Sunday, December 13, 2009

Accounting Game?!

Just found a post on Purple Pawn about Xero, an accounting support company that tries to make that tedious number work fun. I reference it here because of the slide show (at the first link) that draws a strong correlation between our willingness to do something and its fun factor. Certainly, as more and more services go online, "fun" should be a serious consideration.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Becoming a Board Game Publisher

For a while now I have toyed around with the idea of creating a board game publishing company. I've been reading blogs about board game creation, and studying business strategies in school, and I find myself getting closer and closer to the "do it" point. That is, the point at which I'm either going to be in or I'm going to be out.

Here are some things I still need to research and consider:

-Marketing: Who will be my target audience? What are their demographics? How many games can I expect to sell to them? What is the best way to publicize my company/games?

-Manufacturing/Warehousing: How much can I expect to spend on warehousing fees? Are there other manufacturers I would trust more than the ones I have already contacted? What am I going to do about the artwork?

-Product realization: How do I know when a game is good enough? Which play testers should I use? How should I qualify my research? Does this game fit my vision? How many games should I run and when?

-Business projections: Where can I expect this company to be in 1 year? 2 years? 5? What is the best thing to do with the profits I make?

Of course there is more to research and think about, but as I consider a lesson I've learned from playing games I think the "do it" point never comes when you have all the information. Analysis paralysis is no fun, and even your mother would yell at you to hurry up if you get caught in it.