"FYI: Non-computer games on the rise." Topic

Reported in the New York Times:

Dispite the ontinued popularity of video games, sales of board games in the United States rose 15 to 20 percent in each of the last three years. ANd more titles may be on the way. On the crowdfunding site Kickstarter, board game startups raised $521 USD miliion in 2013, compared to $45.3 USD million in funding for video games.

Interesting devleopments. Board and tabletop wargaming may not die prostrate before a computer screen…

People miss face to face interaction. I love online gaming, but there is nothing like gathering for a game.

While interesting, I doubt one can really make significant conclusions on the subject, given the data provided.

Videogame manufacturers tend to have deep pockets, so don't need crowdfunding in many cases, while many individuals, or smaller companies do, hence, at least a significant part of the disparity.

And look, the two interests aren't mutually exclusive – one may lead to the other.

Interesting stat though, thanks!

I think it's easier to design a board game and develop its graphics and components than to design and implement a videogame. So you'll see a lot more people raising money to publish a board game than to put out a videogame.

I can tell you that I have seen a huge surge in interest from my high school students the past two years. Settlers of Cataan was their gateway drug. From there they moved to increasingly complex games. I have tried to introduce a wargame or two, but no one really bit.

They just finished a mammoth game of Twilight Struggle a couple of weeks ago. Maybe 20-30% of the junior class plays boardgames regularly at school.

Of course, I teach at a school for nerds, so my experience may not be typical.

And a comment from Al, the old curmudgeon. At present video games seem to have lost steam. It seems as if there is nothing really new and that everything is a first person shooter with newer graphics in each release.

While interesting, I doubt one can really make significant conclusions on the subject, given the data provided.

It wasn't offered as a 'significant conclusion' but it is true that computer games have generated a lot more income
[In the billions of dollars] compared to board games. That means more willing investors and far more variety in products.

That being said, the surge in interest over the last three years is heartening.

I basically stopped playing any video games since they stopped being original. No one wants to put money into a video game that costs millions to make and takes years, unless its a known thing.

While I have bought lots of board games over the last couple of years. When you think about it a board game and a video game are both about $50. USD

I think a lot of younger kids are getting into boardgaming now.. and that's a great thing.

My kids enjoy both boardgames and video games. Zombiecide is a firm fave at weekends. However, compared to GTA 5 which sold over a billion in 3 days alone, boardgames are still small change.
That said, KS is the perfect platform for new boardgames. The financial risk of the initial print run is eliminated, thus making smaller companies willing to experiment. If big box stores could be convinced to carry more variety, that would make a huge difference. All I ever see is the usual Monopoly, Risk, party quiz games etc at all of them.

This is really good news. I'm not sure what's driving the interest, but Kickstarter does seem to be reminding creators and supporters that you can create and publish a really nice commercial level boardgame for alot less than the $ it takes to create a commercially competitive video game.

I've also been encouraged by the number of these KS created games that end up as regularly stocked items at my FLGS and the number of eurogames that are making the crossover to regular outlets liek Target.

As a game designer, this is something I've been curious about.

They are definitely two different experiences, but I don't know if the uniqueness of the miniatures experience is going to overcome the convenience of the video game for the next generation.

I hope so. There's something about pushing those actual, tangible miniatures around that even the flashiest PC graphics can never capture.

The last computer game I bought was "Napoleonic Total War" and it was a bit of a disappointment.

The British uniforms are inaccurate, it doesn't replicate Napoleonic tactics in any sensible way and the computer player is laughably easy to defeat.

It's pretty but that stopped being enough after a bit.

I've been addicted to "World of Tanks" on my Xbox360. For me it's a mash up of first person shooter, historicals and tabletops poured into a video game.

Is it perfect…no. Can it be fun – heck yeah! I had to laugh after pouring fire into the flank of of enemy tank with my 37mm gun with no effect….only to discover I was shooting the flank of a King Tiger.

Glad to see board games recovering from the rout inflicted by Collectible Card Games in the 90's. I actually bought a new board game this year as well as a couple of the AH classics (Panzerblitz, anyone?)

We have seen board games once again pick up at our conventions (RECON and HURRICON). We once again dedicated a room to board games this last RECON. A mix of wargames and Euro games.

The problem with video games is that once you beat them, the replay value becomes a kind of stale repetition. Minis games almost guarantee that a game will never play the same way twice…. ;-)

Here's an update from Mary Cousins at Global Toy News:

link

Since my start in the toy industry was as a board game designer, I'm asked about them and have written about them often. There are many who think board games are disappearing, but as I have been writing in this space for years – they aren't disappearing. There is resurgence; it is hard to track because they aren't being sold in the same ways.

More people are playing games – of all types – than ever before in history. A great analogy is food. New culinary sensations have been introduced to our diets, but we still eat many of the basic items we always have, we just have a richer and more varied diet. The varied diet in this analogy includes high tech and low tech games. Sometimes you feel like a snack (app), sometimes party (party game of any kind) and sometimes a sit down dinner with your friends and/or family (a board game). It is all good!

Two articles popped up today in support. Below are interesting outtakes:

From New York Times this morning:

"While the video game business long ago eclipsed its low-tech cousin, sales of tabletop games have continued to grow. Sales at hobby stores in the United States rose 15 to 20 percent in each of the last three years, according to ICv2, a trade publication that tracks the business. Amazon says board game sales increased by a double-digit percentage from 2012 to 2013."

"Somewhat ironically, perhaps, video game players are often among the biggest devotees of tabletop games. Some in the business believe that is no accident, theorizing that the abundance of opportunities to connect electronically with people through games and social media has also created a hunger — sated by tabletop games — for face-to-face contact."

From TechCrunch yesterday:

"Last year there was actually more money pledged to board games than video games," added Strickler (CEO and Co-Founder of Kickstarter). "It's like $55 USD million in board games. It's kind of counterintuitive to the way that we think the world is moving but I think the board game market on Kickstarter is very illustrative of what it is that we actually do."

"Strickler pointed to board games as one of the community-driven enthusiast areas that the platform has been able to support — noting that as of this week Kickstarter will pass $100 USD million having been cumulatively pledged to board games."

This is the Golden Age of Games!

The Bold sentences are hers…

The internet has really been a golden age for "analog" gaming. Think about it:

I, in the US, can write a game. A guy in Poland can write some scenarios for it. A company in Australia can make some miniatures for it and a lady in Sweden can play the game with all those parts.

And it all happens without a big corporation having to decide if its worth the risk.

And as many have said, the two arent opposite interests. I play a ton of video games and a ton of RPG's and wargames, but for entirely different reasons.