90-81: A Decade of Game Design Wisdom

Board game designer Adam Porter starts an epic journey through 10 years of lessons he's learned about design and the board game industry.
0:00 Introduction
0:47 Keep your day job
3:49 It is not easier to design a simple game
4:57 There are too many of us
5:58 Downtime kills a game
7:22 Write in second person
8:10 Nobody is going to steal your unpublished idea
11:09 Submission forms suck
12:44 The first play is everything
13:48 Lift other designers up
15:40 Never debate a rejection

[@thegnome54]

Hi Adam, I just wanted to thank you for your wonderful content! I’ve recently realized that I’m a game designer (phrased according to your last video’s fourth tip 😂) and your videos have been incredibly helpful in giving me context and direction. I really appreciate your positive attitude and honesty about this industry. Thank you for your support and advice!

[@AdaminWales]

Thanks - well done on “becoming” a game designer :) I’m glad you think the videos have a positive outlook - I worry that they’re too cynical! 😅

[@whoeveriam0iam14222]

12:44 really important point. even with movies or series you often hear that the second or third season is really great. I'll just give up and go somewhere where the first season is fun

[@thedspenguin]

loving the quotes at the end of every entry.

[@AdaminWales]

Thanks! I couldn’t find a relevant quote for every entry, but I was pleased to find so many to sprinkle across each video. Glad they’re appreciated :)

[@sirguy6678]

Great video! Adam- would you consider writing a “game designer’s handbook “? I think half of the book would be scripts from your videos 😂/ most current game designers books are just essays - mostly boring- I have learned more from your videos than any other source- thanks for all you do!

[@AdaminWales]

Much appreciated. I have thought about bringing the scripts together into one coherent whole. I certainly have written enough to make a pretty substantial book.
But there are so many game design books out there - I’m not sure what the market is like. Might be a lot of work for minimal reward. And I’ve never been motivated to self-publish my games, let alone a book.
I’ve also thought about running a course, or starting a consultancy (I get so many emails requesting help with viewer’s designs). But I always come back to “what do I want to do” rather than “what could I do” because all these things would take so much time - and I don’t have any time to spare due to day job / family / game design / RUclips,
Thanks for the suggestion though!

[@timdemoss]

If you do end up writing, I would purchase for sure - I bought several of the books off your recommendation video awhile back and have loved them.
Maybe as a first book you could just type up this exact series? “A Decade of Game Design Wisdom: The Book.” Even if it’s essentially a transcript of this series, I bet people would still buy to have an analog copy in one place. Could be a nice way for you to see if you enjoy the book publishing process, especially since you’ve done most of the writing already.
But totally get what you mentioned about doing what you love! Thanks for making the videos. They’re incredibly helpful :)

[@dr.masquesretroelixir5360]

Thanks, Adam. A lot of good advice. 🥃

[@mlmattin]

I'm really enjoying this series! Thanks for sharing.

[@TheDerekSaenz]

Great video series! Well-organized and points people to REALITY.

[@AdaminWales]

Thanks - glad it is feeling grounded. I think you’re right that a lot of new designers have unrealistic expectations so hopefully these videos help them to see what is genuinely likely to happen for them - both positive and negative.

[@Dark_Peace]

"nobody's got the time to play the game 5 or 10 times before figuring out if they enjoy it"
MMORPG players leaving a bad steam review with 3000h of playtime : "those are rookie numbers"

[@danielschreiner9342]

This has been so great. Thank you so much for your knowledge and expertise. Loving this series.

[@AdaminWales]

Thanks for watching. Glad you’re enjoying it.

[@crossiqu]

Thank you Adam, your insights are very valuable to me. Thank you for your effort and generosity

[@AdaminWales]

Thanks for watching and stopping by to comment - glad you found the video useful.

[@matt_stowball]

Wow, so much of this rings true

[@darkmage7771]

Appreciate all your insights, and this series is great!

[@AdaminWales]

Glad you’re enjoying it - thanks for stopping by to comment!

[@TisButAScratch666]

Thanks Adam

[@AdaminWales]

You’re welcome. Thanks for watching.