About us
Golden Gate Gamemakers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that brings together board game creators and players in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Together we run 200+ events a year all over the Bay Area, including: San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Oakland, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Dublin, Fremont, Santa Cruz, Mill Valley, Petaluma, Concord, Mountain View, and more!
We support playtesting, co-working, promotional, and educational opportunities for tabletop gamemakers, as well as interested players. Help local designers make great games and have fun doing it!
Whether you are a first time or veteran game designer, industry professional, tabletop game enthusiast, casual player, or just want to check things out, we welcome you to our events and are happy to share our knowledge.
If you have any questions, please message @Velgus or your event host, or contact through our website.
Our Code of Conduct:
Code of Conduct - Living Document
Our Website:
Golden Gate Gamemakers
Our Discord:
Golden Gate Gamemakers
Featured event
Protospiel Bay Area - Board Game Design Con (Day 1)
DESIGNERS: get your prototype on the table, get feedback, and meet other designers!
PLAYTESTERS: see up-and-coming games in progress, see how games are made!
PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA is a multi-day family-friendly tabletop board gaming event of playing unpublished board games. Previously known as Protospiel San Jose, the last Protospiel took place in 2019. During that time, Protospiel San Jose occurred annually, with a peak of over 700 attendees!
Golden Gate Gamemakers is excited and proud to be bringing this annual event back to the Bay Area in 2026!
- DESIGNERS: $20 registration. This will come with a 6 hours of scheduled playtesting (2 hours each day). You can also sign up for any open spots each day. Register here!
- PLAYTESTERS: $0 free! Registration still required. Register here!
PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA June 26-28, 2026 at Sports Basement’s Community Space, The Grove, in Redwood City at 202 Walnut Street Redwood City, CA 94063.
EVENT DETAILS
- Event hours are Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-7pm. Lookout for evening events at nearby places (hotels, restaurants).
- The format is SCHEDULED PLAYTESTING. Designers will be given timeslots to run their games. We will provide signs to designers to visually inform playtesters of the time for your game (including teach and feedback). We encourage designers to play other games as much as they run theirs.
- Raffle tickets are earned for every 1 hour of playtesting. Raffle tickets can be used to win games.
- Other activities will include Game Design Basics, Make a Game!, AMA Industry Panel.
VENUE DETAILS
- Sports Basement is located in a plaza (lots of parking) with various food options. Food IS ALLOWED inside the venue space.
- Downtown RWC and CalTrain ~15 min walk.
- Lodging options include: (5-15min walk or 5min drive): (CLOSEST) Courtyard Marriott Redwood City (600 Bair Island Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063). Good Nite Inn (485 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063). Kasa Niche Hotel (868 Main St, Redwood City, CA 94063). Redwood Creek Inn (1090 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063). Sequoia Inn (526 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063).
Golden Gate Gamemakers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that brings together board game designers and playtesters in the San Francisco Bay Area. Support and donate!
Upcoming events
113
Protospiel Bay Area - Board Game Design Con (Day 1)
Sports Basement, 202 Walnut Street, Redwood City, CA, USDESIGNERS: get your prototype on the table, get feedback, and meet other designers!
PLAYTESTERS: see up-and-coming games in progress, see how games are made!PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA is a multi-day family-friendly tabletop board gaming event of playing unpublished board games. Previously known as Protospiel San Jose, the last Protospiel took place in 2019. During that time, Protospiel San Jose occurred annually, with a peak of over 700 attendees!
Golden Gate Gamemakers is excited and proud to be bringing this annual event back to the Bay Area in 2026!
- DESIGNERS: $20 registration. This will come with a 6 hours of scheduled playtesting (2 hours each day). You can also sign up for any open spots each day. Register here!
- PLAYTESTERS: $0 free! Registration still required. Register here!
PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA June 26-28, 2026 at Sports Basement’s Community Space, The Grove, in Redwood City at 202 Walnut Street Redwood City, CA 94063.
