I use lot of my spare time to play a variety of tabletop games, but that doesn't stop me from using my design skills to enrich the gaming experience. I often find that there are elements in a game that could be improved with a different approach at how they're visually communicated, and so I engage in creating new, custom versions of game components, references, and visual aids.
Doing so has given me significant experience in refining my approach to visual communication — which is really at the heart of all effective design.