I've invented a game?

Question

it's kind of a board game, what do I do next, does anyone know any website or company that I could make contact with ?

Answer 1

First, the whole bit about sending a copy of the game to yourself to secure copyright is pure bunk. Here's Wikipedia on Poor Man's Copyright -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_man%27s_copyright As a law student who has taken Evidence, I can tell you with near 100% certainty that you would never get to introduce something like this in court, or if you were to, it would not establish anything.

Now, on to your actual question about designing and marketing a game. First, there is a burgeoning web community for persons just like yourself who design games and seek to get them published. There is a wealth of material for you over at the Board Games Designer's Forum http://www.bgdf.com/. They can help you with information about how to go about marketing and publishing your game.

Before you head over there though, you may want to do some research about games like yours and whether there is a product on the market already that is remarkably similar to yours. It's tough to re-invent the wheel only to find that someone has aready developed the automobile (<-- terrible metaphor). There is a great board game community with lots of information on games over at Board Game Geek.com http://www.boardgamegeek.com/.

In addition, I would recommend having a look at Brian Tinsman's The Game Inventor's Guidebook. It's a good resource for information about the game industry, profiles of prominent designers, and some industry contact information.

http://www.amazon.com/Game-Inventors-Guidebook-Brian-Tinsman/dp/0873495527/ref=sr_1_2/104-9426231-8845515?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188265655&sr=1-2

Answer 2

Many game companies won't even look at outside ideas - it keeps them from being sued if they later come out with a similar idea.

Your best bet is to produce it yourself, even if that is limited to a few dozen sample copies made at your local Kinko's. If you're on good terms with your local game stores, ask them to carry a few copies - having a product that has been commercially produced and sold, even if it's on a limited basis, will help you prove ownership should someone later try to steal the idea. Registering a copyright on the game will also help in that regard.

Answer 3

Send a complete description of your game in the mail to YOURSELF. Do not open it. Keep this mailed information sealed and in a safe place. This is your copyright! The postmark on the envelope is your proof that it was your idea on that date and it will hold up in a court of law if anyone tries to steal your idea. Then I would contact Mattel, Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley, etc. and pitch your idea but let them know that you currently hold the rights to the game.
Good luck! Be careful. There are alot of people out there who will rip you off.

Answer 4

dude i wanna play it if u ever get it on file get my myspace its under jon orozco