BBBB #360: Discussing SELF-PUBLISHING || Pondering with Nikita, Janice, Andy
Channel: Stuff by Bez
Date: 2021-05-01

Daily positivity, and boardgame blethering.

Today: A discussion with a few folk who decided to self-publish. But why?

Nikita Sullivan, Janice Turner, and Andy Hopwood are joining me to chat about motivations and a general overview.

Why did we all choose to self-publish? Did we even try to reach out to established publishers?

Were we drawn in by a desire for control, a lack of alternatives, a chance for greater rewards?

Are games intrinsically an expression of self that is diluted by licensing to publishers? Should more people self-publish? Are we trying to 'say something' with our games? How comfortable are we with involving others as decision-makers in our projects?

Were there any surprises along the path? With the benefit of hindsight and experience, would we prefer to license future games, or self-publish/

Let’s sit back, discuss, and just chit-chat.


All respectful questions and comments welcome.
Sillier Qs during the QQQ section please.
 
Nikita Sullivan is an independent tabletop games designer with a background as a software engineer. She's always had an interest in game design and planned to continue to program her own video games before board games stole her heart. Nikita has self-published 2 games through Kickstarter in the last year with 2 more on the way for the coming year. 

Nikita’s games focus on niche themes that inspired her, like Triathlons and Computer Science. She also enjoys crafting accessories for the tabletop gaming community.

https://atikingames.com/               
https://twitter.com/AtikinGames          
https://www.instagram.com/atikingames/           
https://www.facebook.com/atikingames/           



Janice came from a physics and engineering background but now focuses her time on product management and user experience. Her game design journey started a few years ago when on maternity leave.

Janice feels there aren’t enough short non-party games, simple to play/remember and enough depth and challenge. She wants to bring gaming back to those without much time, as well as providing a quick gaming fix for more regular gamers.

https://wrengames.co.uk     
www.twitter.com/dravvin    
www.twitter.com/wrengames   
www.instagram.com/wrengames  
www.facebook.com/wrengames        



Andy Hopwood is a Birmingham based games designer who has been casually making since 1984 but professionally since 2010. His philosophy is that games should make you laugh, think and swear. He believes that a game without theme can still be a game but a game without mechanics is just a pretty box.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/33973/andy-hopwood         
https://www.hopwoodgames.com/