How it Started
I believe my love for tabletop games began when I was introduced to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game.
There’s just something about holding the cards in my hands, processing their specialties and synergies, contemplating the most correct play — before I slap a card down and BOOM… something big happens in this small, temporary world as a direct result of my choices.
Yes, that was me! I summoned that monster! I casted that spell! I set that trap! It felt as if I’d created the combination of cards and conduct that either propelled me to victory, or buried me in defeat, and I loved it.
This felt magical and powerful to me, and being such an imaginative kid that felt powerless in my neighborhood or at school, I was always creating: art and narratives in many forms. So it was only a matter of time before I would try my hand at creating a card game of my own.
I dabbled in it here and there, not taking it seriously for many years until long after becoming an adult. At some point, I noticed that magical sense of power I felt playing trading card games seamlessly translated to other kinds of card games as well, like Exploding Kittens or Love Letter.
After discovering and binging Wil Wheaton’s “TableTop” web series, I knew I wanted to go all in on card and board games, but not just for the games themselves — it was the experience I realized that I care about most.
Where its Going
Sure, there’s power in competing, but there is also magic in gathering friends, co-workers, or even strangers, and engaging in some sort of adventure or exercise in control, strategy, and advantage for a short time. I often have just as much fun facilitating games as I do playing them.
I want to bring that magic to others, and empower them to do the same. Especially people like me: black kids growing up seeing all of their favorite cartoon and anime heroes with fair skin, and feeling anything less than significant or relevant.
Since I spend a significant portion of my waking hours working, why not work on things that I feel so connected to and passionate about? Thus, the tabletop gaming industry seems like an obvious career path for me.
I don’t know exactly what that looks like at this point, but I’m hoping my process will eliminate some options, and perhaps help a few people along the way.
So please join me on my journey into the Tabletop gaming industry.
