I’m always amazed by libraries and their ability to adapt to the needs of their communities. Here in Manchester CT our local library has a board game lending program. You can borrow games, attend newbie events run by the extremely nice librarian, and learn a lot about game development.
Board game stores
But if you aren’t lucky enough to have a library, check out your local board game store. Around my area, we’ve got Elm City Games, The Battle Standard, Tabletop Gaming Center, and The Portal. These board game stores have friendly staff, loaner games, and play space so you can try them before you buy. See if you like it! Make some friends! We game designers always hang out in these spaces, so this advice goes double for any game design hopefuls.
Learning Game Dev
For many game developers, we sharpen our teeth with #2 pencils, dice and board games. A board game, or “analog” game, allows designers to adapt and test their rules. In contrast, programming the same system might take five times as long before you could even begin testing. That lag time impacts the ability to create. Attend a gaming event and play; you’ll learn a lot about game balance and how to articulate your ideas while making friends! My first board game was an “Open source” / free version of Warhammer, something I wanted desperately to play when I was young, but I didn’t have the same amount of money as the other kids.
If you know of any board game library lending programs, please let me know about them! I’d like to find every single one on the planet, it’s amazing to see, and I hope I can convince my university to open a program just like this. Connecticut has a unique manufacturing history, and it would be great to see more developers start manufacturing their board game on the east coast.