3 tips for newbie game designers

Have you invented a game? Would you like to see it conquer the world? Budding game inventors often contact us with great game ideas. But alas, we have very niche tastes, and we only publish 1 or fewer new games per year. So if a game company like us isn’t interested, what else can you do? Here are three good options:

Etsy

Etsy.com is a website for selling handmade products. If you have an early stage prototype of your game that’s fun to play, why not make a few more and sell them on Etsy? You’ll get very valuable feedback. The principle of “minimum viable product” means getting your game on sale as early as possible, without investing your life-savings. Then continually tweak it to perfection as your sales grow. The advantage is you feel your way gradually to success rather than making one big bet.

Kickstarter

If you are using a supplier to make your games, and you need a certain quantity for your first order, Kickstarter.com will get you your finance and your first lot of sales in one hit. The idea is to run a “campaign” for a couple of weeks, where people pledge an amount of money for a “reward” (typically a copy of your game). At the end of the campaign you’ll only get the money if you raised enough to meet your target, otherwise all your backers get a refund. It’s wise to set a funding target that’s a low as you can possibly tolerate. You’ll also want to get your PR ducks lined up before you go live: ask a few bloggers, games magazines, or whoever else to review your game and publicise it just as your campaign starts.

Fair trade

We use a fair trade supplier in India called Asha Handicrafts. Compared to a factory in China, fair trade suppliers will typically be able to handle smaller first orders, and other fair trade importers (like us) may be able to help you reduce import costs by sharing a shipping container. We would especially recommend Asha for wooden games. Give us a call if you’re thinking of working with them.