This Phoenix 7th grader became a professional game designer 'to inspire other kids to create'
Phoenix seventh grader Finn Veatch didn't see himself as a professional game designer when he first developed Arcaven’s Duel, but within a year, a game he created in his living room has become available internationally.
The fast-paced, fantasy card game can be played by people of all ages and was an immediate hit with friends and family.
“It really started when we took the deck out on a few vacations,” said Finn’s father Jeremy Veatch. “People just kept giving us encouragement and saying it’s fun.”
Turning a hobby into a business
To test the market, Veatch found an overseas printer and had ten decks printed and gave them to Joe Price, a family friend who owns Lazy Trout Market in Greer, Arizona, to sell at his shop. A few weeks later, all of the games had been sold.
It was a pleasant surprise, but the Veatchs didn't see it as sustainable in the long run since it cost $28 to print the decks, which were sold for $19.
“At that point, I told Finn, 'looks like our project is over, I can’t keep spending $300 to sell them at Lazy Trout," said Jeremy. "A few hours later Finn came back and said we should do a Kickstarter.”
In order to be taken seriously, Finn commissioned a professional artist named Derrick Kempf to design the cards based on Finn’s original sketches. The teen put together a pitch video explaining the game’s rules and origins and uploaded his project on Kickstarter.
A grassroots campaign brought this teen's dream to life
Kickstarter and crowdfunding can be intimidating. Without an established audience, there is a common fear that projects will simply fade away with only partial funding, if they receive any funding at all. Arcaven’s Duel had only been sold locally and Finn had no major online presence to advertise the game. So, Finn decided to take inspiration from grassroots Kickstarters and campaigns that the family had supported themselves.
“We built an email list of over 150 people,” Finn said. “We ended up being featured on Everything Board Games, Giveaway Geek, Raising Arizona Kid’s Magazine.”
He handed out flyers at school and put up posters at local stores. “No one is getting in-person marketing anymore,” Finn said. “So it kind of makes it a novelty. Like, wow, these people are coming to me in-person to sell this game. It must be important.”
The family was driving home from Flagstaff when the family found out his efforts were paying off.
“My brother texted me and said it was at $5,000,” said Jeremy. “That was in five hours.”
By the time The Kickstarter campaign concluded in late September 2022, they had 689 backers and $28,137 in donations.
The Veatchs hope to start sending out copies of the game in November to those who have ordered them. Preorders are still available on their Kickstarter.
What's next for this young Arizona game designer?
“I want to use the game to inspire other kids to create and to bring people together," Finn said.
The young game designer is not resting on his laurels. With the momentum of Arcaven’s Duel, Finn has started his own brand: Ideas, Wonder, Unite. The working title of his next game is Knight’s Combat, a one-on-one board game with hundreds of different minis.
Arcaven’s Duel is currently available for pre-order for $19.
Details: https://arcavensduel.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: This Phoenix teen is the game designer behind Arcaven’s Duel
