Anyone else on here submit a game to Cardboard Edison? I think the deadline is coming up soon.
Cardboard Edison Award
Mon, 01/31/2022 - 21:50
Mon, 01/31/2022 - 22:37
#1
Doug it's nice that you posted this...
On January 31, 2022... When the submissions are CLOSED as of TOMORROW?!?! Also why does Cardboard Edison need to make a cash grab from everything they do??? I mean $10 USD per submission...? Couldn't it be FREE. It's like the management of their Publisher List. You need to pay $25 USD to have one-time access to...
It seems like everything they do... They do so at a price.
Anyways you compare with someone like Jamey Stegmaier who public discloses his Business Best Practices FREE. He talks about his experience with various Warehouses and discloses their names (and doesn't hide behind a $25 USD fee)...
Okay so Jamey wrote a book. He's far more successful with his Board Games. But granted I'm sure many people bought his book too...
Anyways... BGDF.com is free and open to all designers independent of their age or knowledge/experience. We look at it as being a "community". I guess everyone would rather pay $10 USD than post up their ideas in a Forum Thread and engage in some parlay between designers.
I'll never understand it TBH.
Tue, 02/01/2022 - 20:42
#3
Some Thoughts
Sorry to learn I missed another opportunity to have my prototypes in front of a publisher once again. I've been out of the loop for some time, though. So I've no one to blame but myself.
I have a ton of thoughts to share on this topic, but I'll spare you all the most of it. However, I can't pass up the opportunity to re-tell this classic "joke."
UP-AND-COMER:
Hey, thanks a lot for taking these photos of my new, awesome product! I'm sure I'll be successful after this. These photos look great!
PHOTOGRAPHER:
Yeah, about that... I was hoping you could, you know, actually pay me for those photos. It took a lot of time and effort to edit and develop those. I would really appreciate it if you could slide some cash my way.
U.A.C.:
Oh, you don't really expect money for these photos, do you? I thought all you photographer types would appreciate the exposure?
PHOTOGRAPHER:
...Well, hey. My rent costs only 800 exposures a month!
Tue, 02/01/2022 - 23:00
#4
I did!
I've got a game I've
I did!
I've got a game I've been tinkering on few a few years and finally getting to a point where I think I'm ready for the next step. Planning to hit the contest circuit this year while my artist starts on graphic design and illustrations.
Tue, 02/01/2022 - 23:13
#5
While I'm here, anyone know
While I'm here, anyone know of some good board game design contests? I know about the Cardboard Edison and Ion Award.
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 11:07
#6
questccg wrote:On January 31,
On January 31, 2022... When the submissions are CLOSED as of TOMORROW?!?! Also why does Cardboard Edison need to make a cash grab from everything they do??? I mean $10 USD per submission...? Couldn't it be FREE. It's like the management of their Publisher List. You need to pay $25 USD to have one-time access to...
It seems like everything they do... They do so at a price.
Anyways you compare with someone like Jamey Stegmaier who public discloses his Business Best Practices FREE. He talks about his experience with various Warehouses and discloses their names (and doesn't hide behind a $25 USD fee)...
Okay so Jamey wrote a book. He's far more successful with his Board Games. But granted I'm sure many people bought his book too...
Anyways... BGDF.com is free and open to all designers independent of their age or knowledge/experience. We look at it as being a "community". I guess everyone would rather pay $10 USD than post up their ideas in a Forum Thread and engage in some parlay between designers.
I'll never understand it TBH.
I'll never understand why people don't think someone should be paid for their work.
Cardboard Edison doesn't own a publishing company. Their job is running a website that is invaluable to designers.
For only $2 a month you can support them on Patreon and get access to an up-to-date, constantly curated database of publishers - what they are looking for, how to submit, etc. Plus you get free entry into a contest that every year results in (basically) guaranteed publishing contract for the top 1-10 games. As a designer, there is nothing you could spend money on for a better return at that price.
The judges for the contest are all industry experts. Your game will get judged by a published designer, a publisher, and another expert (reviewer, content creator, etc).
The benefits you get from this contest far exceed $10. It's laughable that you don't want to pay people what they are worth.
How many publishers are scrolling this website? You get what you pay for.
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 16:29
#7
To me it seems like it's a CASH grab...
So 1,000 games get submitted @ $10 USD per game, that's $10,000 USD. We've never made that kind of monies on BGDF.com. I think my running total in terms of banner ads is maybe $500-$600 USD. But I don't go crazy and look for all kinds of people looking to advertise. No I focus on game-related contributors. People and services that I believe can help our community not just pure ads.
It's not that "I don't want to pay people what they are worth" ... It's that you don't see or understand the principles behind these contests. Rich told me the monthly design showdown was a way of getting people to share their design ideas based on restrictions of some type. It wasn't a "cash" grab but an "idea" grab.
Do you think this award contest is no different???
