Learn something new about game design at the GDC 2017 Board Game Design Day!

Heads up, game makers: GDC 2017 organizers are happy to announce some of the great sessions taking place during the new Board Game Design Day which will help kick off the conference next month.

This is just one of the many Bootcamps and Tutorials scheduled during the first two days of GDC (Monday and Tuesday, February 27th and 28th of this year), a new day-long deep dive into what makes board games tick -- and what game designers of all stripes can learn by studying them.

Taking place on Tuesday, February 28th, the Board Game Design Day is a one-day deep dive into the art and science of designing non-electronic board (and card) games. Featuring multiple notable speakers from the world of board game design, this is an opportunity to get deep into the design mechanics behind innovative and popular board games, and hear about the design ethos that has shaped standouts in the resurgent world of board game development.

For example, in "'Secret Hitler': Tips and Tricks for Advocating a Fascist Agenda" game designer Mike Boxleiter will show you How the 'Secret Hitler' team focused through iteration on driving players to come into conflict often and create high-tension moments in the game, and how this led to a viral word-of-mouth success. (Also, how the team found the most interesting and punchy way to talk about the game.)

And in "Creating 'Burgle Bros': The Fantasy of the Heist", game designer Tim Fowers digs into cooperative game design and creating systems that generate friction players must overcome, reducing a larger movie or fantasy down to its core, and crafting mechanics that recreate that experience as well as best practices for board game playtesting and self-publishing.

Plus, in "Board Game Design and the Psychology of Loss Aversion" Mind Bullet Games president Geoffrey Engelstein will give attendees specific techniques taken from board and other games that they can apply to their game designs. A deeper appreciation of loss aversion gives designers tools to manipulate the player experience and emotional response to game situations which can be a particular challenge in tabletop games.

Don't miss this neat new Bootcamp at GDC 2017, and don't miss your opportunity to save money by registering early -- the deadline to register for passes at a discounted rate is January 18, 2017. GDC 2017 itself will take place February 27th - March 3rd at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

For more information on GDC 2017, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.

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