In episode 117 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication we talk with game designer Simon Weinberg about his journey from reviewing terrible games to realizing just how tough it is to make good ones. He shares lessons from navigating the publishing world like understanding a company’s catalog before pitching, being patient during the long evaluation process, and the importance of building friendly, professional relationships with publishers.

They also discuss waking up from dreams of complete game ideas, defining your goal as a designer, how card and dice games are easiest to iterate (and recruit playtesters for), writing wacky designer diaries, bribing dragons, and that yes – game design is in fact, a real job!