Developer's Digest
So, by popular request (well, popular for me, anyway), I want to start documenting a little of what I actually do in the game design process. I have a little downtime right now, but I have an assignment and 2 proposals I need to get ready for Gencon, so I think I'll use these as a starting point for how this whole crazy thing called game design works.

So you want to write a game...
This is question numero uno that everyone asks me - "How did you get in?" My answer (aside from that in my first post) is either 'luck,' 'hard friggin' work' or 'right place, right time.' Actually, it is all three, depending on my mood and what stage of a project I am in when you ask. Freelance game design is no picnic - it doesn't pay particularly well (compared to a day job, at least), it's almost always done during your "free time" (which is rarely free anyway) and is an arduous combination of creativity, attention to canon and brand, following an increasingly large set of rules and lots of algebra, all under pressure-cooker deadlines. Amazingly, however, it is still very rewarding, particularly the day you see your name on the cover of your first book and can say 'That's mine, dammit.' Just know it's only fun when you're not doing it ;)

What do you need to get in? It's the old catch-22 of any writing job - can't get experience without work, can't get work without experience. The best thing you can have is a published credit - and it doesn't necessarily mean in a game. If applying for fiction work, use stories published in a paper or journal; if going for a mechanical position, try something like technical writing or other creative presentation of facts. Personally, I found a system to latch onto (d20), then starting building a portfolio.

Meeting designers and other industry folk is also a big help - when someone knows you exist, and that you can do the work, you have a leg up over some shmoe off the street. Once you get your foot in the door, network your ass off. Build relationships with people, ask about work coming up and hand out cards and samples. Go to local cons, Gencon and maybe Origins or GAMA, if you've got the cash. Your work may speak for itself, but it's up to you to get it to publisher's hands.

Start small, too - you won't likely come in from the cold and get a book proposal picked up. The industry is so small and lives on such a shoestring budget, that they are pretty conservative about the risks they take. Try working on one of their lines, then once you have established yourself, throw out that new, fresh idea you have.

Build a niche. Like everything in life, specialization is a great way to get people's attention. Become a kickass designer or writer of a product, then show you can branch out. If you have a good reputation, your success in one line may be anticipated in another.

Lastly, don't expect to get rich. Don't quit your day job once you get a foot in the door, cause many companies are either unstable (living from book to book) or don't want to hire people full time. Having the right expectations will help you succeed.

Well, that's it for the sage advice this week. More as it develops.