Do you want to become a Game Designer but don’t know where to start?
A great way to begin is by designing a tabletop or board game. Why? Because you can create a prototype using paper and simple objects, without needing any programming or software.
- Choose a board game that is easy to learn, most importantly, pick a game you enjoy. For example: Snake and Ladder.
- Take notes on what you like about the game.
- Identify the objects needed to play your designed game. For example: Dice, Token.
- Determine your target players. For example: Single-player or multiplayer, children, teenagers, or adults.
- Write down the features you want to add, remove, or modify to make the game more interesting. For example: Making the game simpler to play and more engaging.
- Create a rough prototype by drawing the game board and rules on paper card (if possible) or using objects to represent features in your design. For example: Using LEGO pieces.
- Test your game repeatedly. If a feature makes the game unplayable, remove or modify it as needed.
- Keep testing until you can play the game from start to finish.
- Document your process and start adding new features that can make the game more fun.
- Try playing with other people once you feel the prototype is ready.
- Gather feedback from other players and update your design.
- Continue iterating until the game plays smoothly based on their feedback.
- Keep improving until you have created a completely new game.
- This iteration process can continue as long as needed until the game reaches its optimal stage.
- Avoid over-engineering or overthinking that may take the game too far from its original concept (e.g., changing its genre entirely).
- At this stage, you should be able to create a Game Design Document (GDD) based on your experience from testing and player feedback.
Congratulations, you are now a Game Designer! 😊
Implementation
An example of a game I have worked on using this technique is a simplified version of Ludo, designed to make the gameplay much faster.
The procedure I have carried out:
- Reduced the board size by 60%.
- Applied 60% of the original game’s rules.
- Used 50% of the original game’s tokens.
You can try the game at the following link: