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Designers Who Ship: Circle Guide

This is a place to share game development problems you are solving and the tools you use to solve them. Your game is the occasion, not the topic. This is not a place for marketing your game. Devlogs are marketing for players, dev letters are for game designers like us. Consider topics like "My players play a lot but say they hate the game", "My simulation felt more alive before I fixed the bugs" or "My economy worked until speedrunners found it". These conversations might explore dark patterns in retention, when a bug is a feature, or balancing around different kinds of players.

Values

Write claims, not conclusions. "What I did" and "what I like" are conversation enders. Instead write about what patterns you've found. Then other designers can see if it applies to their work, where the claim doesn't work, or where else it might be useful. Share the questions you couldn't answer. That's what replies are for. A small shipped game beats a big game that never shipped.

Who belongs here

You've shipped a video game to Itch, an App Store, or Steam and it shipped because of you. You owned the design, code, or direction. Games you are studying, critiquing, or "still working on" don't count. The project doesn't have to be impressive. Link something playable when you request an invite. Solo developers preferred, but small teams where you are the driving figure are also good. You don't have to be fulltime to join. You need to have the time to write about game development quarterly.

What makes a good letter

  • An observation that starts a conversation.
  • A problem you are working on that may interest others.
  • A model or perspective that helped you in a specific situation.
  • A well-considered response to a previous letter.

Letters this circle holds up as examples

The participation contract

1 letter and 2 thoughtful responses required each cycle with a 14-day grace period.

  • Members who fall short of the cycle requirements receive reminders, then a grace window, and are then removed to make room for active voices.
  • Removal is not punitive: removed members can be re-invited any time, and re-entry starts with a fresh letter.
  • Inviting people you respect is part of membership — a circle only survives when members keep bringing in strong new voices.