How cool is game design

A lot of comments got deleted. I've moved the rest of mine to save them from the same fate.

I like both playing and designing games, but for different reasons.

I got into board games (leaving video games) because I love the social aspect to it. Half the fun is the social interaction, the other half is the challenge of the game.

I got into board game design first because I had an idea of my favorite board game, and after not being able to find this Holy Grail, I figured why not just design it. Board game design is my creative outlet. Clearly I (or any of us, I'm sure) aren't in it to get rich, although you can probably make an okay to modest living off it, with enough dedication.

Honestly, I'm not particularly good at it. But I do have something to contribute that I'm willing to bet a certain niche of people will enjoy.

There is one reason that contributes both to playing and designing board games. I'm a day dreamer and I enjoy imagining the games I play and design.

You can also watch every episode of The Iron Chef over 9000 times, but that won't make you a good cook; only experience can.

You can't fully comprehend a game until you play it. Sure, you may know the premise, you may know the game's strengths and weaknesses... and heck, you may know the game so well that you could teach someone else how to play it... but that doesn't mean you know the game, you just know about the game. Big difference.

The reason why designers should play games is so you can experience how various game mechanics function and interact with one another. You may hear other people explain those interactions, but you don't comprehend them.

To give another analogy, thinking of shooting a gun at a bulls eye. Know matter how many videos you've watched, articles you've read, guns you've analyzed, you're not going to shoot the bulls eye the first time. It takes experience to know how the gun feels in your hands, how it recoils, how your body responds to the recoil, etc etc etc.

Articles and review videos are great for previewing a game you may consider buying, and they are good for gaining some perspective on a game and trying to deconstruct it. However, it's not a substitute for understanding a game.

It might be true for Knizia, who have designed how many games?

For most mortal designers, not playing games will simply limit your perception.

I disagree with this. For even a moderately-complex game, the series of decisions that are made, and the weighing of the options when in the process of making those decisions, is generally difficult to emulate. Doing it yourself seems much easier - and effective - than watching attempts at someone who has composed a "play-by-play" video where they attempt to describe their thought process.

Not gonna touch that shooting-a-gun scenario, although I think the principles described are a decent analogy. I'd rather go with the concept of hitting the target consistently, which I first read about years ago in "Zen and the Art of Archery." But I'm straying off the point here.

If you want to argue that it's not worth your time to play games instead of constantly designing them, that's fine by me. Not that it matters, but I don't find the argument very convincing.

It's different for everyone's style of design. Many professionals don't play much. Sometimes it's about keeping their ideas their own but mostly its because just they don't have time.

When you only have 24 hours in a day, you need to pick how you spend it. Are you going to make the project that puts food on your table... or are you going to play a game?

Game design and game playing are two different skill-sets. I mean... eating lots of food doesn't make you a better chef either does it?

Playing games is important, but it's also easy to waste a lot of time doing it. Not all playtime is "Research".

All-in-all it comes down to finding the balance that's right for you. Everyone has different pools of knowledge and strengths to draw on.

Being informed about the game industry is important to succeed there. Playing lots of games is only one path.

Developing a broad palate, understanding which flavours and textures work together and which don't is, in fact, vital to being a chef.

You don't have to eat big meals, but it's important to understand the ingredients; being told what an ingredient tastes like is no substitute for tasting it yourself.

I'll admit that the design bug is more addictive than most games I've played, both board or video. I'll also admit that I don't love playing my game, but I do love making it.

It's weird.

If you've played a lot of games, you don't need to play a lot more.

My favorite game is the game of designing games. I'd rather play one of mine solo than play something else.