Hmm... Come to think of it, do you think the judges are PAID?!?! From the $10k they earn, judging is probably FREE and Cardboard Edison pockets the $10k for their website administration and so forth.
IDK... Maybe some of these people will get publishing deals. Again IDK. I don't know if they report how many people/designers get a chance to get published. I'm just being honest in how I see this "contest".
I personally don't like "contests" and that's just a matter of taste. I think that situations where everyone is vying for the SAME THING ... It's like winning the lottery. But in some cases people might feel like there are biases... Anyhow I don't design to "spec". So most contests are not good for me and furthermore it takes me YEARS to design games.
I'm not in-it for a short gain. I'm trying to make it a long-haul.
Note #1: A few years ago (maybe like 8 to 10 years) a person came to BGDF.com with a CONTEST and told all BGDF.com members that they could submit their game ideas to the contest. To not waste anyone's time, I'll get to the point: the winner was someone who nobody knew, had nothing to do with our website and was a "doctor" who submitted his design through a different channel. The bottom line, all the BGDF.com members who participated were all ANGRY that someone from NOWHERE won the contest... The bottom line is that not all contests are judged fairly, it could be a case of trying to legitimize a winner by having competition or more of a running list of people/designers who submitted their ideas but never had the chance to win.
And YES, this happened FOR REAL! This is not BS...
Note #2: And that's why I am not interested in running any type of "contests" on BGDF.com. Like I said, Rich ran the Monthly Game Design Showdown (GDS) and said support for it was dwindling. Next they tried a Yearly contest in which there would be milestones. That too didn't work and turned out to be less of a success than the monthly GDS.
So we've tried in the past to have "contests".
MY focus is trying to EMPOWER designer to have a VOICE. I created a "Reviews" section where designers can PLAY any game, take notes about the experience and write about it HERE on BGDF.com.
Why is this relevant? Well it means that people can SHARE their experiences with everyone else. That type of community collaboration to me seems like the best kind of mind sharing (or experience sharing) and could lead to multiple groups playing the SAME game with different conclusions and outcomes.
If we could get some REGULAR PLAYERS to take note of their experiences ... That could lead to some great exposure for new, old, classic, prototype, etc. ALL KINDS of game getting EXPOSURE "Here on BGDF.com".
Unfortunately that thread has yet to see and content aside from some rules and such (in addition to people saying they are interested but ghosted me and disappeared...) So the initiative is not going well.
The bottom line, is that we tried it was okay for a while and then interest fizzled out...
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 17:18
#8
You don't know what you are talking about
There were 238 entries.
I don't think you quite realize just what exactly $10 gets you.
In the last 4 years the top 5 entries have received MULTIPLE emails from publishers interested in signing the game. The winning entry has been signed by a publisher every year. This isn't some random contest, this is the premier contest in the industry.
The judges are all high-profile industry professionals. Your game will receive some of the best feedback you've ever received.
If your game makes it to the semi-finals in the physical category then the judges will make a copy of your game to sit down and physically play together. (Same with digital versions, though easier of course).
In previous years the judges have spent travel money to meet together at one location to play all the physical games in the semi-finals.
No "spec" required, all professionals will tell you not to design for "spec". There are no limits on what games can be submitted.
This is way more professional than what I think you are imagining.
This is not "idea" phase. This is to submit a publishable game. Your email is included and most designers that made the semi-finals received multiple emails from publishers looking to sign their game. I know personally someone who received 11 emails from different publishers and that wasn't even someone who won the contest.
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 18:14
#9
Not unreasonable!
There were 238 entries.
Hmm... That doesn't seem "unreasonable". I guess the $10 is to avoid people submitting "garbage"... If it was FREE like "The Game Crafter", you might expect double or triple the amount of entries. I won't argue as to the legitimacy of the contest, it seems clear. I've only been in this industry for about 12 years so I am not aware of everything that goes on.
But it would be nice for people to POST on BGDF.com that such a contest exists.
I meant "no disrespect". And I do wish all the participants the best with their designs. Best!
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 19:22
#10
A Thousand Times Yes
I'll never understand why people don't think someone should be paid for their work.
Well said. I agree with everything you mentioned here.
Designers are paying for access to the inner circle. The contest entries probably pay for website hosting, and I suspect the judges are doing this - at best - as an investment in having first dibs at contacting the designers. It's highly unlikely they'll be paid from the contest funds.
Sat, 02/26/2022 - 09:07
#11
Board Game design workshop
On Jamey's website, he links to Cardboard Edison's publisher list first thing under how to publish your game.
https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/how-to-design-a-tabletop-game/
Also, I don't at all mind paying $10 for a review/comments from a publisher (every entrant guaranteed) and included a chance for bragging rights and public exposure from the award.
And yes, I had just found out about the competition on Friday, and so I was wondering if anyone else knew about it here, seeing as I didn't.