The Dark Imp Blog
The data-driven designer’s guide to pitching and getting published
If you're designing a board game, you've probably dreamed of walking into a shop and seeing your game enjoyed by players... or even better, seeing your game on sale! If you're self-publishing, you already know there's a lot of work ahead of you... but that's the topic...
Race Across the World Holiday
Introduction Last year, my husband Paul and I took our two boys Alfie and Bertie to Devon for a week long holiday. The boys were 21 and 17 and honestly, it was a real struggle to get them to properly participate in the holiday. They were more keen to hang out in...
First steps in game design
So, you love playing games and you’d like to try to design some games yourself, but you’re not sure where to start. Here are three ideas to ease you into game design…1. Create twists for existing games If you find yourself wondering what would happen if you adapt a...
Designing games with a single mechanic
In the last couple of weeks, due to a request from a publisher, I’ve been sharply focused on creating games based around a single simple mechanic. When I look back at many of the games I’ve designed over the last 6 years, at least half of them would tick this box - so...
How much are you worth
When you’re in the lovely position of being offered some freelance game design or development work, you are usually asked to quote for the job. But how do you know what to charge? Here are some things to consider, which might help. All the photos in this article are...
You are who Google says you are
Daniel Priestley who wrote the terrific book, Key Person of Influence, says “You are who Google says you are.” When you’re done being outraged, just think about it for a minute. Of course, there’s more to you than what can be found online, but not to the person who is...
Mistakes to avoid when designing family games
What makes a game a family game? A family game is a game that a wide range of ages (8 and up) can enjoy playing. If a game is only really going to be enjoyed by children, then it’s a children’s game, not a family game. Family games should have wide appeal. They are...
Always be pitching (but not always)
The phrase “Always be Pitching” is common in business parlance. Startups vying for investment are schooled that every conversation is a potential pitch. The idea is that you don’t let an opportunity pass to mention your product, service or brand. This highly...
Your personal brand as a designer
What is a personal brand? We’re all familiar with company brands. A company brand will include logos, colours, fonts and product names. But it will also include a mission statement, core values, decisions around positioning, voice/tone and audience. A company’s brand...
Designing games for brands
One of the ways to make actual money as a game designer is to create games for non-gaming brands. These ventures may be lucrative, but they are often fraught with challenges, many of which can take you by surprise. In this post, I’ll look at some of the pros and cons...
2024 Roundup
A look back over the last 12 months and forward to the next 12.Top highlights from 2024 7 of my games hitting the shelves: Digsaw (Stronghold Games), Bangarang (Ginger Fox), The 50 States Game (Kaddo), A Midsummer Night's Fayre (Gamewright), Skullduggery (Outset...
Quantum Noughts and Crosses
I’m a sucker for a good noughts and crosses variant - I’ve previously written about Ultimate Noughts and Crosses, for example - so imagine my excitement when I came across Quantum Noughts and Crosses in Ben Orlin’s book Math Games with Bad Drawings. A bit about the...