{"id":2934,"date":"2019-09-03T09:00:39","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T13:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/?p=2934"},"modified":"2019-10-23T22:06:34","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T02:06:34","slug":"6-questions-with-jack-degnan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/2019\/09\/03\/6-questions-with-jack-degnan\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Questions with Jack Degnan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This week I\u2019m chatting with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jackdegnangames.com\/\">Jack Degnan<\/a>, award-winning game designer of such hits as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.educationalinsights.com\/word-on-the-street\">Word on the Street<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/gamewright.com\/product\/rat-a-tat-roll\">Rat-a-tat Roll<\/a> (as well as many others).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I met Jack several years ago at the TAGIE awards in Chicago. If you get a chance to hang out with him, I highly recommended it. He\u2019s relaxed and easygoing, quick with a quiet joke or an appreciative chuckle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"795\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/JackDegnanGames.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2937\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/?attachment_id=2937\" class=\"wp-image-2937\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/JackDegnanGames.jpg 795w, https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/JackDegnanGames-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/JackDegnanGames-768x468.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 795px) 100vw, 795px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>On to the questions!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Question 1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I\u2019d like to start with a question that I know is near and dear to a lot of hearts. Could you talk a little bit about your experience when you were just starting out as a game designer? How long did it take you to go from \u201cI think I want to design a game\u201d to getting one signed? Do you have any suggestions for someone who is considering the same path?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First off, thanks Patrick for reaching out and inviting me to discuss my favorite subject \u2013 and for the kind introduction.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being a board game enthusiast, I had always wondered about inventing games. Several years ago, a simple Google search took me to a workshop on game design led by a successful game creator, Keith Meyers.  This workshop was the beginning for me. Keith became a mentor and a good friend. I started creating games in 2005 and my first game was published in 2008. I was fortunate to find this workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I realize that a game design workshop may not be something easy to find; but for someone starting out, I would certainly recommend finding someone with experience in game design and having a conversation with them. I also read a couple of practical books on game design\/publication which were very helpful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Question 2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I talk to so many writers and designers who find themselves blocked by some difficult aspect of their creation. When you\u2019re working on a new design, is there one task that you find the most challenging? How do you work your way through?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s comforting to know I\u2019m not the only one who gets stuck. I often find myself in a place where I have a good theme for a game and a good game mechanic but I struggle to make the two fit. I\u2019ve learned that not all my ideas need to fit together. I may need to come up with a new theme for a game \u2013 and save the original idea for another game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would recommend every game designer keep a journal, the way a writer does. That\u2019s where you keep your ideas that you aren\u2019t currently using. The older I get, the less storage capacity my brain has \u2013 so I usually write ideas down as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Question 3<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Could you talk a little bit about the process of pitching a game? A question I hear asked a lot, both from writers and game designers, is what a person should do when he or she gets a chance to pitch. If a new designer ends up talking to someone at a convention, either through an appointment or just randomly, what kind of pointers would you give?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pitching is not something I feel I have mastered.  I know I could do a lot better. But I have learned a few things:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If you only have a half-hour, don\u2019t try to show more than two or three games \u2013 especially if a game requires time to get a feel for. <\/li><li>I make sure that I review the rules of my game before I pitch it.  Of course, I know the rules to the games I design. But since I\u2019ve played the game a lot, I may unconsciously leave out something important simply because I know it so well. <\/li><li>I discuss what I\u2019ve learned from those who have play-tested the game, including surprises I\u2019ve discovered. That way I\u2019m not just giving my opinion about the game \u2013 but actually providing observations.   <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>One discovery I\u2019ve made: the professionals in this field are exactly what I hoped they would be \u2013 fun, friendly, genuine, and non-intimidating.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My favorite part of the experience with game design is the people I\u2019ve met. No one has given me a reason to feel uncomfortable and many I consider to be friends. Pitching a game is a really fun experience, and I think it would be beneficial for new designers to remember that when pitching a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Question 4<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Between play-testing and game demos, I know that you have played your games hundreds of times. Do you have any fun player stories? Any moments that stick out to you?  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I met someone at a game convention once who told me he played a \u2018strip\u2019 version of Word on the Street.  Every time one player captured a letter, the opposing player had to remove an article of clothing.   That is something I have not been able to forget \u2013 and believe me, I\u2019ve tried.   I do think it\u2019s fun when I hear that players modify the rules.  Maybe there\u2019s a game designer in everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Question 5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>What\u2019s your favorite part of designing games? Is there a moment that you look forward to with each new project? Do you ever find yourself saying \u201cthis is exactly why I do this.\u201d?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All the time! As I mentioned, my favorite part of the game design process is the people I have met.  Every time I attend a game event, it feels like a reunion.   But the whole process is enjoyable. Coming up with an idea, turning the idea into a prototype, play-testing, and then fine-tuning is all very mentally stimulating to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s very gratifying to see people having fun with something I created.  The pitch process is like a game itself \u2013 and I love games!  And the ultimate euphoria is seeing my game on the store shelf\u2026 and getting paid for doing something I love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Question 6<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I always end with the same question: what\u2019s next? Do you have any new projects coming out that you can tell us about? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing that is new for me is that I\u2019ve been working on a couple of projects with another inventor.  Mary Jo Reutter is a dear friend and one of the most creative people I\u2019ve ever met.   We have worked on a couple of projects and I\u2019m loving the experience.   Our \u2018game-storming\u2019 sessions have been energizing and inspiring.   It\u2019s a different process when you double the imagination and I\u2019m excited about the possibilities.  Hopefully we\u2019ll get something out there together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thanks, Jack!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week&#8217;s chat is with Jack Degnan, award-winning game designer and TAGIE award-winner!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[99,2],"tags":[57,102,103],"class_list":["post-2934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-6questions","category-games","tag-interview","tag-jack-degnan","tag-word-on-the-street"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Jack.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6DpYi-Lk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2934"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2938,"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2934\/revisions\/2938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pat-matthews.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}