Ever played a fun card or board game and thought to yourself, I could create a game like this!? Well, the design and publication of a card or board game can be an enjoyable and thrilling challenge. Although “designing a game idea” sounds easy to do, there are numerous steps needed to make it a reality. If you love such games as the ones available on platforms such as BingoSlot, you may like to know how these games are designed and shared with the world. In this article, we’ll take a look at the process behind designing and publishing a card or board game, and if it’s as hard as you might think.
1. The Concept: Generating Playful Ideas
All games begin with a spark of an idea. Seems simple, right? But designing a game that is fun and challenging is not easy. In creating a card/board game you must consider how it is played, who plays it, and what sets it apart. That the best card games with a deck of cards are almost always simple to learn but difficult to perfect is what keeps players coming back for more.
You may initially have a really simple idea like a point collection game or a board piece moving game. From then on, you have to make rules. Ask specific questions, like how do players win? What if they do something wrong? The first and even the most important challenge is coming up with a concept because it lies at the base of your game.
2. Setting the Rules: Keeping It Fun and Fair
The next step once you have your idea for your game is to create rules. This is a balancing act because you want the game to be balanced and fair for everyone who plays it. For example, if it is a card/board game for adults you might want it to be competitive, but you definitely don’t want one player always winning. There are rules that must be clear, and everyone needs to have a fair shot at achieving it.
This step can take much longer than expected. You might create a set of rules, playtest the game with some friends or family members and discover that something isn’t working. Perhaps part of the game is too easy, or perhaps players of a particular variation are not getting a certain rule. It can require several rounds of testing and adjustment before the rules hit that sweet spot.
Perhaps the most important aspect of game design: Testing. When you play a game as a tester, you’re trying to find pieces that don’t work, pieces that break the game and make it too easy or too difficult, pieces that might make the game better. You should also test the game play the some other age groups to ensure they enjoy the game, children and adults.
3. Designing the Thing: Art and Components
And now for the fun part — let’s design the game pieces! Whether you are designing a card game, a board game, or both, you will need to consider the appearance of your game. For a card game with a deck of cards, you have to design each card. What pictures or symbols will the cards contain? Are there any other special cards that will change the game, like a “wild” card in Uno or a “chance” card in Monopoly?
If you’re making a board game, you will also need to make a game board (and choose pieces that players will move). How will the pieces look? Will they be bright, elaborate, or minimal? You will also have to decide what the actual board looks like—will it be a map, will it be a grid, or something else?
This is where the visual element of game design kicks in. You either draw your designs yourself or hire someone to do the artwork. It is important to ensure that design is clear and easy for players to grasp. Some of the best card games for adults have clean, simple designs that allow players to have fun without getting distracted by the artwork.
4. Building a Prototype: Trying It Out
Now that you have your rules and designs in place, it’s time to create a prototype. A prototype is a rough version of the game you can playtest with others. You don’t have to perfect at this stage, but it should give people a feel for how the game works.
You can print out the cards on paper or cardboard to make a prototype for a card game. For a board game, you could use a piece of cardboard as a simple game board and use markers, or that you could already have around the house, like coins or pieces from other games as game pieces.
The key thing in prototype is to test it. Arrange a party and play the game with all of your friends. What are the rules, and ensure everyone is aware of them and whether the game is fun. Has everyone explained how to play? Is there a dissonance or something that could be better? This is your opportunity to correct any issues before the game moves to the next step.
5. Production: Printing and Binding
Once you’ve perfected the game through testing, it’s time to consider how to make the game available to others. The next step is usually the most difficult for new game designers since it deals with money and hydraulic producers to make the game.
If you are creating a card game with a deck of cards, you will have to look for a printing house that prints high-quality cards. If you’re designing a board game, you need to work out how to print a game board and ensure its pieces are durable. This production cost depends a lot on how many copies of the game you wish to produce, the general rule of thumb would be, the more games you produce, the cheaper the price per game.
A few concepts are even supported through crowdfunding websites, such as Kickstarter. These sites enable you to pitch your game idea to the others and if people like it they pledge money to help fund the project. Once you have the necessary funds, you can send your game to the manufacturer and begin making copies.
6. Publishing: Putting Your Game on Store Shelves
Then comes the most challenging part of all: Getting your game onto store shelves or on the web. This is one of the hardest parts as you will now have to find a company or distributor who will want to sell your game. Others sell through online dealers like BingoSlot or independent chains, or through games publishers, which have links with local high street stores.
If your goal is to get your game into stores, you may need to be pitching to a game publisher. Publishers can assist in marketing, selling, and distribution, making it easier to reach a wider audience.
Conclusion
Not an easy task creating and publishing a card or board game. It takes considerable time, effort and patience. It can take months or years to go from idea to rules-testing, piece-designing and publisher-finding. But the reward of seeing people play a game you made and have fun with it is all worth it.
If you, however, want to design the perfect card games for adults, or splash out on designing new card games for adults, the processes are entirely the same. It’s definitely doable if you have a brilliant idea, a hunger to learn and the persistence to keep honing your craft. Keep in mind though, the process takes time, and the focus should be on building a game that people will have fun playing.
So the next time you play a game like those available on BingoSlot, consider how much work goes into creating a game. You might think of your own game and spread it to the world someday!
