Creating a Board-game

A month ago, i decided to start sharing my new entrepreneurship projects. Thus i will start by sharing my most recent project, a board game. I will also go through the process of creating a board game and some of the challenges.

Process of creating a board game.

I will not give recommendations or specific names, find and source the tasks to whomever you see fit, there are a lot of talented people out there. If you have a concept and wish to have a ready product without all the hassle, reach out to us at MediaO2, we’ll produce and ship it to you.
In general the process of creating a board game goes like this:

• Work on the main idea, till you make sure it makes sense.
• Check to see if there is a market for such a board game, hint: competition means there are.
• Work on the basic branding: Name, Logo, color … Do not move forward before getting this right. (Hire a professional if need be, do not hire freelancers. You can contact us at MediaO2).
• Create a prototype on a A4 paper. Play it with a friend.
• Create the board design. Hire a professional or even a freelancer for this step.
• Take care of the rest of the elements, cards, box, etc … Same as above hire a freelancer or a professional. (You can contact us at MediaO2).
• Find where you want to produce the product. Local VS. China /other.
• Wait for the delivery.

What you should know before creating your board game ?

1- Does the concept exists ?

If yes, is your game presenting a new approach or new game play ? If it is a new concept that’s good, otherwise you can still get interest if your game play is new and different from competing game. If it’s neither a new concept nor a new game play, expect a lot of criticism, and i wouldn’t even bother even producing such a game.

2- Do you have a precise customer profile?

Who exactly will play your board game? Do you have a specific customer profile ? If not, if your game is a general game, competition will be very hard. It is best to choose a really specific demographics and create + market the game to them.

3- Do you have a budget to create your game?

Do you have at least have a budget to create a first batch of your game ? Also include a budget for marketing. If you do not have a budget for a first batch, and plan instead to “crowdfund”, then don’t waste your time. Go find something else to do, other than producing a board-game. These days, to have a successful crowdfunding you will end up paying as much as the production of a first batch. Thus if you have no real budget, find another activity within your actual budget.

4- Expect delays in production and shipping.

If you ever produced anything, or even ordered anything from China (or any other foreign country)… You would know that delays are the norm. If you are producing a boardgame, then expect a month or two of production delays. Then maybe another 1 or 3 in delivery delays. In my case, even the local delivery did not arrive at the same time. I had boxes delivered all week, with some of them “lost” then found, and delivered the following week.

My Board Game and a Brand .

As i mentioned in the video i created a board game, and additionally created the brand G4Z that will be the umbrella for all my boardgames, if i end up creating other board games. The plan, was to create multiple interesting board games, but as i discovered that this industry is pretty tough, i will probably stick to only one board game. But who knows, in case i decide to go crazy and launch another board game, the brand is already created.

Some photos of my board game.