You Start a Board Game Company?
Well...That's what I decided to do.
Dead Lemon Games LLC was formed on August 16, 2020 by a couple of close friends who share a passion for gaming. We aim to create unique gaming experiences fueled by our passions for fun and thoughtfulness. How we got here was by product of circumstance. Dead Lemon Games isn't some major publishing company that has a mountain of investors wanting to propel titles into the market and make bank. No way. This is a humble beginning to a big dream. |
Fast forward down to "A Turning Point" to learn how this all got started.
- The Things We Believe in -
This is the section for all the important business core values and whatnot. Although we seem to be having a lot of fun with what we're doing it doesn't mean that we're not serious about our business, our goals, and our beliefs. We hold these things dear. They help keep us where would like to be and serve as a constant reminder of who we are.
Our mission...Dead Lemon Games is committed to developing and producing fun and engaging experiences through games. We strive to achieve this with innovative ideas that will harbor progressive and unique interactions in those we reach. We believe that games promote growth in individuals and their communities. We are ready to share these passions with the world. |
Our Philosophy and ValuesThrough games we can create meaningful experiences. These experiences provide a positive contribution to education, personal and social development, and inspiring the imagination. At the core of these experiences will be enjoyment. Through the beauty of well-crafted games we create a fun and engaging platform to help shape our lives. |
At The Heart Of The Lemon- F U N -
We practice and encourage fun -- Fun is a crucial part of our lives. We strive to enjoy our process, and in doing so, provide our communities with the most enjoyable experiences possible. - I N N O V A T I O N - We seek innovative ideas and designs -- Variety is indeed a spice of life! We put our energy into something different to create distinct and unique encounters. - P A S S I O N - We share a passion -- We share a passion with each other to our craft and our goals. We wish to share this passion with our friends, our customers, and our communities. - C O N T I N U O U S L E A R N I N G - We see great developmental value in what we do -- We believe that games create and strengthen growth on many individual and collective levels. And that's how it reads on the business plan. This is the truth. That is what I'm striving for here. But there is some more truth that is hidden here. This truth is mayhaps an even more paramount truth to grab a hold of. That truth is that I am one person. I have no team of designers and no team of employees helping me. I am no veteran to this profession. I'm no vastly experienced, certified, masters-holding plaque on the wall. I am one person who has the dream and passion to create fun board games. I have the drive and passion to give this dream everything I've got. This is the beginning of that dream. |
the beginning: A turning point
In March of 2020 I was on the road headed back up to Alaska. I'd been working up there in tourism for the past five summers. News of the new Corona Virus was really picking up a lot of people were on the scare about a lot of subjects. My work in Alaska centers around cruise ships, so needless to say I was worried how this was going to effect my job up there. I was almost to the border when I got a call from my boss about Canadian ports being shut down for several months and the uncertainty of my organization's operations. I decided to turn around and head back towards friends, family, and stable support in a time when there was a lot of unknowns. As time and the situation progressed, my organization ended up canceling all their operations for the 2020 season and laid off thousands of employees. This included me. |
Things were real weird as uncertainty and doubt weighed heavily on me. But with the free time on my hands I was able to focus on some passions and projects that have taken a back-burner for a long time. These passions included the outdoors, making art, making music, and board games. I had dabbled in some analog game design in the past for fun and as a hobby. In Dec. 2019 I had a idea for a game and started to work quite a bit on it for fun. As the game's development progressed I decided I might as well give it a shot at submitting it to publishing companies in far hopes that someone might want to buy it. I had mildly entertained self-publishing until I looked into it. There's a lot of pros and cons to going with either routes. I had gathered what was needed for submissions and continued play-testing the game with friends. Whilst play-testing I had several encouraging discussions with friends about what it actually took to self-publish a board game. A couple more weeks of thought, research, and weighing my current life circumstances yielded a very important question....Why don't I just go ahead and try to self-publish? |
And that's kind of how we got here. |
Doing something I love as a career has always been a strong underlining goal in my existence. Designing things and playing board games has always been a passion of mine. And so now I'm perusing a dream. I've decided that now is a time to do something like this if there ever was a time. Now is a time for me to give it my all and put as much on the line as possible in hopes of accomplishing that dream. To help me with this dream I sought the help of a dear friend who was just as passionate about my dream and the game as I was. Together, we're going to give this an honest go. With the help of friends, maybe my dream will come true. |
I want to make great games! I want to make games that are fun and unique. Most of all I want to share the gift of experiences that comes from playing a game. I want to share the laughter, the passion, the deep thoughts, the social encounters, the competition, and the cooperation of friends that spawns from games. So, here I am trying to do that. Thanks for being here with me. I hope to share great things with you in the future! - Shelby Matussak, Game Master and CEO |
- Where we are now - |
Currently DLG is working on our first title, Lonely Undead, set to launch via Kickstarter in late Spring 2021! We are super excited for you to be a part of the game! Sign up for our newsletter to get updates on the progress of the game, cool unveilings, and fun contests!
We promise to only email you when we have something really juicy to share. |