Venom Haus

How to Tell If Your Idea Actually Works?

What makes an idea functional? In the VENOM Method, “Operable” means your idea is easy to explain, easy to use, and actually works when real people touch it.

If people don’t quickly understand what your game, product, or business idea is, it probably isn’t ready yet.

In this one-minute creative business lesson, I explain how to test whether an idea is truly functional using examples from my party games Serial Killer and TEETH.

Follow Venom Haus for game design, creative business, idea validation, and weird little lessons for makers.

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What new ideas have in common, in 1 minute.


In the VENOM Method, N is for New.
“New” doesn’t always mean “no one has ever seen anything like this before.” Almost nothing is completely original. Everything you love was inspired by something that came before it.

So when I say “new,” I really mean: is it a fresh, exciting variant or perspective on something people already like?

You’re allowed to steal the skeleton from things that work. Take my party game, TEETH. It’s a mix of a mechanic from a childhood game I used to play and the insight that people don’t have unlimited freestyle comedy, so the cards do the heavy lifting. It feels new because it’s a combination only I could have made from my own life experiences.

Here’s the kicker: people don’t actually want ideas from a totally empty space. They want something that feels familiar enough to understand quickly, but different enough that it wakes them up.

If you can’t point to what your idea is remixing then it’s probably not New. And if it’s not New, it doesn’t pass the VENOM Method.

Game Designer Explains Entertaining

What it means to be entertaining in 1 minute. Let’s go.

In the VENOM Method, E is for Entertaining.
Whatever you’re making – a story, a game, even a cocktail – ‘entertaining’ doesn’t just mean people liked it. It means it picked them up and dropped them in a different world for a minute.

Think about parties. There’s always a theme because humans love pretending to be someone else: villains, 90s prom, beach bums. The fun is in stepping into character.

Your project has to do the same thing. It should make people feel like they’ve put on a temporary identity, or stepped into someone else’s shoes, and the normal world is a little bit far away while they’re in it.

In my first game, people pretend to be murderers and match the funniest deaths to the most annoying victims.

If people walk away from your creation feeling exactly like themselves, in exactly the same world, your thing might be smart, it might even be beautiful, but it is not entertaining yet. And if it’s not entertaining, then it doesn’t pass the VENOM Method.

Checkout my work at www.venomhaus.com

How to escape the overthinking trap in one minute. Let’s go!


***Check our my work at www.venomhaus.com

I burned so much time and money trying to make my first game the ‘perfect’ version of itself… but at its core, the game didn’t really change. The idea and the essence were the same.

That’s the overthinking trap. You tell yourself you’re ‘improving’ the project and it’s not ready yet, but really you’re just avoiding the scary part where real people take your game as it is.

With my new game, TEETH, I did it differently. I focused on executing the vision in its purest form, getting it clear and playable, and then I stopped tweaking. I printed it, packed it, and I’m literally shipping every preorder out today.

Special thank you to everyone who pre‑ordered TEETH. You are the reason small creators like me still have the courage to make things out of nothing.

If you’re watching this and you’re stuck in the overthinking trap, stop asking ‘Is it perfect?’

Instead, ask ‘Is it clear enough for a real person to use and enjoy right now?’

If the answer is ‘yes, mostly,’ that’s your sign.

Finishing and actually shipping on time, like I promised, taught me way more than years of hunting for tiny details to ‘fix.’ There’s no such thing as perfect. There’s just finished.

Game Designer Explains Gut Punching Ideas

How to make your ideas gut punch people? Let’s go.

When you have a great idea, ask yourself: is it visceral? As in, can this hit someone’s deep, messy feelings instead of just their logic? Does your idea speak directly to the human condition?

My first game, Serial Killer, was a smash hit because almost everyone has had a dark, or even a murderous thought at some point in their life. The game gives people a safe outlet to play out those thoughts and get closure.

My second game, TEETH, is built on this: everything is funnier when you’re not allowed to laugh. Everyone’s been in a situation where they broke and laughed, when they weren’t supposed to. TEETH gives people permission to give in to that feeling on purpose, over and over, and without the guilt.

Both games tap into a powerful place in people’s minds. A real moment they’ve lived through that made them react. That’s what visceral means: your idea makes somebody remember being in a specific moment, and they feel it deep in their body.

If your creative project – a game, a story you’re writing, even a dish you’re about to cook – doesn’t evoke anything from your audience, your idea is mid. It will be forgotten.

Sit on that.

Game Designer Explains Great Ideas

How to come up with great ideas in 1 minute. Let’s go.

