What is tabletop gaming for me?
Although computer games become more and more popular, I am familiar with tabletop gaming as well. As board games were more easy to access when I was very young, I mainly played those. I also started to use their elements to create my own games already at the age of 6. Playing tabletop games is still a major part of my life. They are not only useful to understand the general logic behind games but also provide lots of entertainment. I have a huge experience with more than a 100 tabletop games and this number is expanding, mostly thanks to the summer board game camp, in Hungary, which I attend every year.
Although my study focuses predominantly on digital games, I still work on board game design in my free time. The presented images are selected references for games I have made in my free time. The first is a home made collectible card game (the art was done by my sister, who still has my gratitude for it). The next one the tabletop version of a typical turn based strategy game, where I have used elements from board games released by LEGO© to model it. The last one is a board game I playtested a lot as the intention is to eventually publish it. While the other two were made just for fun and home use, this one was made for the industry.
Board gaming proved to be relevant as a job for me too, as my first ever work project for the castle of Fehérvárcsúrgó also focused on board games.
Why did I find it useful?
I have learned two important things from playing and designing tabletop games. First, the concept, the logic and the structure of a game is easier to see through and to analyze in case of board games. They helped me to see the mathematical and numerical concept, creating the mechanics of the game. Second is, the importance of balancing a game. These two lessons helped me to realize that understanding the mechanics of a game leads to a better balancing, which then allows everyone to enjoy it to its fullest without drawbacks.