“I write when I’m inspired,” a quote I’ve seen attributed to several different authors goes, “and I see to it that I’m inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.” I try to approach game design with that mindset: it’s a creative endeavor, but it still benefits from being carried out with discipline and efficiency. To make the most of my design time, then, I’m turning a corner of one room in my home into a design office.

Right now most of my game design is done wherever happens to have the space I need. That works so far as it goes, but it’s not very efficient. Tools are in boxes that live in different places, and those places don’t necessarily have anything to do with where the projects are being carried out. It’s messy, inconvenient, and sometimes leads to lost time or materials.

In addition, the catch-as-catch-can approach to work space makes focused, efficient work more difficult. As a lawyer I never check websites for fun on the office computer; that computer’s for business, and using it only for business helps avoid distractions. Maintaining that delineation in my game design work is much more difficult at the moment, since I might very well be working at the kitchen table or in a comfy armchair.

The new space is intended to resolve both of those problems. It gathers everything I use in game design–computer, prototyping materials, legal pads for notes, etc.–into one place, with enough table area to be able to use it all. In addition, the space can be dedicated to work, with all the mental benefits that result.

Talking about this sort of project can be the enemy of doing it, so I’m going to keep today’s post brief. I’ll be back on Monday–hopefully with a more efficient workflow. 🙂