I'll mention game design has been a hobby of mine on and off for many years, and have been heavy into board game design since this past summer. Both the Theory of Fun and the lenses book are on my "to buy" list, but I get the impression they are both a bit more philosophical.
It was one website that fired me up from dabbling to being more intent: thegamecrafter.com
This is a "print on demand" game resource. By supplying all the digital art and choosing components, you can get a real game printed from them and even let others order a game and get a percent return. Before print on demand, the process to get a game made would either be a heavy setup charge and a minimum order of 500 or more games or getting a publisher interested.
