When you’re speaking with one person, you’re only speaking with one person. Just because that person may become difficult or sanctimonious doesn’t mean you should assume that everyone who shares that person’s views will act the same way. Don’t let the other person put words in your mouth or assume that they know what you’re going to say. For instance, if the other person says something like “Because you’re white, I already know what you’re going to say” an appropriate response might be “While I can’t deny that my race has played a big role in shaping my identity, I’m my own person with my own beliefs.” While you should always be polite, you should not hesitate to defend yourself if you think the person with whom you’re arguing is being unfair.  Be sure to defend yourself against ad hominem attacks. These are attacks on your character rather than the substance of your argument, and they don’t add anything constructive to any discussion. An example of an ad hominem attack would be if you criticize someone for doing something and they respond “Well, you do it too!” An appropriate response might be “Just because I’ve done something similar in the past doesn’t make it right! We should all strive to be better.” Another example would be if the person you’re speaking to says “Of course you’ll never believe what I’m trying to tell you, because you grew up rich!” This statement presupposes that your background has altered your character so indelibly that you’ll never change your mind. If the person you’re talking to tries to intimidate you, inform them in a polite but firm manner that that behavior is unacceptable. If you’re afraid that you’re going to say the wrong thing, listen to the person you’re talking to carefully and use their language, particularly if there are terms upon which they rely especially heavily.  A good example is to mention your own race, class, or gender privilege. Discussing the importance of trigger warnings can also help. In this context triggers refer to events or circumstances that remind people of traumatic experiences from their past. Trigger warnings are warnings that a book, speech, movie, TV show, or some other form of media contains a depiction of or mentions a potentially traumatic topic. Be gracious and move on if that’s the case.  If you find yourself with no other recourse than ad hominem attacks, you have very likely lost the argument. If your opponent's argument starts making sense to you, be honest and concede the point. Don't become emotional and refuse to lose gracefully because you don't want to look weak.

Summary: Don’t draw broad assumptions. Explain your point of view. Stand up for yourself if necessary. Mirror the language of social change activists. Understand when and if you’ve lost the argument.


Even professional game makers usually start off with a dud. Before you seriously consider publishing a game, play it a lot. Ask other people what they think its strengths and weaknesses are. You might be biased toward believing that it is better than it is.  When experimenting make sure that there aren’t any situations where the rules are unclear or simply don’t work. Be sure that games don’t go on for an agonizingly long time or that they don’t stop being competitive before the game is over. When new people play the game, see if they can understand the rules. If it takes more than one game to understand how things work, the rules might be too complicated. If you want to mass produce your cards, a simple drawing won’t be sufficient, though it might be a good place to start. There are free software programs online that you can use to create jpeg image files that can be sent to publishers for easy and affordable production. There are now websites like www.gamecrafter.com that will produce card sets made from jpeg images that you send them. The process is affordable, approximately $7-$25 for a single card set. It can even cost less if you order in large quantities. Alternatively, look online for a list of board game conventions. Here you can meet some major publishers who might be interested in picking up your game. However, you will need to approach them with a very professional looking game in hand and a good pitch about what makes your game special.

Summary: Experiment with your game. Use design software. Find a publisher.


In order to properly credit an image, you need to gather as much information as you can. Once you’ve located the original source for an image, try to find the name of the person who created it.  This could be the name of the person who runs the website where the image is hosted. This could be a username (especially if the image originated on tumblr, pinterest, or other social media sites). Look for a caption, scroll over the image to see if additional information comes up, or attempt to save the image to see what the file is named. If possible, try to determine when the image was created. If the image in question is a representation of an existing artwork or photograph, include the date that the original work was created.  If you are working with a web-only image, see if the website hosting the image has information about image usage or copyright. You may be able to find the date of creation there. If you are citing an existing artwork, an internet search should be able to tell you the date of creation. If you are citing an artwork, you’ll also need to mention where the original piece is held. List the name of the gallery, library, or museum. Also, list the city where that institution is located. For instance, if you’re talking about Dali’s The Persistence of Memory, a quick internet search will tell you that it is held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Write down the name of the website and/or database where you located the original image. If the website is run by an organization, sponsor, or publisher (such as as a university press), you’ll need to record that info as well. Materials online are changing all the time. As such, it is important to note the date of access for an image (the date when you saw and/or downloaded it). Including this is not always required, but it helps add credibility to your citation.
Summary: Determine the image creator's name. Find out the title of the image. Determine the date the image was created. Figure out where the original is located. Record the place where you accessed the image. Record the date when you accessed the image.