My sisters and my mother have been playing board games for years and years. In 1994 we spent a year designing a game with all the things we liked and none of those we didn't like about family board games. We have been playing our game almost 10 years now, have the bugs well worked out and now want to sell our game. Should we copyright first? How do you get games manufactured? Can you sell the idea? All help greatly appreciated. So glad I found your site!!
Nancy
have game, need help
Mon, 11/29/2004 - 13:58
Mon, 11/29/2004 - 14:20
#1
have game, need help
Hi Nancy
First don’t rush into anything, there are many options and not doing your homework can cost you. All the questions you asked have been answered in the forums already. Browse them for a while I think you will find all the answers you are seeking. I would also suggest right off the bat to find people you don’t know to play your game, I is a rare friend who will point out flaws in your game. This way you can be sure you have the best version of your game ready regardless if you are going to sell it, license it or self publish it. This group offers a sytem for playtesting each others work if you need it. Check the link to the forum below.
http://www.bgdf.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=15
P.S. attend the chats, we bs alot but you also get some of your best information.
Mon, 11/29/2004 - 14:36
#2
have game, need help
ahoy there, different ave's to take,1- you may want to try putting your game out yourself or 2-try to get a company to publish it for you,or3- get a agent(gamebroker).If you think #2 sounds interesting than go to web-site TOY-TIA.ORG then click on( toy industry association) then click on (member directory), click search for each letter, all 26 of them one at a time. Check each company profile and type of game,s see if any is one that has games that you think your game will fit thier library. If so call and see if they take inventors submissions and if they do make sure they send you a submission form first. For agents, they charge a fee, call cactus inc. e-mail NPCactus@erols.com .... I sure someone on this site can help you if you want to try putting the game out yourself. good luck, and like dralius said, playtest with people other than your family.
Congratulations on your game and welcome! I agree with everything that has been said here so far, and that there are many opportunities for you to get your game out there. Before you do any of them, I want to second Dralius' call for more playtesting (especially blind playtesting).
I'm sure that over the course of 10 years you have played your game with a number of family an friends, but now you need to take the next big step and put your game out there for others to look over and critique. I would strongly suggest taking advantage of the Game Design Workshop right here on BGDF. It's a great forum whereby members exchange critiques of other member's games. I have had great experiences with both of the games I submitted, each time learning new ways to look at my game and to improve where possible.
You mentioned copyrighting your game, great idea. Technically you have immediate copyright upon fixing your concepts in some manner. When you draw the board/cards or write out the rules you have an automatic copyright. Your next step would be to register that copyright to give you more protection (always a good idea, especially before putting your game out for others to see). There are a variety of forms available from the US Copyright Office.
Best of luck to you!