NOTE: This is the same article that ran briefly this last Wednesday morning, but was later moved for today. I have expanded the article since then with some relevant outside commentary. In sales, much effort is focused on working to understand the needs of your customers. The same holds true for any effective retailer/manufacturer striving to understand the mass audience of consumers. When discussing boardgames, I seem to be observing two approximate schools of thought that seem to take shape on forum boards, websites and similar sites dedicated to the boardgame hobby. One school of thought focuses on the game itself to provide the primary medium for entertainment while the second school of thought views the game as a means to an end to get friends or family together for a shared social experience.
I am of the viewpoint that I believe most people in the boardgame hobby are primarily about “the game”. In other words, it is the game itself which drives the level of enjoyment people have playing it. For another contingent of the gaming community, the definition of a great game centers primarily around its ability to create a memorable, fun, shared experience between people.
These are opposite ends of the spectrum of course and most of us, even though we may lean to one side of the spectrum or the other, usually find common ground in the gray area in between. For instance, I usually give much more thought to who I am planning to invite to game night and how the evening will be set up versus what we are all going to play, for example. So I would say I lean to the people end of the spectrum. But I still want to play a game I enjoy. I would say that most people who are not into the “hobby” of games will probably lean more into games as “people experience” vs. as a “game experience”. I label this very large group of people as “the mass market”.
For the crowd where it is most about “the game”, effective game mechanics are a must. Words like balance, complexity, decision trees are all driving forces for describing a boardgame that often hits this collective “sweet spot”.
At the same time, a great boardgame that appeals to the general public must meet certain criteria. My theory is that most people looking to buy a game at their local Target store are looking for something that will create a strong, unique shared experience with family or friends. For myself, I rue that many of the hobby boardgames which have been produced the last two years limit themselves to 2-4 players. Anything less than 5 players for me just doesn’t seem like it would be fun. Six players is the norm in my household, as it neatly sits three couples. And while I would say it is definitely about the “people experience” for me… having played some fantastic games that are little known to the average Jane on the street, I would also say that many of my “non-gamer"friends enjoy something a little deeper than “Sorry!” too.
But it seems like the one cardinal rule that cannot be broken for the mass market, is that the game experience has to focus on strongly creating a social experience. A great playing game that accomplishes this, has crossover appeal.
So what does that crossover appeal look like? I’m always looking for a game with the winning formula that makes my friends go “wow!” A game that has crossover appeal to the mass market pretty much needs to be strong in the following area:
Storytelling makes the game tangible to its audience vs. being an abstract exercise in gameplay. For me, I believe great “crossover” boardgames take on many of the same characteristics of a great story. Games which tell a great story are those which feature some combination of a colorful setting which evokes an interesting locale, builds upon an intriguing plot, and/or offers well developed characters which maintain a strong sense of identity which contributes to the “back story” of the game, in a meaningful way. And finally a theme which binds it all together in a believable and engaging way.
Here is my broader checklist for what makes a great game for the full buying public.
1. The Back Story: A game must have at least one of these storytelling elements down pat. To be considered a success in this category, it must appeal to the widest possible audience… because the more players not into the story elements or overall theme, the less fun the interactivity of the game is. Remember my credo: Fun people = fun game.
• Plot (ex. Kill Dr. Lucky. This game has a great back story which helps you find purpose into the mystery element of the game.)
• Setting (ex. Scotland Yard. I haven’t met a person yet who can’t get into blithely chasing fugitives through the narrow streets of London.)
• Characters (ex. Clue! Every man wants to date Ms. Scarlett.... and all the women want to BE Ms. Scarlett.)
• Theme (ex. Ticket to Ride. This game oozes the nostalgia of old time trains and a bygone era.)
2. Accessibility: What are the things that make a game accessible?
• First, it must be easy to learn.
• Second, the theme should appeal to a broad audience. No “niche” themes; unless the publisher is seeking a specific target market.
• Third, the game actively keeps players involved and is reasonable in length.
3. Game Mechanics: I do rate this as important. Regardless if a game is focused on itself or projects outwardly to its participants, a game with poor mechanics is an exercise in tedium. Here is what I would submit as the things that create balance in a game.
• It’s fun to play.
• It’s strategic: Meaning you have the ability to make choices which materially affect the outcome of the game.
