Just a brief update...

I got my first rejection letter!  I know, I know.  You're all very proud of me.  Well, I'm proud of myself as well.

Truth is, I didn't expect my first submission would be a success, and the critique offered was justified.  To be transparent, I identified the objections raised before I ever thought about sending my game off for publication.

But, the gentleman who I corresponded with could not have been more courteous and encouraging.  My supervisor at my actual job described the letter as "The nicest kick in the nuts" he'd ever read.  I'm heading to the next company with my game, so we'll see.

Theming Part Two

The card game I wrote about in my previous post on theming is coming along.  At this point it is an actual game... not just a mocked-up idea of a game.  I have a design for some poker-sized cards (though some real ART would be nice).

Which means, of course, I'm already knee deep in my next game idea.  I know, I know.  But I can't help it.

Anyways, most recreational projects I take on start by setting a novel goal for myself.  So, I decided I'd try to make a game that would score well on Garfield's Cosmic Poker scale.  To do so I thought I'd try my hand at a new genre: Designers games (a.k.a. Eurogames).  Now, I make no guarantees that I will actually accomplish said goal, but it at least got the ideas flowing.

Themes and Flavor

I am currently developing a casual-style card game, and I have to say that it is shaping up nicely.  The mechanics are simple, the learning curve is shallow, but there is a discernable level of strategic play.  Play testing has been pretty good so far.


But I was hung up on a different level: Theming.  It's interesting to me that the core of the game (let's say the "game engine") can be nicely tuned and working great, but without a proper theme it can still feel lacking.

Serious Gaming: Part 2

(Continuing from the previous post.)


But for all the positives that serious gaming may have, there are some notable dangers.  The one that I think needs to be highlighted is this: Taking it too Seriously.


This is the same thing that happens when screamed profanity barrels past the teeth of angry parents at tee-ball.  But usually, "taking it too seriously" isn't nearly that obvious.


More often, in my experience, it is a gradual process in which your energy expended increases while your enjoyment decreases.  It's an awful situation to be in, because the primary (and by which I mean physiological, psychological, and sociological) benefits of gaming are eroded, and - as stated previously - the game becomes work.


And you know what they say: All work and no play makes Jack a worn-out, burned out, neurotic overeater who is no fun to be around and gets very little done.  Or something like that.

Serious Gaming: Part 1

I think the value of casual gaming is fairly self-evident.  People want a bit of a distraction, something with little pressure, little stress, and little effort.  It may be a way of fighting boredom (games like Solitaire, for example), or it may be a venue to be social (party or family style games like Cranium or Warioware).  And without any real research into it, my suspicion is that the vast majority of people who play games at all play almost exclusively at the casual level.  

But there is a segment of gamers who are much more invested - personally as well as fiscally - in the games they play.  They tend to gravitate to a different type of game.  Strategy or mechanical skill seem to be the prime factors of interest, because they serve as a means of bettering one's ability to play.  And for the serious gamer, that is the what keeps the player playing.