A strong hook is important for getting publishers’ and players’ attention. Here’s a process for coming up with strong game hooks (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUtTt_rwWaw

Thoughts on some unspoken assumptions in board game design discourse, and how the way a game is framed for the market can lead to design choices that run counter to common wisdom:

https://www.hawkanddovegames.com/blog/on-design-discourse

How the Spiel des Jahres organization earns—and spends—money:

https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/30/spiel-des-jahres-following-the-money-topic-discussion/

Want to come up with new ideas for board game designs? This acronym gives you several methods of generating game ideas (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXqMoRvWrf4

Tips for using Affinity Studio to design components and make rulebook updates for your board game prototypes:

https://rossongames.com/affinity

Game designer Phil Walker-Harding on balancing games, inspiration, the design process, players’ negative experiences, and more (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaG_iAwxG4g

Accuracy vs. authenticity: How to assess what’s “real” in historical games? And why do some games feel “authentic” while others don’t? (video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JelDTpfFKVM

What kinds of things should you look for in a publisher before signing a game with them? Here are 5 things to consider:

https://www.benrosset.games/designer-advice#h.a85tfbdoyed0

A reminder about how the best time to start designing your board game is right now:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1ub5kuz/the_best_time_to_start_designing_your_board_game/

Tips for prototyping your board game more quickly (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zNw8T-EqLU

How many times should you playtest a game before pitching it?

https://pamwallsgamedesign.substack.com/p/how-many-times-should-you-playtest

Advice for playtesting your board game at a convention—a Reddit board game designers forum discussion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoardgameDesign/comments/1u7kmdm/having_people_play_test_your_games_at_cons_whats/

How the Spiel des Jahres jury selects games:

https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/16/spiel-des-jahres-how-the-jury-chooses-games-topic-discussion/

Generating content such as effects and player powers for your game: a process for creating it, games that do and don’t need it, “free” design space, and more (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1oeWTSz26M

What do Americans think about board games? This poll digs into which games are played most often, the age groups that love games the most, and more:

https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/54943-what-americans-think-about-board-games

A process for figuring out what it is about your game that’s going to hook publishers and players (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGMGdiar1J0

Are there too many board games? This piece tackles the question from various perspectives, including designers, game quality, gamers, and more (scroll for English):

https://faidutti.com/blog/blog/2026/06/12/trop-de-jeux-too-many-games/

The Spiel des Jahres is the best-known award in the board game industry, but its goals aren’t exactly what many people think they are:

https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/09/spiel-des-jahres-the-award-that-was-never-really-about-awards-topic-discussion/

Here’s a database of free game art that people have posted to Itch.io:

https://jeremiahb.raindrop.page/database-of-free-art-69909172

Game designer Cole Wehrle on player agency, emergent storytelling, and what it's like to make and play long, heavy games (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_Dz5rUUUBY