Exploding Kittens: How Elan Lee Built a Board Game Empire

Elan Lee, the creator of Exploding Kittens and other hit board games, has built a billion-dollar empire by focusing on making players the entertainment rather than the games themselves. In this fascinating interview, Lee shares his journey from Xbox designer to board game mogul, offering valuable insights on creativity, innovation, and business strategy.

The Birth of Exploding Kittens

Lee's journey into the world of board games began with a desire to create something that would bring people together in the physical world, rather than isolating them in front of screens. After resigning from his position as chief design officer at Xbox, he set out to design a simple card game.

"I remember one day, I walked over to my brother's house, and I was so excited to see my niece and nephew," Lee recalls. "They were playing Xbox when I walked in, and they didn't even look up. To add insult to injury, they were playing a game that I designed. I thought, 'Oh, I've broken something so fundamental here.'"

This realization led Lee to create a game that would capture the essence of his childhood gaming experiences - people gathered around a table, interacting face-to-face, cheating, and having fun together.

Lee's initial goal was modest - to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter to fund a small print run. However, the campaign quickly exceeded expectations:

"We launched this thing saying 'All right, let's aim for $10,000.' We hit our $10,000 goal in 7 minutes. And in the first 48 hours, we had $2 million."

The Power of Constraints in Creativity

One of Lee's key insights is the importance of constraints in fostering creativity. Rather than starting with a blank slate, he believes in setting clear parameters and goals:

"I love parameters. I hate blue sky brainstorming. The idea that like, 'Hey, let's sit down and create a game' is the most terrifying experience in the world for me."

Lee applies this principle not just to game design, but to all aspects of his business. For example, when faced with warehouse closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, he found an innovative solution by asking a different question:

"Instead of calling these warehouse owners over and over again saying 'When are you opening your doors?' I finally asked a different question. It was 'What are you doing with your parking lots?' And the answer was 'Nothing, because nobody's at work so our parking lots are empty.' And I was like, 'Cool. Can I park three 18-wheeler trucks in your parking lot?'"

This creative thinking allowed Exploding Kittens to continue operations when many other game companies were forced to shut down.

Making Players the Entertainment

Lee's philosophy on game design is summed up in one powerful statement: "Games should not be entertaining. Games should make the people you're playing with entertaining."

This approach has led to the creation of games that focus on player interaction and creativity, rather than complex rules or flashy components. Lee explains:

"If you're making an entertaining game, you're trying way too hard, and it's you versus the audience, which means when you're done entertaining them, they're going to go away and never come back. If instead your goal is 'I'm just making a tool set, my tool set is going to make the people that you are playing with the entertainment,' suddenly you've got an engine. Suddenly every time they play, it's different. Suddenly they constantly want to come back."

The One-Question Test

To ensure his games meet this standard, Lee has developed a simple but effective testing method:

"We now send out a questionnaire. And it has one question on it. Just one, start to finish. One question. And that question is: do you want to play again?"

Lee believes this single question is the most direct way to determine if a game has succeeded in making the players entertaining. If the answer is consistently "yes," he knows he's on the right track.

Lessons for Business and Life

While Lee's insights are rooted in game design, they offer valuable lessons for business and life in general:

1. Embrace constraints: Use limitations as a springboard for creativity.
2. Focus on creating value for others: Make your customers or users the stars of the show.
3. Keep it simple: Sometimes, the most powerful insights can be distilled into a single question or concept.
4. Never accept "no" as a final answer: Look for alternative solutions and ask different questions.
5. Stay passionate: Find work that excites you as much as your favorite activities.

Lee's approach to business and creativity is summed up in his response to a skydiving instructor's question:

"I took a weeklong skydiving course, and at the end of it, I asked the instructor, 'Do you ever get bored of this?' And the guy said, 'Do you ever get bored of having sex?' And I thought, 'That's exactly it. This is how I feel about games. That's how I feel about this job. It's not the thing with an expiration. It's a little dopamine factory for me and the people who get to have these experiences. I don't know how you can get bored of that, and it's just eternal.'"

Conclusion

Elan Lee's journey from Xbox designer to board game mogul is a testament to the power of creativity, innovation, and a focus on creating value for others. By applying his unique approach to game design and business strategy, Lee has built a billion-dollar empire that continues to bring joy and entertainment to millions of people worldwide. His insights offer valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and creatives in any field, demonstrating that with the right mindset and approach, it's possible to turn even the simplest ideas into wildly successful ventures.

Article created from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0aCrkiybmA