Inventing an Out of the Box Game - By Max Winter Osterhaus
Inventing an Out of the Box
Game. Do you want to be a game inventor? Check out the below tips from Out of
the Box Director of Product Development, Max Osterhaus, for inventing,
submitting and publishing a bestselling game.
Inventing
• The core of a good game is a quality game mechanic. The
mechanic is what you have left if you remove the theme and any components. Your
new game should have a unique mechanic. While you may have elements from other
games, making another ‘version’ of an existing game is generally not as
appealing to publishers as an entirely new concept.
• When you are inventing your game, think about the market
that will want to play this game. Think about this market as you develop every
element of the game to give your game a more cohesive feel.
• Make sure that every element in your game has a purpose.
Don’t worry about not having enough rules or components, sometimes the simplest
games are the best games.
• Playtest, playtest, playtest!
Submitting
• Do some research! Make sure that you are submitting your
game to the appropriate publishers. Your game should be a logical addition to
their assortment.
• Follow the publisher’s directions on how to submit, and
make sure your submission is professional looking.
• The game business is a tough business. Of the tens
thousands of the games that are invented each year, only a handful are
published. Listen to the feedback you receive from the publishing companies, and
don’t get discouraged, your game might just need some tweaks, or you may be
pitching the wrong publishing company.
Publishing
If your game does get licensed by a publishing company,
congratulations! Work with the inventor relations person to determine what your
role will be going forward. Just remember that it takes time for a game to gain
a following, so stay patient and promote it to friends and family!
For more information on designing games, go to
www.gamedesigncentral.com
To submit a game to Out of the Box, go to
http://www.otb-games.com/about.html#submissions
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