Hi all,
My name is Thomas. I am 28 year old Special Needs Teacher with a BFA in Media Arts & Animation. Typically my degree and my occupation do not go together but when I see little opportunities I make the best of them. In my spare time I tackle a variety of creative endeavors such as Graphic Design, Writing, and most recently Game Design. A friend and I have attempted to create a few games in years past with minimal success... but OH was it exciting coming up with possibilities!
A few months ago I dove into the vast world of designer Board Games for the first time. I discovered BGG. I discovered the Dice Tower and Tom Vasel's wonderful reviews. I discovered that I could combine my other hobbies of Graphic Design and Writing and pour them into this one.
I had no idea how deep this pond was. I've been trying to collect and trade games of various types with what little hobby money I budget for myself. The benefits of this new entertainment is at least twofold: I get to spend better time with my wife than if we were watching TV or engrossed in individual activities, and I'm consuming* games for fun as well as to inspire further and better game creation. I've since made about 5 duds and 1 "dud with potential" (see image).
That's why I'm joining this forum. I'm looking at each failure as an accomplishment and an opportunity to learn as I share my ideas with others. I would also relish passing on anything I learn to other users.
My dream is simple: Create a fun, playable game.
One of my favorite sayings is "The difference between a dream and a goal is a PLAN."
Therefore, here is my (tentative) goal, and I'm asking anyone reading this who has a big heart and a teacher's mind to help me get there:
Have a game published by July 31st, 2013. One year from today.
-General Washing Machine
*By consume I mean purchase, learn, experience, etc. NOT ingest.
