Community · 16 June 2019 · By Mark McKinnon
A tribute to James Mathe, Kickstarter pioneer
It began like any other morning
I usually get up early and spend some time reading my Facebook feed, catching up with the game design community, much of which is based in the United States. The posts are often about choosing a mechanic, finding the right theme or getting advice on running a Kickstarter campaign.
That morning was different. I learned that James Mathe had died over the weekend, and the community was trying to take in the news. I felt a lump in my throat and was surprised by how deeply it affected me. We had never met in person, but for three years we had been interacting almost every day. As the news spread, I could see how many others were grieving too.
You may not know James, so I want to share what he meant to me and to designers around the world. This is a tribute to a man whose work made a difference to so many.
James Mathe and Minion Games
James was the public face of Minion Games, a publisher with several successful games. He had been part of the industry long enough to witness Kickstarter’s rapid rise and had been using the platform since 2011. You may have backed one of his 28 projects, or played one of the games after its campaign.
Having gained experience across the process, James chose to share what he had learned with the wider design community. He gathered a wealth of advice on his blog and established Facebook groups covering game design, Kickstarter campaigns and support after publication. Together, these resources offered guidance at every stage.
Taking a game from an idea to publication can feel daunting. Having questions answered by people who had already faced the same challenges was reassuring: others had been through the uncertainty and made it to the other side. “Read the blog first” became a familiar refrain in the community, and aspiring designers could turn to that advice whenever they needed it.
What does the future hold?
No one can say for certain. I hope James’s blog remains available for future generations, because it covered an extraordinary range of subjects. Many people want to preserve that knowledge so it can continue to help others, even if it eventually lives on in a different form.
His passing also made me think about what we leave behind and the legacy we create. It prompted me to write this and begin sharing my own experiences, as a small way of thanking someone I never met but who had a profound influence on my life in recent years.
As long as the community spirit James helped foster continues, his lessons can live on through what we say and do. My name is Mark, and today I pay tribute to a person whose words have helped shape thousands of games and Kickstarter projects. I hope his family can take comfort in knowing how much he meant to the board game community, and how his contribution will continue to matter.