-
Thanks Grant! When I was getting started, I think it helped that I had a lot of time (after my day job) to focus on game design. That was the key: Time. It also really helped to find a playtest partner in Alan (my eventual business partner).
I recommend keeping investments to a minimum until you know you’re building something that people actually want. I’d put money towards anything that can make your game as fun and functional as possible, that help you build and retain your audience (i.e., a blog and e-newsletter), and then your most crucial expenses are art and graphic design (not necessarily ALL of it, just enough to show people what the game will look like.
With Alan I definitely learned how important it was to have someone I could rely on for playtesting and game design discussions without feeling guilty about wasting someone’s time. I have an article about partnership that I’d recommend, but the biggest thing is that I’d recommend working with someone for a while (and taking on various responsibilities) to see what each person actually does and enjoys doing. That’ll save you a lot of trouble later on. The name Stonemaier Games comes from Alan’s last name (Stone) and mine (Stegmaier).
