The Hobby Professional

The common wisdom says that you don't need to monetize your hobbies. This is great advice. More great advice is that you don't need to define success by monetary gain. Another is that you should rely on interior motivation rather than exterior validation. All good stuff. So why am I only interested in designing games that might make money when I am not also hustling to make this a lucrative career within the next five years? Let's talk about the line between professionals and hobbyists. 

Hobbyists create for the fun of it. My friends and acquaintances who are dedicated game design hobbyists might(!) consider signing a game if a publisher sought them out, but they'd have to think about it first. They design to examine the intricacies of systems, and teasing those out is satisfying enough without seeking an audience. One of the members of my local group designed a whole game as a form of feedback for another member's design. 

I'm not going to make a lot of generalizations about professional full-time game designers (the few that exist) other than that they hustle and have a large output of designs in order to maintain an income flow. 

There are two more categories I would add to this list: the professional hobbyist and the hobby professional. The professional hobbyist spends a lot of time and money to make their games looks really nice. This is more commonly seen in other hobbies such as cosplay, where people will spend hundreds of dollars to compete in competitions, where they might recoup the costs if they win. 

Lastly, the hobby professional is where a lot of us are in board game design. We engage with the industry at the professional level. We may have signed a game or two. But there are practical reasons we can't jump in to the hustle of going to all the big cons and pitching in a serious capacity. (Of course, there is a spectrum between "has one game signed" and "full-time designer," but let's look at the extremes for clarity's sake.) 

Granted, anyone still trying to get their first game signed can still be considered on the professional spectrum, if we are defining professional as "interacts with the professional side of the industry." I tend to define professional as "has made any amount of money doing the work," because of my theatre background. But I don't exclude you if you identify as a not-yet-paid professional. 

My main reason for pointing out the existence of the hobby professional is, I believe, the main reason we exist. For us, money is motivating. I tend to have a hard time creating for myself. Even making Christmas gifts or entering design contests can be challenging (both are deadlines I can impose on myself). But when I am working with the goal of receiving payment, even if that day is years off or never comes, I suddenly find the motivation to create. This blog is the only creative thing I've ever stuck to that didn't involve money. 

Some hobby professionals will move on after proving to themselves that they can get one game published. Some are like me and will hang on as long as possible. I really don't appreciate professional advice that is geared only towards the hustlers when there is a whole spectrum of professionals. 

You don't have to produce dozens of new designs a year. You don't have to go to every con. You don't have to hustle. You don't even have to make money. You can engage with the industry at the level you are comfortable at and can afford. Adjust your expectations to be commensurate with your effort and set realistic goals. For most designers, having a hit game cannot be the only measure of success because that's way too discouraging. 

I can't afford a lot of travel. I've had physical and mental health struggles off and on since I started designing games. Now I have an infant. So I am claiming the designation hobby professional. I don't think it makes me less professional; it merely accurately reflects what level I'm currently able to operate at in the industry. 

ShippBoard Games is a board game design blog that updates on Mondays.