Junior graphic design major Scott Coffey gets to combine his love of art, writing and math in an unusual way.
“The first real board game that I bought was Settlers of Catan, and that was in high school,” Coffey said. “Ever since then, I’ve really loved playing and making games.”
Coffey has created multiple board game prototypes with creative premises. One game is called Cat Fight, which is set up like a reality show, and the goal is to get the most fame in the end. Another game is named The End, where the players try to be the first to end the world.
Coffey also receives college credit for his board game designs in his independent study in the graphic design major. His most recent development is Quiver — a game that came from an idea he had while studying abroad in England in 2013.
“Everyone in the game is an archer, and the goal is to score the most points in an archery contest,” Coffey said.
In the comical game, players have to shoot past different obstacles, and each obstacle gives the players a different amount of points.
Coffey is designing the entire game himself and said he wants to develop it so that it can be sold to a publisher. This process includes creating the rules, play testing and designing the artwork.
“I’m hoping to get the deck of cards for the game professionally printed so that I can possibly take it to a publisher,” Coffey said.
The game has 108 cards in the deck, and there are 75 unique illustrations on the cards. One card can take Coffey anywhere from one to five hours to design.
Coffey and his friends have game nights in the Sewell lobby on Thursday or Friday. He said that anyone is welcome to join.