Game nights were a popular activity during the economic downturn as families searched for fun ways to spend time together that didn’t involve a lot of money. Walmart and Hasbro even teamed up for a co-branded multi-platform marketing effort to encourage these gatherings.
As the economy (and discretionary spending) recover, game designers and toy companies hope to remain popular among families and teens by incorporating cellphones, pop culture fads, and a more collaborative play pattern into their 2011 board game offerings. Almost half of Americans 13 and older play board games “sometimes” or “frequently,” according to CivicScience research conducted for Youth Markets Alert.
Apps Go Traditional And Vice Versa
Angry Birds may have arrived via new media and an app, but the birds are now flying towards more traditional categories. Striker Entertainment, the licensing agency for “Angry Birds” in the U.S., and Mattel are introducing Angry Birds Knock on Wood, a $14.99 board game. One player draws one of 56 “mission” cards that the other player must build to recreate a pig fortress. The first player then has several chances to knock the structure down using a slingshot and “angry birds.”
Auto-tune aficionado T-Pain is taking his popular iPhone I Am T-Pain app that enables users to auto-tune their voices to a tangible product in the electronic I Am T-Pain microphone. Similar to the app, users auto-tune their voices over beats and record their creations.
As app developers muscle in on traditional game makers’ shelf space, game makers, in turn, are incorporating a few app or digital-friendly features. The Phone Frenzy game assumes everyone has a cellphone. Players compete against one another to complete tasks, such as finishing a song lyric, by texting friends for the answers. The first player to receive the correct response, wins the round. Game designer and analyst Nate Scheidler selects this game as his “hottest game” for 2011.
Crayola is introducing the Crayola ColorStudio in which an iMarker — serving as a marker, crayon, pen, or paintbrush — interacts with an iPad’s or iPhone’s interface.
Identity Games is debuting the Living Game Board in which the game board itself is a sleeve for the iPad and the device’s sensors detect when the physical board game pieces move.
While many of these digital features enhance game play, not all upgrades are necessary. Monopol
y, for instance, is debuting Monopoly Live that features an electronic tower that eliminates the need for dice, paper money, Chance and Community Chest cards. Similarly, classic card game Uno is also selling Uno Roboto, a version with a robot that records each player’s name and uses that name to issue commands, such as forcing a player to switch cards with another player.
Let’s All Get Along
Several game makers, including Ravensberger and Mayfair Games, are importing European titles to the U.S. in 2011, largely in the hopes of following the success of the German-born Settlers of Catan. The series in its various incarnations has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide since its 1995 debut.
These European games differ from U.S.-originated ones in that American-style games play to win, whereas European-developed titles incorporate collaborative play. It’s Candyland vs. Risk. “The U.S. style of play is more cutthroat. They make moves to attack you. The [European] style of play is more passive aggressive,” says Hasbro game designer Rob Daviau. “I am not building a road to cut you off, but if my road happens to make it so you cannot pass, well, sorry for the inconvenience and now I win.”
Toy company Peaceable Kingdom is making its first foray into this style of play with five games for children, including Count Your Chickens!, Lost Puppies, and Mermaid Island.
This collaborative style plays well to the current trend in so-called transmedia storytelling that invites an audience to unlock narrative elements of books, games, and TV shows across multiple media platforms.
Girls are more likely to prefer this style of play and parents tend to prefer purchasing collaborative games for younger children since they feel this play structure emphasizes teamwork and communication. Educators also are incorporating European games into classroom activities, says game designer and toy consultant Scheidler. [Toys/Games]
Contacts and Connections: Buffalo Games, Jonathan Leahy, Strategic Marketing Manager, 220 James E Casey Dr., Buffalo, NY 14206; 716-827-8393; jleahy@buffalogames.com; www.buffalogames.com.
CivicScience, John Dick, CEO, 3030 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15201; 412-559-9032; jdick@civicscienceinc.com; www.civicscienceinc.com.
Hasbro, Patricia Riso, 443 Shaker Rd., East Longmeadow, MA 01028; 413-526-2307; priso@hasbro.com; www.hasbro.com. Also, Rob Daviau, Game Designer, rdaviau@hasbro.com.
Identity Games, Tijn Hoendervangers, Heemraadssingel 180, 3021 DL Rotterdam, +31-0-10-201-45-55; tijn@identitygames.nl; www.identitygames.nl.
Mattel, Juan Gutierrez, Director Worldwide Licensing, 333 Continental Blvd., #M1-1005, El Segundo, CA 90245; 310-252-3204; juan.gutierrez@mattel.com; www.mattel.com.
Mayfair Games, Bob Carty, Director Sales, 8060 St. Louis Ave., Skokie, IL 60076; 813-707-6659; mayfair@mayfairgames.com; www.mayfairgames.com.
Peaceable Kingdom, Donna Jaffe, President, 950 Gilman St., #200, Berkeley, CA 94710; 510-558-2051, x110; djaffe@pkpress.com; www.peaceablekingdom.com.
Smule (I Am T-Pain), Sunil Pareenja, 577 College Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306; 650-521-0457; copyright@smule.com; www.smule.com.
Striker Entertainment, Russell Binder, 23371 Mulholland Dr., #289, Calabasas, CA 91364; 818-225-9355; russell@strikerent.com; www.strikerentertainment.com.
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