On January 31, 2026, Eric Lang, the mastermind behind popular board games such as Blood Rage, Rising Sun, Ankh, and Chaos in the Old World, was in town. He’s been spending time in Malaysia for years and now plans to make Kuala Lumpur his more permanent home. Eric is eager to meet and get to know the people who design games and the folks who play board games in the area. Aaron set up two get-togethers for game designers and others in the game business to chat with Eric. I almost couldn’t make it because of other plans, but luckily one of the meetings got moved, and I was able to join the session at BGC Space.

This meeting was really eye-opening and full of good ideas. Eric talked about his many years in the game industry and shared his thoughts on the board game scene in Malaysia, Singapore, and the rest of Asia. He knew from a young age that he wanted to design games and worked very hard to make that dream come true. Here are some of the main things I learned from our talk:

1. You need to know what you want to be. What kind of job do you want in the board game world? Do you want to do this for your whole life? Pick one clear role you want to be good at. What kinds of games do you want to create? What would a typical day look like for you in five years? Imagine what you want to achieve in five years, and don’t let any doubts stop you from getting there.
2. If you want to show your game idea to a publisher, look at the games they’ve put out in the last three years. Then, suggest games that fit what they usually publish. Understand what they expect and make sure your game meets those standards before you even talk to them.
3. Always aim for high quality, both for yourself and by worldwide standards. Spend time with people who also have those high standards.
4. Game designers who play a lot of games often think regular people want games that are more complicated than they actually do. For example, Machi Koro is often too complicated for many.
5. If you want to make a game for everyone, the back of the box should have three short points that describe and make people want to buy the game, but it shouldn’t try to teach them how to play.
6. Monopoly Deal is a fantastic game to get people who don’t usually play games interested. It’s even better for this than games like Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne.
7. If you own a board game cafe or store and you’re trying to attract people who aren’t big gamers, make sure you display chess, Scrabble, and Monopoly in your front window.
8. For an industry to grow, like the board game market in Malaysia, you need many different people who are really good at specific jobs. This includes game designers, stores that sell games, companies that spread games around, people who review games, event planners, marketers, and folks who create content. These people need to be excellent at what they do. Don’t try to do everything yourself, because you’ll likely get worn out. Eric noticed that in Malaysia, local game makers often try to do a bit of everything, which might not be the best way to go.

One thing we talked about was how to get more people into playing board games. This is something Malaysia really needs to work on. Board games are still a pretty small hobby here, and the market isn’t very big. But that also means there’s a lot of room for it to grow.

Eric is full of energy and really wants to help the board game community in Malaysia. It was wonderful to learn from him. I’m looking forward to more chances to meet him and get his advice once he’s settled in Kuala Lumpur.