Episode #132: This Gay-Owned Game Company Started As A Side Hustle with Greg Watson
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Your own life is the best inspiration for your game and toy ideas. While it can be from something like your educational background or profession, it doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Just think of the best times with your friends and family and you might come up with an idea. Today’s podcast guest did just that.
Today’s guest is Greg Watson. Greg has actually been on the podcast before! In episode 72 you heard him talking about working with a distributor to get your toy or game into retail. Back then he was the national accounts manager for PSi, aka Publisher Services, Inc. However, now he has struck out on his own with an idea that was inspired by his best memories of playing card games with friends and family. He and his husband created a new card game called Poof, which is available on Amazon.
In this episode, you’ll learn all about Greg’s inspiration for the game, and how he put his own experience into it. You’ll also learn what game mechanics are and why they are important, how Greg tested his game in the middle of a pandemic, and what to consider for packaging differences between online sales versus retail shelf space. You’ll also learn about Greg’s pricing strategy for this game as well as some future predictions for the toy industry.
EPISODE CLIFF NOTES
Find out how Greg and his husband came up with their game idea based on personal experiences. [00:02:59]
Learn a great definition of game mechanics, with examples. [00:05:50]
Find out how playtesting can give you other ideas for game play and game mechanics [00:11:51]
Learn about the importance of picking out the right packaging elements [00:18:02]
Find out about packaging differences between online and retail [00:20:56]
Learn about pricing strategy for games [00:22:25]
Find out about features of a “boutique” game that might allow for a higher price [00:25:23]
Learn about the one feature Greg insisted on keeping because it made the game really pop, even though it made manufacturing costs [00:26:40]
Learn how inflation might affect the toy and game industry. [00:29:35]
Find out one marketing strategy to put a spin on inflation [00:31:17]