Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Davidson.
Hi Liz, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am very new to Minnesota, but I came here in July to chase a dream job as a professional board game designer. I could not be happier that I did. I always thought board games would be a very consuming hobby for me, but never a full career. I started a blog called Beyond Solitaire in 2016, then added a YouTube channel in 2017, then a pandemic podcast in 2020 that ended up changing my life. I am a historian by training–I fell in love with Latin in high school, got a Ph.D. in Ancient Christianity, and spent the last 10 years as a high school Latin teacher. So my podcast focused on interviews about games, history, and culture. Suddenly I had the chance to interview educators, professional wargamers, and historical game designers about games they had made and about what they wanted those games to do. Eventually, I realized that I also wanted to contribute to the conversation through game design. By 2022 I had started my own first game, Night Witches, with my co-designer, David Thompson. Night Witches is about the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, a Soviet regiment consisting entirely of women who flew harassment missions against the Nazis in WWII. Things have really taken off from there! We just signed our second game, Queen of Spies, and I have other projects in the works, both alone and with co-designers.
All of this work also led to a job offer from Leder Games, where I am now the Solo Games Specialist. I adapt games published by the studio so that they can be played by a single person (yes, it’s a thing, try it!) or, when possible, cooperatively. Sometimes people want to team up against a game instead of playing against each other, and I am here to help. I’m currently working on a solo mode for Oath, designed by Cole Wehrle, which is currently getting an expansion. My partner on this project, Richard Wilkins, and I have been extensively playtesting an automated opponent who will give human players a run for their money! I have never been happier in a job, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This is an interesting question, because I did not know until last February that I was going to get a chance to design games full time. I definitely overcame obstacles, but they felt more like personal growth because I did not know what they would lead to in the end. When you have a YouTube channel, you have to think hard about what your goals are. Are you going to chase numbers? Are you going to cover only hot games? Will you cover a lot of games quickly, or take your time with the games you really want to play? You also have to let yourself grow and change so that your work doesn’t become stagnant.
When I look back at my path, I realize that every time I had a choice to either coast or push myself, I chose to push myself–a pattern that ultimately led me to start designing games of my own. I think the real challenge is being willing to pursue what you truly want, to push yourself to grow into the person you actually want to be. I already had some practice at that, though–my educational pathway was also all about doing what I truly wanted to do. (Most Classics majors deeply love the subject matter.)
Once Leder Games offered me a position, I had a real decision to make. I enjoyed teaching–I love Latin, I love having students. I was in a stable job that would have paid me a pension had I kept working in my district. But, once again, I thought about the person I really wanted to become and the life I really wanted to live. I made the leap, and I haven’t looked back. (It helped that my partner was fully supportive–we were living in Georgia, and he was desperate to relocate to a cold place.)
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My job title at Leder Games is Solo Games Specialist, and that is because I am all about board games you can play by yourself. I love to play with others, too, but there is something special about taking some time for yourself and embracing the challenge of a solo game.
My job suits me perfectly because I have somehow found work that brings all of my previous experience to bear. You might not think that studying Ancient Christianity and then teaching Latin would have a direct impact on my career as a board game designer, but to me it feels like a natural progression. Some skills fit very obviously: I love to teach games, and I love to write rules and think about how to make them easier to learn. But because I survived a Ph.D. program (and loved it!), I also know how to handle the uncertainty of creative work. I am comfortable pursuing ideas that might not work out the way I expect. Leder Games is also a special company to work for, because we focus on games that tell stories. Several of our games are inspired by history. Root, our most famous game, is ostensibly about adorable forest animals–but you can read a lot into it about historical movements and struggles for power. My Creative Director, Cole Wehrle, who designed Root, also went into game design after finishing his Ph.D. You never know where your passions will take you!
Outside of game design, I am most proud of my podcast, Beyond Solitaire. Over the years I have gotten to talk to some amazing people about the absolutely incredible work they do, using games as a way to discuss bigger historical and cultural issues. Some of my favorite episodes include: an interview with Steven Dashiell about how Pierre Bourdieu, a French social theorist, can help us talk about clout chasing in games like Call of Duty; an interview with Geoff Engelstein about resurrecting an unpublished game designed by Kurt Vonnegut; and a really amazing discussion with Natalia Zwarts and Chris Gledhill about a game being played at The Hague University that focuses on brokering peace between Ukraine and Russia. Play sessions are recorded so that scholars can analyze the language players use as they negotiate! My podcast is currently being archived at Stanford so that it can be made available through the university’s library system, and I will never get over how much of an honor that is for me.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I had a happy childhood, so it is hard to choose a favorite, but my parents used to put me to bed and then pop popcorn, which I love. I would inevitably hear and smell my favorite snack, get mad that my parents were eating it without me, and get up to demand my share. I didn’t realize until much later that my parents absolutely knew I would do that and were happy to hang out with me a little extra.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beyondsolitaire.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondsolitaire/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaire
- Twitter: https://bsky.app/profile/beyondsolitaire.bsky.social
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/beyondsolitaire
- Other: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/
