What makes a Game Designer??

Something that @atminnn said on Twitter the other day has kind of resonated with me.  He grouped me up with a bunch of other people and identified us as game designers.  It feels really odd being called a "game designer" and I really don't think I earned that title.  I haven't done anything legendary.  I haven't produced anything that anyone has actually ever played.  I have never made a cent from any game that I've ever written (my own parents don't really want to buy my stuff and if my wife bought it, she'd be using my money, so that doesn't even count....).

But, in the end, does any of that really matter?

To date, I have put together a bunch of homebrew material for D&D 4e (still working on getting the GSL and WotC mark of approval up here... sorry I'm just really lazy.  It is all compliant though).  But, really, that is more content development than game design.  I would say that virtually every DM who has ever role played could pretty easily call him or herself a content developer.  The content you generate may not ever get used, or it may get used in only your game, but content is content.  You have made something real and concrete and if you put it on the internet (and make it free) chances are somebody is going to use what your wrote in their game for no other reason than that people are fundamentally lazy.  I procrastinate like a beast, so it is often much easier to just take somebody else's idea and use it as my own.  This is so much more the case now with 4e D&D than it was when I played 3e all the time.  Back then I was much more inclined to simply use things as they are and not do much reskinning or homebrewing of my own. Now, things have really changed.  I feel like the system is so easily homebrewed that I can do it easily on my own.  But, since the system is also so easy to brew for, I also feel like it is much easier to put confidence into the homebrew of others.  I can look at a statblock and within a few seconds figure out if the creature is going to be too easy or too hard to fight.  Content that is spot on gets used.  Hell, content that is off gets adjusted, then gets used.

I'd say that being a content developer is a lot easier than being a game developer and I feel much more comfortable accepting that mantle.  But really, is game developer any different?

To date, I have put out three different games, but none of these games were developed independantly.  I did my first game: Bloody Stuff, for the 2009 24 Hour RPG and based the game off of the theme "Teddy Bear Blood Sports".  I think I was on one of the lists for good looking games, but I didn't win anything. I never really thought I would.  I made a valiant effort, but it didn't really amount to much and the time constraint was punishingly hard.

In fall of 2010 I entered in the Game Chef competition with my RPG Edge of Annihilation: The Last City.  I tried to make a Post-Apocolyptic RPG/Board Game which mimicked sim city. It was simply too far reaching and I didn't really feal satisfied with my work.  Since then, I have been going back to the concept for this game, that of an RPG/Board Game based off of Sim City and have been revising and redefining what I want to get out of it.

Most recently, I developed Alone in the Woods, this time again for the 24 Hour RPG Contest.  I even tweeted the whole thing as well.  That was a lot of fun and I think I have gotten a lot better at designing, developing, and producing original stuff.  The people that have read this one have said they really liked it, which I think is awesome.

So, can you really call me a game designer?  I have put out 3 games, none of which was over 30 pages in real content, and to my knowledge, nobody has ever played any of them.  I certainly haven't gotten a chance to.  Nobody I know has the time to run any of these games.  Do i want to?  Sure!  I would love to eventually play one of the games that I made.  It might be a while, but eventually... I'll get somebody who will give me the time of day.

I was listening to Giant Fire Breathing Robot the other day on the train back from Tokyo.  They had somebody on who was talking about getting out there and doing.  I like that sentiment.  I don't think I could really quote him perfectly, but what he said was interesting.  If you want to be the next great podcaster, you need to get out there and podcast.  The same holds true for writing.  If you want to write the next hit novel, you need to get out there and write.  I think you could say the same holds true for Game Development.  If you want to be the world's next big game developer (something I'm not really aiming for, but it would sure be nice) you have to get out there and develop games.

So, I guess I would call myself a game developer.  I'm still a newb though.  I still have lots of people that I look to as mentors so I'm not really the person you want to be asking game development questions about.  There are more educated people out there who have done much more than I have.  But the point I'm trying to make is this: it doesn't take much to be a game designer.  All you need to do is have an idea, put that idea onto paper, and assemble those ideas in such a way so that the ideas you have can be experienced and played with some office supplies and oddly shaped dice.  It's that easy.  If you've got an idea, do something about it.  If you have problems, like I do, with working independantly on stuff, go enter into a contest.  The 24 Hour RPG Contest is, if nothing else, a great place to get motivated, get pressured, and get criticism.  If you enter the contest, you are guarenteed that at least a few people are going to download your game, read it, and tell you what they think of it.  The criticism might be painful (remember this is the internet), but it will also be good for you.  Learn to love it. 

City Builder RPG - Free General Rules PDF coming soon

I have been doing some serious hacking to my Game Chef entry for this year. If you didn't catch what it was called, you missed a big flop. Edge of Annihilation: The Last City, was too long, wordy, needed editing, the rules were hard to understand, and the system was overly complex. Hopefully, this will all have changed when I release the first edition of the City Builder RPG - general rules next month. This RPG will be available in a Free PDF form. I will also be releasing several different versions of the game over next year - these versions of the game will be based off building a city, cooperatively and competitively, in fantasy, post-apocolyptic, sci-fi, and survival horror based worlds. Each of these games will use the same basic rules set, but slightly modified to fit the setting, and, have added flavor to make the game fit the mood better.

Stay tuned to catch the game when it makes its debut in early 2011.

Rewriting Edge of Annihilation

I know I never got around to posting up my game, Edge of Annihilation, but I will be doing that sooner than later.

I have been revising the rules somewhat, trying to make it a bit easier to figure out, and a bit stronger on the roleplay section. I hope that this comes across when the game is finished and ready for PDFing. I might actually put together a box set for this game which you may be able to order.

I am really liking the coming results and I think many people will enjoy the new edition of the game.

Edge of Annihilation Reviewed for Game Chef

Well, my entry finally got reviewed on Game Chef. It was about what I expected. I did a very rush job of putting this together and I was barely able to get through all the mechanics of the game, but given the feedback I received, I have a fairly good idea of how I want to improve this game to make it really good. I feel like once I put some more effort into the fluff, the mechanics of the game (once explained more fully) will hold up.

Thanks for the Review.

My Game Chef Entry

OK... I am really loving this whole Game Chef thing. It has been a much better experience so far than my entry for the 24 Hour RPG a couple years ago. That time frame is just too stressful. I have been pounding it out like crazy for the last few days and I think I have myself a very interesting system and a very interesting game concept. Ill post up the whole thing on my blog and on other sites when it is done, but at this point, I don't want to give anything away.

I have been using the optional elements:
Edge
Desert
City
I ignored Skin; I didn't feel like I could incorporate into my game concept very easily. I guess that I will tease that my game is a cross between what I imagine Settler's of Cattan must be like (though I haven't really played much of it), SimCity, Gamma World, and Shadowrun; these elements are all stirred up in a Mad Max pot. That is a lot of comparing... I hope it turns out the way I want it to. There is a long way to go before I sleep. Gotta find somebody who is willing to play this game with me at some point.

Game Chef 2010

Well, there are only a few days left until the end of Game Chef 2010, but I like the way it works, so I think I am going to throw my hand in and try to roll up an entry. We will see how this works out.

Here is a link to the site - http://gamechef.wordpress.com/2010-contest-rules/ if you see me on there, you know that my head is working....

Haven't really gotten a title for it yet, but I am sure something will come out shortly enough.