The last thing I was working on at HDR Inc was this board game design for, if I remember correctly, the Montana DOT. Basically they wanted us to design something they could bring to schools along with other activity materials and my idea was to make a game that could be played very quickly, and the rules understood by young children. The children would move to different stations in groups, so the game had to be something you could play and finish within like 10 minutes or less, or you could just play and it didn’t matter if there was a winner. It just had to be fun and instructional. The DOT’s mission was to get kids interested in transportation and give them a glimpse into a day in their shoes.
I love to play games, strategy based games especially, and I really liked the opportunity to get really creative with this. I actually designed 3 different games for different levels of play that you could integrate into the same materials, and I made variations because this was sort of a pitch and my team wanted a very broad spectrum of possible directions for consideration. In the end, we only got the concept approved, and then COVID basically eliminated the need for us to continue with production, so it never got finished. I’ve included some scans of the general concept of the game, but not all the major details and mechanics, just in case they decide to move forward with production.
This is a good example of how out-of-the-box I can be when it comes to ideas. Initially they just wanted some coloring books or puzzles or something, but I wanted to really take things to the next level, and the client was very impressed. On my team, I was kind of the idea guy, and my teammates generally came to me for some of the more out-there ideas when they needed to wow a client. That is one of my strengths, creative concepts and original ideas that can blossom into bigger, more elaborate and interactive designs.
I am currently working on a new game design with a friend that’s more of a card based strategy game. It’s sort of similar to games like Joking Hazard or Settlers of Catan, and we’ve already began play-testing and having a lot of fun. Hopefully it will be something I can share with you soon.
