Hi there, folks. For the last ten years I have been part of a game design community called Protospiel. I'm seriously addicted, so I thought I'd reach out and spread some of the joy. I've linked to the next event I'm going to, near Ann Arbor, Michigan, but there are many more available.
Protospiel is a series of board game designer conventions which have appeared across North America. The original event took place in 2001. It was designed as a not-for-profit gathering of tabletop game designers who tried to elevate the art of game design. The idea spread, and the Protospiel "brand" has franchised out with permission of the originators under a set of rules. As a result, there are about twelve per year at different cities in the US and Canada, at my last count. Many of the conventions are clustered the Midwest US, but there are a few outside of that. There's even a Protospiel Online which has more of an international audience.
Basically, they are peer testing game design projects - rather than end-user playtesting. This will mostly be playtesting by a bunch of other talented game designers. Designers will give very specific feedback on game mechanisms, salability of games, rules advice, and so on. Unlike normal players, designers tend to find what buttons to push to try to see if your game is breakable. It isn’t done to be malicious, but instead as a tool to help clean up your rules.
There is a "Protospiel Golden Rule" ethos at these events. Basically, most of us try to put in as much time playing others' games as we play our own.
If you have any questions, feel free to AMA. If you're around Ann Arbor next month at Protospiel, drop by and say hi!