There is a perennial debate within the industry whether or not games have to be “fun”. This discussion swirls around the ability of art to convey the full spectrum of emotions. Conspire’s design revealed my position (and that of Cherry Picked Games), though there is certainly more to discuss. However, I find the tangent mentioned here far more interesting to dissect. Are tabletop games art? As much as I love the medium, I will stake the claim games are not art, but rather craft.
Our upcoming horror game idea has been renamed to "Grave Error" from "Mordgeist". Thank you to everyone who voted in our two polls. Between this and Far Away, a whole new world of two-word games has been opened up for CPG. What an exciting future.
Sharing a board game you are designing with other people is an intense experience. You are showing something personal, a piece of art, with the world. The inherent challenge is the need for critique. As we previously discussed, a game needs real players moving pieces and developing strategies for the designer to see how their ideas are interpreted. You need their feedback. However, playtesters have a different relationship with the game. They provide valuable insight, but filtered through their prior knowledge and biases. Refining your game based on these comments is as much of an art as the initial design.
