Has anyone seen my backscratcher?

All my life I've been a hobbyist - all kinds of hobbies. Some of these lasted longer than others, but one central theme to almost all of them has been gaming. I've been into board games, card games, role playing games, sports (those count as games, right?), console games, computer games, trading card games, billiards, poker, and more. The thing that's central to all these hobbies is the gaming itself. In it's purest form, it's the enjoyment of the camaraderie and competition with others that I love the most.

That love of gaming recently landed me in a local gaming shop. Not a toy store ala Toys-R-Us, but a bonafide gamers' gaming store. I was there to play the new World of Warcraft TCG that me and a few friends had picked up from being avid WoW PC Gamers. However, in the downtime between WoW matches, I found myself drawn to the shelves of boardgames - games with strange names such as Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, and Citadels. And one of those nights I decided to try one.

Now I've got nothing against Monopoly and Clue. I grew up on those games. But until that point, my idea of a hardcore game was Risk! I had no clue that there was a whole other echelon of games out there, real games for real Gamers - games designed for great game play experiences, not just for mass market appeal and a quick buck. Needless to say, I'm very excited about all of this and my inner gamer has developed an itch that I'm dying to scratch (hence the witty title regarding my backscratcher).

I want to be a game developer. I want to develop the kind of classic table-top games that bring you together with your friends to share laughs and make memories. It's been a long time since I had a real dream - a dream that excites me and I'm passionate about. A dream that I feel could be actually be realized without sacrificing my career and family. I'd forgotten what it feels like to have a dream like this - something to strive for and work towards. It feels good!

So I decided to go for it. It will cost little more than my time and effort at first, so what've I got to lose? I've started researching games development and production. I started this blog to document the process for myself and those who're interested. I've discussed my dream with a few close friends and bounced a few ideas off of them. And most importantly, I've actually started design on my first game.

If you're a game developer or (like me) an aspiring game developer, I'd love to hear from you and exchange advice and experiences - I need all the help and advice I can get. If you're a gamer, come back and visit often because hopefully I'll be looking for play-testers in the future! And finally, if you're a friend, I'm glad you're here - I appreciate the support.