Matt Hollensbe - Exit Games TTG
Owner/Game Designer
Exit Games TTG creates diverse games of different genres for all sorts of humans and others.
As a child, I enjoyed learning about gambling. I didn't gamble, nor did I seek the rush from the possibility of financial gain or loss, but probability fascinated me. Although I did not care for math in general, I liked the puzzle solving aspect of algebra.
My uncle was a state chess champion, and fostered my love of games. He would play me with no rooks and taught me how to lose graciously.
I graduated from the UMKC Conservatory of Music with a degree in Music Composition and developed a fascination with Magic The Gathering. The endless rabbit hole of deck building was like creating a chess set with thousands of different types of pawns, bishops, etc... My love of having food, friends, and a place to sleep forced me to abandon my MTG lifestyle.
In 2011, I co-founded the Manitou Springs Super Awesome Scavenger Hunt, which took place annualy over the next five years. The game was a combination of problem solving and creative interpretation of an unfinishable list of tasks. After constructing the hunt, we would judge and score the teams as they completed and posted their versions of the tasks.
In 2018, I started designing games that focus on puzzles, strategy and problem solving, although the first games that I have produced and marketed are a light, storytelling party game, and an educational children's game. New games in various stages of play testing, and refinement are continually being added to the list.
In 2021, I Am Not The Thief! was funded on Kickstarter.
In 2022, Greater Than Lessons was funded on Kickstarter.
I spend most of my time thinking about rules and mechanics, obsessing over the implications of the details of wording and balance. When civilization inevitably collapses, I will still be making games with a ruler and a razor blade by candle light, re-doing and perfecting.
I crave witnessing the cartoon light bulbs over people's heads. A player appreciating the logic of how all of the parts come together of a game of mine is just.. great.