access for the past three months, there’s a good chance you’ve stumbled upon Wordle, the addictive, once-a-day word puzzle game that is one part Mastermind, one part Hangman. Although Wordle itself is not a new game concept per se,… Continue Reading “Lessons We Can Learn from from Wordle”

Sloane & Gamestormers Stand on Their Own

Although it is always exciting to see your baby hit milestones, I do think that baby Sloane’s most recent accomplishment is a bit concerning. Sloane is standing on her own. Don’t get me wrong – I’m happy! But it’s the way in which she’s… Continue Reading “Sloane & Gamestormers Stand on Their Own”

Building Your Game Lore

One of the best parts about designing a game is the act of creating a world where the game lives. Deciding how your game inhabits the world and how your mechanics align with the characters, setting, and events of the world you’ve created. As… Continue Reading “Building Your Game Lore”

Gamestormers at Protospiel Madison

One of the best parts about the game creation journey has been the people I meet along the way, as well as embracing new adventures in the field. On a whim, I signed up for what is referred to as a “protospiel,” or an… Continue Reading “Gamestormers at Protospiel Madison”

Crawling Before You Walk with Live Playtests and Babies

My daughter is mere days away from becoming a full, crawling baby. I always comment to my wife that it feels like we just brought her home from the hospital, yet it was nearly eight months ago. Eight! It’s unbelievable to me how easily… Continue Reading “Crawling Before You Walk with Live Playtests and Babies”

Killing Your Darlings in Game Design

If you’ve ever engaged in writing, design, filming, and really ANY creative endeavor – you have probably heard the phrase “kill your darlings.” In short, to kill your darlings is to destroy something that you spent hours lovingly crafting. It might be words on… Continue Reading “Killing Your Darlings in Game Design”

Good Designers Listen. Great Designers Listen and Grow.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to learn from a variety of colleagues during my time in education, game design, and much more. If you’ve ever caught my podcast, you’ll notice that I frequently cite Gabe Barrett of Board Game Design Lab and his podcast for… Continue Reading “Good Designers Listen. Great Designers Listen and Grow.”

Using Early Feedback to Enhance a Game

I don’t know if there is a greater high in the game design world than getting playtest feedback from players, especially those who aren’t your family or friends. Don’t get me wrong – my closest friends and relatives have been INCREDIBLY helpful in shaping… Continue Reading “Using Early Feedback to Enhance a Game”

Digitizing Gamestormers on Tabletopia

This past week has been an absolute thrill in terms of the development of Gamestormers. For starters, I shipped out over 20 copies of the physical Gamestormers prototype to playtesters across the United States. I’ve dabbled in using a combination of Stamps.com and my… Continue Reading “Digitizing Gamestormers on Tabletopia”