Be like Mitch

In 2016, my friend Mitch Prentis visited me while I lived in Indonesia. I had just started to pursue game design. I was fumbling through an explanation of a not-even-half-baked concept for my first game idea. Mitch humored me, listened carefully, and asked good questions for a few hours.

I was explaining the idea so poorly that he misunderstood me and asked, “Wait, are you saying that players prepare cards in 3 different lanes and have to make contingency plans because they don’t know which hand will resolve next? That does sound interesting.” That was not my idea. But I immediately realized that his interpretation was much more interesting than what I had in mind.

I revisited this concept for years, not sure how to make it work. And eventually it became Rampage. I’m not sure what to make of this anecdote. But a few thoughts come to mind.

1. It is worth talking about your ideas, even if you have no clue what you’re doing yet.

2. Good ideas truly come from everywhere — even from a misunderstanding.

3. Having friends like Mitch is invaluable. Strive to be like Mitch.