December 2006
For the Love of the Game:
The Story behind Puget Sound’s Best Board Games
What do you get when you mix a booming high-tech culture, an entrepreneurial spirit, a population with a literary bent, coffee and a little/lot of precipitation?
Game innovation!
The greater Seattle area now finds itself the home for not only legions of software developers, video game designers and coffee roasters, but also for board game makers. Many of us are familiar with Pictionary, whose 20-year anniversary game comes out this year; Wizards of the Coast, whose trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, continues to enchant its followers; and WizKids’ Marvel Heroclix miniature games whose “combat dial” was a revolution in the industry. Cranium, too, has developed a following with its tremendously creative games designed for the very young to the young at heart. More recent arrivals include Front Porch Classics, Platypus Games, SimplyFun and a host of smaller, start-up companies.
Many of the game makers’ stories begin in a similar fashion: It was a dark and stormy night. Ma, Pa and the kids were looking to have some fun together, and decided to play a game. They were having a pretty good time, but then it dawned on them that they could design something really great, something different than they’d seen before …
What came of the dark and stormy nights? And what’s new with game companies based in the Puget Sound area?
Cranium Games: Everyone Shines
“From the very beginning, we set out to bring families together and give everybody the chance to shine,” says Richard Tait, Grand Poo Bah and co-founder of Cranium, Inc., based in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood.
Tait’s mission began during a game-playing night with friends, when Tait saw his initial success in a drawing game turn to failure in a spelling game. His wish to create a game that had something for everyone was born, resulting in the original Cranium game in 1998. Now his company strives to achieve the perfect balance of lighten (laughter) and enlighten (learning) with all its creations, from board games to toys to activity books.
In an industry where distribution is dominated by the big two, Mattel and Hasbro, game companies have to think out of the toy box to break into the market. Cranium, by originally placing its games in Starbucks locations, found a loyal following with the young professionals who hang out in coffee shops.
Craniums’ holiday mantra – “Togetherness is this year’s holiday must-have” – really does sum up the wonderful way in which Cranium games include a family of varying age ranges.
For example, few companies have managed to create really inventive, attention-keeping games for children as young as 3, as Cranium has. Sounds of the Seashore is a new offering for the 3 and older set (reading not required). Kids hold a “magic seashell” up to their ears to hear sounds like the bark of a seal or the horn of a friendly boat. They then match each sound with a picture on a shell card, practicing memory skills as they work together to uncover a buried treasure ($16.95).
Zooreka is a new board game for ages 8 and older. Players collect and trade food, animals and shelter, taking chances and creating habitats to build the ultimate zoo. Like real zookeepers, players must be judicious with food, animals and shelters to succeed in this game ($16.95).
These games are widely available (1-877-272-6486; www.cranium.com).
Front Porch Classics: Unplugging the Family
“Unplugged family entertainment” is what local game makers, Front Porch Classics (FPC), offer in the shape of decorative, stunningly beautiful, high-quality games. Three Seattle dads founded the company as they watched their children grow up and found it increasingly challenging to find time to spend together without the presence of television, computers, cell phones and pagers. Their response was to create a line of games that are engaging, timeless and easy to play.
Unlike most board games, which are made primarily from cardboard and plastic, a series of FPC games called “Coffee Table” and “Bookshelf” feature natural materials such as wood and cast metal. Refreshingly, the games are designed to occupy a space in a living room, office or den and not be hidden away in a closet or under a bed. Their “Discovery” series games are more lightweight and compact and less expensive. Themes range from baseball and vintage car racing to pirates and classic word games.
Valley of the Pharaohs will inspire adventurous types 8 and older whose hearts beat faster at the thought of legends and wonders from times gone by. The game is set in 1926. Each player’s task is to collect the scepter of the pharaoh, Amun-Ra. Players face the misfortunes of desert bandits and blinding sandstorms, but may find safe haven with a Bedouin in an oasis. Valley of the Pharaohs is played on an illustrated cloth map of Egypt, and comes with cast metal playing pieces, metal coins and detailed character cards ($54.95).
Their simple, yet engaging, WordSpot game is taken from the centuries-old pastime of letterpress craftsmen called “verdure parola” – the hiding of words within a block of text as a challenge to their peers. In this game, players ages 8 and older try to find hidden words among an arranged board of lettered tiles ($40).