Most people start with ‘what’s trendy’ or ‘what would go viral,’ and that’s why their ideas die fast.

I use something I call the VENOM Method and test every creative idea against it. I’m not here to sell you a course — I’m breaking this down in free 1 minute videos you can actually use.

In my experience as a game designer, if an idea isn’t visceral, entertaining, new, operable, and marketable, I don’t build it.

When an idea passes this test, it stops being a grind, you’ll actually wanna show up to finish it.

In my next videos, I’ll break down each part of the VENOM Method using my own published games as examples.

Follow me, and you might unlock something inside you that’s going to change your life.

I’ll show you how to gamify all‑you‑can‑eat Korean BBQ. in one minute. Let’s go.

We went to one of my favorite spots, Gangnam Korean BBQ and all‑you‑can‑eat sushi, and here’s how I got the biggest bang for my buck.

First, banchan – the little free appetizers – are delicious, but don’t get stuck there. They’ll fill you up fast.

Second, keep rice and water at minimum, and cap yourself at two appetizers so you still have room for the main event.

Third, stick to the premium meat cuts: steak, samgyupsal, pork jowls, rib fingers. Skip the frozen stuff.

Number 4, say no to big sushi rolls. Go sashimi for maximum fish, or nigiri if you want just a little rice.

Bonus tip: be extra nice to the staff. If you accidentally over‑order, they’re way more likely to forgive you.

That’s how you max out Korean BBQ in 1 minute.

How to pack and ship your products from home?

Game designer packs and ships orders from home.

I have 1 minute to show you how I ship my games. Let’s go.

I still pack every signed game order myself. First, I fold this custom box, drop the game in, and bury it in packing peanuts so it survives the trip.

Next let’s add the freebies: Some game expansions, fridge magnets, a ‘NOT TODAY’ keychain, enamel pins and a thank you note. I like to show my love and appreciation to strangers who have no business supporting me, but still open their wallets to this day. This special package is heading to Virginia.

I’ve been shipping my game for years, and I’m still packing them with Teeth preorders right now.

I use USPS to get free shipping supplies and schedule a free pickup with Click‑N‑Ship. So They grab it right from my door and I never have to wait in line at the post office.

1 minute maximized

How to 3D Print Keychains?

I have 1 minute to show you how I 3D print keychains people actually keep. Let’s do it.

1. Pick a shape that matches the story you’re telling: a tag, a ticket, something round. Use your imagination.
Thickness: 4mm (it’ll give you the premium feel, nothing flimsy)

2. Drop your design on top using an SVG or text modifier. It has to represent a memory or story, not a random logo. (Comment if you want the specifics)

3. Join the pieces and assign filament colors so the important parts pop. Right click on your svg to edit it, make it 1mm thick, then click join. Use the paint tool to separate the colors of your elements.

4. Add a hole big enough for your key ring or clip. (5mm in diameter is big enough for any kind of attachment)

5. Fill your build plate by duplicating your model so you have enough for all the people you care about. (Use your copy paste skills on this one)

Before you make your own 3D printed keychains, check out venomhaus.com — you might like the two games I’ve already published.

Comment your questions and suggestions for the next video!

How to make Filipino Adobo, in Game Designer fashion.


We pressure cook the meat so it melts in your mouth.
This recipe will comfortably serve 4-5 people. This method is over-thought and over-engineered because I’m Filipino, and I’m bred to impress and please everybody.

Place the following in the pressure cooker pot (in no particular order) :

2lbs of mixed pork (shoulder and belly)
Salt
Garlic Powder
Minced Garlic
Soy Sauce
Vinegar
Black Pepper
Black Pepper Corns
Chili Peppers (dried is okay)
Bayleaves
Chopped Red Onion
Ginger Juice
Add water til it hits the top of the meat

Pressure Cook for 1hr
Preheat a deep pan with a drizzle of olive oil

Use a strainer ladle to get all the meat and spices out and into the deep pan.

Stirfry while adding the juice from the pressure cooker, never allowing it to fully dry. You can make it as saucy as you want. I prefer extra saucy.

Add the following while you stirfry:

Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Fish Sauce (to add more umami but don’t go overboard)
Adobo Powder Mix (can only be found in a Filipino store or Amazon)
Chili Powder

ADVICE: Taste as you go. Use your ancestors instincts. If you don’t have Filipino lineage, ask help from a Filipino. They’re literally everywhere.

Add the boiled eggs last.

Serve on top of steaming hot rice.

NOTE: If you don’t know how to make boiled eggs and rice, refer to my advice above.

ENJOY! 😊