• It’s lucky. When a game is focused “outwardly” it wants to project an enjoyable experience for everyone. Luck is great for a game in that it provides necessary balance to give most players at least a chance to win.
• Uniqueness: the game is well designed and uncommon to the genre… making it a “must play” from time to time.
4. Art and Components: Great art and components in a boardgame evoke the storytelling element of the game; setting the proper mood to “escape” within the game itself. This is an underrated but “must have” category that can make or break a game.
5. Interactivity: Games are a social event. When a game is about people, by definition, it has to be an interactive experience.
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I saw a discussion recently about when is it appropriate to “preview” thoughts about a boardgame? On one hand, there were more than a few individuals who implied it was most appropriate to either have a complete command of the rules or even to have played the game. I disagree. But I think the discussion best highlights the “Is it about the game? or people?” theory I have put forth. If an individual is focused on the game primary for the “game’s” sake, I totally understand this. Because the game is then primarily about the mechanics behind the boardgame. At the same time, I feel comfortable getting out of the gate with a more preliminary assessment because there is the story element and other elements of the game for me to think about… all of which heavily influence my buying inclination. The game mechanics are just part of a larger whole. I treat previews much like how a shopper in a store looks at things. I am simply assessing “appeal” before I know the ins and outs. Knowing a game backwards and forwards before formally previewing it kind of defeats the purpose of *previewing* a game, if other elements besides game mechanics are important. In my book, that’s what reviews are for.... to settle those very questions.
And if I am fully understanding the needs of the modern mass consumer.... I get the sense that is what they want as well. There is nothing wrong with either method of previewing games for consumers. It just comes down your intended writing audience… niche hobby consumer or mass consumer?
At any rate, it will be fun to apply these principles to my upcoming game previews and determine for myself how the theory holds water.
Ryan B.
“A fun game starts with fun people.”
Update: I just read a great article on the late game designer Sid Sackson over at the www.gameshark.com website, by Michael Barnes. I read this after writing my article… but it is an excellent workup of one of the great boardgame designers of our time. One part speaks to a quote from Mr. Sackson that I really enjoyed and is certainly worth mentioning:
“Mr. Sackson once said that games should be easy to learn, no more than 90 minutes long, encourage player interaction, give the players a lot of choices, and offer infinite re-playability.”
How true. Michael Barnes conclusion in the article? As evidenced by his works, Mr. Sackson was a creator of new game designs as opposed to a re-arranger of game mechanics. No wonder I have enjoyed Sid Sackson’s games. Totally agree with the conclusion and just something else to think about and discuss.
Another great article I pondered in Sports Illustrated recently speaks to just how important the value of storytelling is and how it can elevate a “game” , was aptly titled “How NFL Films Transformed Football”. Here is a powerful excerpt from that article. (Steve Sabol is the creator of NFL Films)
“Steve Sabol prepared to be an artist because, as mentioned, he did not have even the slightest suspicion he would be able to make a career out of filming football games. Then Ed hired him to be a part of NFL Films. And together they created a whole new vision of the NFL. The editing, the cinematography, the sound, the music, the rhythms—a lot of people are responsible for the NFL Films style. But the vision comes from Steve. When it came to football, he heard John Facenda’s voice of God narrating in his head long before he knew John Facenda. In his mind, even as a kid playing sixth grade football, the games were epic struggles. The players were gladiators. The uniforms transformed mortals into gods. The autumn wind was a Raider. No, Steve Sabol never thought small.
To make the point: Before the Sabols and NFL Films, mud on the football field was just mud on the football field. NFL Films turned that mud into something holy, something that reflected guts and manhood and courage. Mud proved a Herculean test for the players’ souls. NFL Films showed cleats sloshing in mud, mud dripping off taped hands, mud caked on arms, the way mud turned linebackers into heroic and dangerous figures. We take that for granted now because NFL Films has created this image of pro football, but there’s nothing intrinsically romantic about mud.
But this was the lens Steve Sabol saw football through long before he carried around a camera. Mud! Snow! Heroes! Warriors! Villains! Sabol will tell you that he spent his childhood mainly doing two things—playing football and going to movies. And he was never entirely sure where one began and the other ended. Truth is, he never thought one or the other ended. It was all the same thing. The plays did not matter. The scores did not matter. The only thing that mattered was the story.”
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