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The Builder · № 07

Built a Working Game

Designed and built a playable game (board, card, video, physical) that other people have played from start to finish.

The idea

Playtest with a stranger before you call the game finished. Friends will be polite and play through the broken parts. A neighbor kid with no investment in your game will get confused in 30 seconds and tell you exactly where the rules break. That feedback is the second half of the build. Most professional game designers still ship games that needed one more stranger.

Steps
  1. Decide the win condition first. Without a spine, the game has no game.
  2. Build a playable prototype in a day. Don't polish.
  3. Playtest with one stranger. Note confusion and boredom.
  4. Cut the rules that didn't work. First games have twice the rules they need.
What counts

A game other people played start to finish, with rules your kid can explain. A photo of a play session is plenty.