What a year! @boardgameprotohype was created by @sleepless_knights_games just over a year ago and wow, has it grown. For me the community we’ve developed over the last year is quite incredible. I reached out to everyone this week to find out why this community works for them. We start with Evan (Sleepless Knights Games), as it was all his idea in the first place.
If you’re reading this, and thinking, “I’ve no idea what community talking about”, drop an email and I’ll explain.
Read and enjoy. If you want to join the community on Instagram, reach out to the @boardgameprotohype account.
Evan | Sleepless Knights Games
BoardGameProtoHype started as a small idea – just a space on Instagram where I could connect with other designers and share the ups and downs of making games. A year later, we’ve just celebrated its first birthday, and it’s grown into something much bigger than I imagined.
What makes this community so special is how supportive and welcoming it is. It’s become a place where designers share rough prototypes, test ideas, offer feedback, and encourage each other through every step of the creative process.
What started online has also spilled into real life – meeting people at conventions who I first connected with through BoardGameProtoHype has been an amazing reminder of how real and meaningful these relationships are.
I know I wouldn’t have come as far as I have on my journey as a designer without this community. The motivation, accountability, and inspiration it provides has been invaluable.
The last year has shown just how powerful this kind of support can be – and we’re only just getting started. BoardGameProtoHype has big plans for the future, and I’m excited to see how far we can go together.
STEERY | Atomic Blips | Steery Game
Designing a board game is no easy task. And you can’t do it alone. A community helps you grow, raises you when you’re down, and celebrates with you when you win. It makes the board game design journey be a thousand times more worth the effort.
Nat | Gnats Originals Studio
Creative people in hobbies like board games and design thrive in interactive and supportive communities, especially online. Amidst content creators and big companies constantly marketing, we need a space to craft and @boardgameprotohype offers companionship and a “workshop” ambiance that I crave. The support and encouragement from others really motivates and fuels my growth.
I think community and personal connection have become increasingly important online, and we’re witnessing a renaissance of authenticity. I am much more excited about the games I’m playing feeling like I know the designer, witnessed their process, or even contributed to their journey in some way. Teamwork really does make the dream work!
Elements the Great Tournament | Flame games
We could never get far alone, a community helps us exchanging good tips, spread the word, supporting each others, feel alive in the periods of doubts. Making connections is the essence of the human beings. Thank you so much for animating this community 🙏
Mikey | KUGO
You can get a lot done on your own, but being part of a community pushes you, challenges you, and inspires you to do better. The people you meet along the way give real meaning to what you achieve.
But honestly, for me, it’s always been about the relationships and the people. That’s what really matters.
The Board Game Wizard
For me, the design process isn’t about the final product, it’s about the people who play the final product and the enjoyment they (hopefully) get from it. So, being in a community of designers reminds me we’re all just humans trying our best to bring a little joy into the world. As part of a community, the journey to that goal has been much more sociable and enjoyable. In fact, the friends I’m making along the way may have become more important than the destination.
Hasan Paracha | Red Cannon Games | Fight for Inheritance
When I began working on Fight for Inheritance last year, I had no idea how much I had to learn, not just about making a game but about sharing it with the world. My first convention was nerve-wracking. I worried if anyone would even stop to try my game. But what I didn’t expect was how welcoming and supportive the board game community would be. I met fellow designers who invited me into the #BoardGameProtoHype group, and that changed everything. It’s full of people at all stages of their game design journey, always ready to answer questions or offer support. That community has helped me tackle imposter syndrome and keep moving forward. Being surrounded by people who are going through the same things as me and truly understand the ups and downs has made all the difference.
Sam | Exekias Games Ltd | Escape from Pompeii
The BGPH community has offered us invaluable advice, feedback, and support that has saved us from mistakes, improved the quality of our game, and made us feel welcome in the board game design community. Not only are the members of the BGPH group always willing share their wealth of knowledge, but are always eager to uplift each other. We are so grateful to be part of this group who are there for each other in moments of doubt, stress, and anxiety, as well as moments of celebration, triumph, and pride. I think the group helps us all remember why we set out to make games: for the fun of it!