EVENT DETAILS
- Event hours are Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-7pm. Lookout for evening events at nearby places (hotels, restaurants).
- The format is SCHEDULED PLAYTESTING. Designers will be given timeslots to run their games. We will provide signs to designers to visually inform playtesters of the time for your game (including teach and feedback). We encourage designers to play other games as much as they run theirs.
- Raffle tickets are earned for every 1 hour of playtesting. Raffle tickets can be used to win games.
- Other activities will include Game Design Basics, Make a Game!, AMA Industry Panel.
VENUE DETAILS
- Sports Basement is located in a plaza (lots of parking) with various food options. Food IS ALLOWED inside the venue space.
- Downtown RWC and CalTrain ~15 min walk.
- Lodging options include: (5-15min walk or 5min drive): (CLOSEST) Courtyard Marriott Redwood City (600 Bair Island Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063). Good Nite Inn (485 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063). Kasa Niche Hotel (868 Main St, Redwood City, CA 94063). Redwood Creek Inn (1090 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063). Sequoia Inn (526 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063).
Golden Gate Gamemakers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that brings together board game designers and playtesters in the San Francisco Bay Area. Support and donate!
19 attendeesProtospiel Bay Area - Board Game Design Con (Day 2)
Sports Basement, 202 Walnut Street, Redwood City, CA, USDESIGNERS: get your prototype on the table, get feedback, and meet other designers!
PLAYTESTERS: see up-and-coming games in progress, see how games are made!PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA is a multi-day family-friendly tabletop board gaming event of playing unpublished board games. Previously known as Protospiel San Jose, the last Protospiel took place in 2019. During that time, Protospiel San Jose occurred annually, with a peak of over 700 attendees!
Golden Gate Gamemakers is excited and proud to be bringing this annual event back to the Bay Area in 2026!
- DESIGNERS: $20 registration. This will come with a 6 hours of scheduled playtesting (2 hours each day). You can also sign up for any open spots each day. Register here!
- PLAYTESTERS: $0 free! Registration still required. Register here!
PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA June 26-28, 2026 at Sports Basement’s Community Space, The Grove, in Redwood City at 202 Walnut Street Redwood City, CA 94063.
EVENT DETAILS
- Event hours are Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-7pm. Lookout for evening events at nearby places (hotels, restaurants).
- The format is SCHEDULED PLAYTESTING. Designers will be given timeslots to run their games. We will provide signs to designers to visually inform playtesters of the time for your game (including teach and feedback). We encourage designers to play other games as much as they run theirs.
- Raffle tickets are earned for every 1 hour of playtesting. Raffle tickets can be used to win games.
- Other activities will include Game Design Basics, Make a Game!, AMA Industry Panel.
VENUE DETAILS
- Sports Basement is located in a plaza (lots of parking) with various food options. Food IS ALLOWED inside the venue space.
- Downtown RWC and CalTrain ~15 min walk.
- Lodging options include: (5-15min walk or 5min drive): (CLOSEST) Courtyard Marriott Redwood City (600 Bair Island Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063). Good Nite Inn (485 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063). Kasa Niche Hotel (868 Main St, Redwood City, CA 94063). Redwood Creek Inn (1090 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063). Sequoia Inn (526 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063).
Golden Gate Gamemakers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that brings together board game designers and playtesters in the San Francisco Bay Area. Support and donate!
16 attendeesProtospiel Bay Area - Board Game Design Con (Day 3)
Sports Basement, 202 Walnut Street, Redwood City, CA, USDESIGNERS: get your prototype on the table, get feedback, and meet other designers!
PLAYTESTERS: see up-and-coming games in progress, see how games are made!PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA is a multi-day family-friendly tabletop board gaming event of playing unpublished board games. Previously known as Protospiel San Jose, the last Protospiel took place in 2019. During that time, Protospiel San Jose occurred annually, with a peak of over 700 attendees!
