Hey everyone,
With the Stay-At-Home order in full swing here in the US, I've been playing a lot more digital board games. I'm also due to graduate from my game programming program in a few months. These two facts have gotten me wondering about the possibility of creating some digital versions of some currently unavailable board games. My question is this: If I wanted to pursue this as a potential job, how would I go about it? Would it be better to work for a site like Tabletopia, work for a board game company to create digital versions of their games, or contract myself out for each game? Any suggestions on the best way to go about this?
Thanks!

Seasnan said:
Would it be better to work for a site like Tabletopia, work for a board game company to create digital versions of their games, or contract myself out for each game?

You listed 3 options, and those are not the only ones.

1. That kind of company does not have good fun jobs for game developers. You'd be working on the back end and troubleshooting games the company gets rights to (or maybe even doesn't have rights to). They probably don't spend any money on developing new games.
2. Sure, you can go on those companies' websites and see what kind of jobs they might have - but they're unlikely to hire a raw college grad with no experience.
3. Sure, you can offer your services - but they're unlikely to hire a raw college grad with no experience.

You can also look into other options:

4. Get a job at a game company. Any game company. Get at least 2 years' experience, then go to GDC and network and learn more about doing contract work before venturing out into that particular alligator-infested swamp.

5. Form a joint venture with fellow grads, start up an indie company. Then go from there.

And those probably aren't your only options.