Charles Blackler-Roberts | CBRimaginations
Having a community has been amazing for me! As well as all board game designers promoting each other’s amazing board game projects. You find a nice caring community, who can help solve any bumps you face in design, prototype, sale and then after.
Also it is just nice chatting to a bunch of people who have the same passion as you and it really helps motivate me with my new game design projects and my current game.
Charlie | EX FIRST GAMES
Thanks to the incredible board game design community, tireless playtesters, skilled translators, thoughtful reviewers, brave store owners, and both new and veteran hobbyists, I’ve been able to create games for 10 years. It’s been both an honour and a struggle. We all recognise the joy and meaning that games bring to people — but above all, it’s the people who make it all possible.
I love this hobby and I hope to release many more fun games – for free. Thank you and… let’s have some fun!
Kevin Martin Taylor | Multigrain Games
I think it’s awesome sleepless knight games et al created a compelling hashtag from scratch.
Mark | Time Infinite Games
With no community we have no one to market our games to. Without community we have no one talking about our games. Without community we have no way to grow and learn. Without community we cannot have successful campaigns. Without community, we have nothing. The community means everything!
MATTERGY | Studio Polaris
As Indie Board Game Designers, Community is the most important aspect of enabling creativity for independent artists and authors. Communities can facilitate board games to be created and be received outside of larger publishing’s houses, which enables people like us to bring games to reality!
Without Community, we can’t get feedback, without Community we can’t enjoy people play testing our games and without Community we wouldn’t have the support system to eventually bring our passion to life!”
Mike | Huff No More
Our indie publishing journey has been such a rewarding experience which was made possible by the wonderful tabletop gaming community. From early feedback from playtesters, to advice from other indie publishers and support from content creators the community has helped us in so many ways to publish Sakana Stack.
Publishing a game is hard. I mean REALLY hard! There are so many things to consider from setting up the business, building a following before launching a crowdfunding campaign, finding the right content creators to work with, manufacturing, legislation – the list goes on! But there are so many people in the community that are happy to share their experiences with you. It’s a real community spirit that helps to support new publishers on their journey and we are so thankful of all of the support we’ve had.
The #BoardGameProtoHype community epitomises everything great about the community and as well as great ideas and advice, it has also been a fantastic support network and we’ve built a number of long lasting friendships in the group.
Sam | Stami Games
Being part of a indie game dev community has made what felt like a daunting journey an exciting one instead. Having others share their experiences and wisdom is far more valuable than any googling. We aim to build a community around Cozy Cat Cafe to bring design more fun games and to support future indie developers.
Veronika | Studio2Z Creations
The Boardgameprotohype community is honestly one of the best things I’ve discovered since diving into board game design. As a beginner, it can feel super overwhelming at times—but here, there’s always someone ready to help, share tips, or just listen. It’s amazing how open and supportive everyone is. No question feels too small or silly, and seeing others share their own struggles and wins makes the whole journey feel a lot more real—and a lot less lonely. I’ve learned so much just from reading posts or following discussions. And let’s be honest, it’s just really fun to be part of a group where everyone’s excited about making games. I always leave inspired and motivated to keep going, even when things get tricky. I’m really glad I found this community—it’s been a total game-changer for me ❤️
Sam | Deep Etch Games
Having a safe space to ask questions, gain feedback, and help eachother develop our games is really important. After developing a game solo for so long, you can feel a bit stuck or lost, but having a community to back you makes a huge difference, and helps us all make better games.
Rhi | Stop, Drop & Roll
Community is the air in our lungs! For us, tabletop games are about bringing people together for collaborative fun. Community is a part of our games all the way from idea conception to production, and we simply would not be here today without it. But if we go deeper than that, it also gives us a sense of belonging, a way to connect with new people, and offer support/be supported. Community means you never have to face challenges alone, and there’s always someone ready to celebrate your successes with you!
Well wasn’t that lovely. Follow all those brilliant designers and devour every bit of creativity they’re sharing with the world.
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