Game Developers ClubhouseEntrepreneur David MacKenzie left his job at Game Salute in December of 2014 to start his own organization where game designers could come together to create and work on projects in a community setting.

The Game Designers Clubhouse is located in Edmonds, WA not far from the bustling Seattle metropolis. For a monthly fee, members have access to the clubhouse’s workspace tools, including a 27-inch iMac with Adobe Creative Cloud, Color laser and Inkjet printers, and prototyping stations with various crafting tools, like cutting mats, card sleeves, game tokens, and more.

While the membership-based clubhouse is getting underway, MacKenzie has managed to keep the fire burning by offering substantial blind playtest session through a monthly recurring crowdfunding website called Patreon.

Through the Game Designers Clubhouse Patreon support, designers can have their prototype playtested regularly by gamers. The sessions are filmed and testers are questioned in a group setting. The video is then given to the game’s designer to analyze and figure out what needs to be adjusted.

“I’ve heard from more than one designer that they watch the videos several times and take notes about how the players are understanding or misunderstanding certain rules, how gamers are perceiving the game, how components and players interact, how emergent gameplay can take the game in unexpected directions, and much, much more,” MacKenzie told Purple Pawn in an interview.

By blind playtesting, game designers get a better understanding of how their project works in the hands of strangers.

MacKenzie notes that a handful of games have already been picked up by publishers, thanks to the playtest videos that the Game Designers Clubhouse offers.

If you live in the greater Seattle area and are looking for a place to work on your game design, check out the Game Designers Clubhouse in Edmonds to see if it is the right fit for you.