Everyone's a Designer

I was listening to the latest Sons of Kryos podcast and they were interviewing someone from the Ashcan Front (sorry, I forgot who). Anyone, the guy mentioned that everyone is a game designer and that statement reminded me of Matthew May's manifesto Elegant Solutions: Breakthrough Thinking the Toyota Way wherein he mentions that everyone is an innovator. Designers (not just game designers) and innovators both share one thing in common: they solve problems and attempt to make things better. And it's true, everyone is a designer or innovator in one way or another. In gaming for example, if you ever thought or implemented a house rule, that's game design! If you revamped or created a character sheet, that's also design. In the PC gaming community, the same goes for modders or even those who program 'bots. When you use (or invent) a variant rule for a board game, the same is true. Just tweaking your website and choosing what features to include and what not to include is a form of design. Professional designers are important but don't downplay your own contribution.