Game Design as a Viral Disease.

LiveJournal Post.

First, for those who did not notice(most of you), I've begun syndication of game related, especially CSI related information to a new Blog, aptly called, CSI Games.
A question to my LiveJournal readers, do you find these game posts of any interest?

Second, I want to revise Cranium Rats, but first I need your help. I need more answers regarding the questions presented in this thread.

Now that we got that out of the way, onward!
This thread directly ties in to my earlier post regarding memes, on second thought it also ties to this post about Addictions. I believe Game Design(we'll talk mainly of RPGs and TCGs here) is a disease, a viral disease. That may not be a negative thing, but it is something to be considered.

So there you are, sitting and reading a game book, and "Zing!" goes the light-bulb, when you notice something which needs some changing.
Thus you get House-Rules.
There you are still, playing a game, for example D&D 3ed or Exalted, and you want something that is not there, a new Prestiege Class, a new Martial Arts Style.
Thus you get Fan Material.
There you are, still, and boy doesn't your butt ache from sitting down for so long? But you sure are persistent, and now you're mucking about with Magic: the Gathering, and you're building your deck for an upcoming tournament. Cutting down cards to 60 is hard, it feels like you're sacrificing your own children.
Thus you get Design Process.

So you sat down and did all that, but you decided you want to do some more. You've been infected.
The above is how the disease transmits. It is easy to transmit, it is easy to carry, it is easy to keep alive even if somewhat dormant.
The virus does not stay content forever though, once you had flexed your designer muscles you find it easier to flex them once more. Such is the nature of muscles.
Once you set down the road it is easier to continue upon it.

So you start with Exalted, and you find that it is missing a Martial Arts style you desire, so you add one. Now you find Intimacies don't do what you want, so you delve deeper into the kernels of the game, changing some basics of the game and much of how the rules apply to this specific case.
Then you are ready to progress to the next step. Exalted is no longer good enough. It just doesn't do what you want it to, so you make your game, wholly your creation.

So it seems we've covered the "Why" you design games; you begin by designing pieces and then you grow in skill enough to design games.
NO.
It is the other way around, that is the "How". You get the virus in you and so you begin designing(it's often transmitted by holes and missing appendages in other games that call to you to fill them), once you build your muscles you move to bigger projects. You don't go on a scale because that's what you can do and as you go up you get more capable of taking on bigger tasks, you take on smaller tasks in order to prepare yourself for Game Design.

Game Design propagates the virus.
You design games because you can't stop.