You never know when the perfect inspiration is going to hit. You may find that combining two different ideas makes a neat new game concept. Keep a log of ideas in a notebook, on your computer, or in a note taking app on your phone.  It might be particularly useful for you to keep your note-taking tools handy when you’re at game night. Playing games might spark the perfect idea for your own game. When using store-bought games for inspiration, ask yourself, “What would I do to improve this game?” This question can often lead you to interesting innovations. Themes are the “feel” of a game and can also be referred to as the game’s “genre.” Games like Sorry! have a simple "race to the end" theme. Complex wargames have conflicts, player politics, and game piece placement strategy.  You might find inspiration for the theme of your game in your favorite novel, comic book, or TV series. Mythology and legends are often used when developing themes. Common elements include vampires, witches, wizards, dragons, angels, demons, gnomes, and more. Mechanics are the ways players interact with the game and each other. In Monopoly, the mechanics are centered around dice-rolling, buying/selling property, and making money. The mechanics of Axis & Allies involve moving pieces across a large board and resolving player conflicts with dice rolls.  Some people come up with a mechanic and then create a theme around it, while others come up with a great theme and then tailor the mechanics to match that theme. Experiment to find what works best for you. Common mechanics you might be interested in using include turns, dice rolling, movement, card drawing, tile laying, auctioning, and more. The age range of your players will influence the complexity of your game board and its rules. If you are designing the game for children, it’s better for your game to be simple, easy-to-understand, and fun. For adults, you could create something more competitive, exciting, and complex. Keep your theme in mind when you’re deciding the age range. A zombie hunting game won’t be suitable for children, but it might be perfect for adult fans of zombie TV shows. Some games are limited by the size of the board, the number of player tokens, or the number of cards. Game board size and the number of cards will also influence how long it takes for players to complete your game. When setting these limits, think about:  The number of players your game will support. Will the game be fun with just two players? How about with the max number? Will there be enough cards/tokens? The average length of your game. Additionally, the first playthrough generally takes longest. Players will need time to learn the rules. The size of your game. Large game boards and decks will usually add complexity and lengthen the game time, but this will also make your game less portable. Once you have the basic ideas behind your game written down, ask yourself, “What are the winning conditions of this game?” Consider the different ways that the player could win, and keep these in mind as you work on the game.  Race games have players hurry to the end of the board. In these games, the first player to reach the final square wins. Point-gain games require players to accumulate awards, like victory points or special cards. At the end of the game, the player with the most awards wins. Cooperative games involve players working together toward a common goal, like repairing a gnomish submarine or stopping a virus outbreak. Deck-building games rely on cards to move gameplay along. Players earn, steal, or trade cards to strengthen their hand to accomplish the game’s goals. These will undoubtedly change as you continue to develop your game, but a basic set of rules will allow you to begin testing quickly. When writing your rules, keep the following in mind:  The starting player. Many games choose the first player by having players roll dice or draw cards. The highest roll or card goes first.  The player phase. What can players do during their turn? To balance turn time, most games only allow one or two player actions per turn. Player interaction. How will players influence each other? For example, players on the same square might “duel” by rolling for the highest number. The non-player phase. If there are enemies or board effects (like fires or floods), you’ll need to establish when these operate during gameplay. Outcome resolution. Outcomes might be decided with a simple roll of the dice. Special events might require specific cards or rolls (like doubles).

Summary: Write down your ideas. Develop your game with a theme. Use mechanics to develop your game, alternatively. Determine the age range of your players. Set player, time, and size limits for your game. Decide how players will win. Write out the basic rules.


Your professors are a great source for finding work.  Ask them if they know of any job openings or if they have an industry connection who might be able to help you.  Your school’s career advisor might also be able to assist you in finding a job.  If your sources at school cannot help, or if you’re unsatisfied with their recommendations, check online.  Employment sites like https://www.monster.com and https://www.Indeed.com are useful for finding jobs of all sorts, including engineering positions. Engineering organizations often post jobs online or connect recent graduates with work opportunities.  Check out the websites of engineering organizations in your area for more information. Your resume should not contain every work experience you’ve ever had.  Focus on your education, your relevant work experience, and any relevant internships or volunteer roles you’ve had.  Emphasize the ways in which your skills match the job description.  For instance, if the job you’re applying for is looking for someone with experience in the automotive industry and you have experience working for an auto parts manufacturer, you should include this experience in your cover letter and in your resume. List your engineering skills and specialties. You can also list relevant coursework, if applicable. Open the letter with a compelling introductory paragraph that explains why you want the job and why you’re the right person for it.  Then, tailor your cover letter for the job.  For instance, if your resume refers to an internship at an auto parts manufacturing factory, you should delve into more depth in your cover letter.  Explain what your specific responsibilities were and how you made a positive contribution to the company in your time there.

Summary: Find work opportunities through your network or online. Make a relevant resume. Expound on your experience in your cover letter.


Even if you don't use Internet Explorer on a regular basis, you'll still need to reset it as it is used for some Windows functions.  Open Internet Explorer. Click the Gear icon or the Tools menu. Select "Internet options". Click the Advanced tab and then the Reset... button. Check the "Delete personal settings" box and click Reset. If you use Google Chrome for web browsing, you'll want to reset it to delete any Snap.Do toolbar software. If you don't use Google Chrome, skip down to the next step.  Open Google Chrome. Click the Chrome Menu button (☰). Select "Settings". Click the "Show advanced settings..." link. Scroll to the bottom and click Reset settings. Click Reset to confirm. If you use Firefox for web browsing, you'll want to reset it to delete any Snap.Do toolbar software. If you don't use Firefox, skip down to the next step.  Open Firefox. Click the Firefox Menu button (☰). Click the Help (?) button then click "Troubleshooting information". Click Reset Firefox... and then Reset Firefox to confirm. If you use any other browsers such as Opera or Safari, reset them as well. Snap.Do will likely infect all of the browsers installed on your computer, so make sure to reset each one you.
Summary: Reset Internet Explorer. Reset Chrome (if installed). Reset Firefox (if installed). Reset your other browsers.