Golden Gate Gamemakers is excited and proud to be bringing this annual event back to the Bay Area in 2026!
- DESIGNERS: $20 registration. This will come with a 6 hours of scheduled playtesting (2 hours each day). You can also sign up for any open spots each day. Register here!
- PLAYTESTERS: $0 free! Registration still required. Register here!
PROTOSPIEL BAY AREA June 26-28, 2026 at Sports Basement’s Community Space, The Grove, in Redwood City at 202 Walnut Street Redwood City, CA 94063.
EVENT DETAILS
- SUNDAY HOURS 10am-7pm
- ALL DAY - OPEN PLAYTESTING FOR PLAYERS
– 11:30am-12:30pm – GAME DESIGN BASICS: MAKE YOUR FIRST GAME
(Come and make your first game! Learn basic concepts in game design, come up with ideas for a “playable” prototype, get feedback from experienced designers. Great for first-time or new designers.)– 2pm-2:30pm ASK ME ANYTHING INDUSTRY PANEL
(Ask questions to board game professionals. Great for anyone who wants to learn more about the board game industry.)- The format is SCHEDULED PLAYTESTING. Designers will be given timeslots to run their games. We will provide signs to designers to visually inform playtesters of the time for your game (including teach and feedback). We encourage designers to play other games as much as they run theirs.
- Raffle tickets are earned for every 1 hour of playtesting. Raffle tickets can be used to win games.
- Other activities will include Game Design Basics, Make a Game!, AMA Industry Panel.
VENUE DETAILS
- Sports Basement is located in a plaza (lots of parking) with various food options. Food IS ALLOWED inside the venue space.
- Downtown RWC and CalTrain ~15 min walk.
- Lodging options include: (5-15min walk or 5min drive): (CLOSEST) Courtyard Marriott Redwood City (600 Bair Island Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063). Good Nite Inn (485 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063). Kasa Niche Hotel (868 Main St, Redwood City, CA 94063). Redwood Creek Inn (1090 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063). Sequoia Inn (526 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063).
Golden Gate Gamemakers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that brings together board game designers and playtesters in the San Francisco Bay Area. Support and donate!
12 attendees
Board Game Playtesting - Online!
·OnlineOnlineThe Golden Gate Gamemakers would like you to join us ONLINE to playtest board games in development!
When: The last Monday of each month from 7-9 pm PT we host an evening of virtual board game playtesting.
Where: Join the GGG Discord Server and visit the "Alpaca" and other Room voice channels between 7-9 pm PT.
SCHEDULE
7:10 pm - Presentation on using digital prototyping or playtesting
7:30 pm - General discussion
8-9 pm - Unscheduled playtesting of online prototypes in any of the five available rooms in the GGG server. (attendees may stay later on their own as desired too)If you are joining our Discord Server for the first time, you will need to go through the onboarding process and wait 5 minutes before being able to join the Voice Channels along the left bar.
You will need to select a role to join, if you haven't during the onboarding process, go to the top of the left bar, click Channels & Roles and choose a role such as Gamemaker.
Who: We welcome you whether you're a designer with a prototype, an interested playtester, or you'd just like to observe and check things out.
Prerequisites: No experience needed. Connect, play, and give feedback - let's make better games together and have fun doing it!
Web: To lower any barriers, we encourage the use of web-based digital prototypes built on Screentop or PlayingCards IO.
Format: Each session we will rotate through games and share constructive feedback to help designers refine their games. If we don't get to your game, you'll be prioritized next meetup.
RSVP: Appreciated but not required.
Organizers: Greg Pool (Haole Boy Games) and Jason Parmele (The Misplay).
Cost: Our Discord server is FREE to join and use. Digital playtesting platforms like Screentop and PlayingCards IO have basic plans that are free for playtesters and designers.
Rules: GGG's Code of Conduct
More events: More GGG events at meetup.com/playgoldengate
4 attendees
Past events
925