Games are available at major retailers and independent toy, book and gift stores (206-826-3202; www.frontporchclassics.com).
The Inventors at Forrest-Pruzan
The folks behind “ENTROS” – Seattle and San Francisco venues for playing socially interactive, brain-testing games in 3-D – closed their locations in 2000 to concentrate on “product invention of social entertainment.” Renamed Forrest-Pruzan Creative, the Seattle-based company invents, designs and tests board games, as well as Disney theme park attractions and television shows. The listing of board game companies that have been lucky enough to partner with these endlessly creative inventors is huge, including Cranium, Mattel, Scholastic, Fundex and Gamewright.
The Forrest-Pruzan creative process begins with game prototyping. Kids and adults test games in a room with a one-way mirror, having a great time being part of the creative process. Parents of child testers and their younger siblings are treated to their own play space, complete with comfy sofa and floor to ceiling games to play. (e-mail testing@forrest-pruzan.com if interested).
In Pirate’s Revenge, a game in which fierce battles, buried treasure and mutiny abound, players become real pirates, using incredibly detailed character and challenge cards. During the game’s creation, Executive Producer Jay Wheatley photographed Forrest-Pruzan employees in various tableaus, from drinking out of chalices to engaging in fierce sword battles. The photographs were then sent to an illustrator, who painted directly onto the images, creating beautiful, lifelike illustrations for the playing cards. Pirate’s Revenge, designed for ages 7 and older, is initially available through Scholastic Book Fairs, and will retail for $9.99.
Thumbelina - A Storybook Game is, indeed, a novel combination of storybook and game. Players take turns moving the Thumbelina figurine in and out of holes in the pages. She finds herself pushed by the autumn wind, sailing in a petal boat, even grabbed by a belligerent beetle. Players can read the story text on the book/game board while moving along and collecting flowers to bring to Thumbelina’s wedding. My daughter Sofie, age 7, loved the idea of being able to move in and out of holes in a book’s pages, especially the pages of one of her favorite stories. This is the first in a series for ages 3 and older (Cinderella is to follow). It will retail for $9.99 through Scholastic.
Jewel of Truth is a ’tween-targeted game in which players expose their innermost secrets by revealing answers to personal questions and guessing how their friends will respond. At the end of the game, the winner learns her fortune from a set of mystical cards collected throughout the game. I watched a video taping of one of the Jewels play testing sessions. The girls playing the game were absolutely delighted by their fortunes and very engaged in the workings of the game. This game is published by International Playthings, for ages 8 and older ($24.99).
For more information, call 206-547-7155 or visit www.forrest-pruzan.com
SimplyFun: The Party People
Gail DeGuilio, of SimplyFun in Bellevue, chose a different approach after being thwarted by mass-marketing executives in the game industry: direct sales and party planning. Sales consultants host parties for potential customers, offering them the chance to try any game before buying it.
SimplyFun has a wonderful variety of more than 35 games, from games for nonreading preschoolers, to ones for ’tweens, teens and adults. An easy-to-read graph charts a game’s qualities, such as strategy, luck, laughter, memory, recognition, steady hands and more, so that a family can decide if a game is a good fit.
Walk the Dogs, for ages 8 and older, comes with a set of 63 irresistibly cute doggie game pieces, which are lined up to be collected by kids. Occasionally a dogcatcher may steal some of the favorite dogs, and kids may take dogs from other players’ collections. The winner must collect five of the same breed in a row. My kids loved the dogs, and kept playing with them long after the game was complete ($28).
Handy is suggested for ages 8 and older and is really perfect for teens. Teammates hold spongy balls between their fingers while attempting to add more and more balls to their “hand trees.” Much laughter ensues while players try to keep all the balls in the air. “Finger” cards are drawn, which designate which fingers hold the balls. This “Twister” for the hands sells for $30.
For more information, call 1-877-557-7767 or visit www.simplyfun.com.
New Games Shift from Classrooms to Homes
Kirkland husband and wife team Karla and Julie Archer combined their careers in teaching, television production and graphic design to create Platypus Games and its first offering, Evolution. They wanted to make a game that would not only include puzzles, questions and challenges, but would also take into consideration team interaction and the ways different people learn.
Julie Archer, formerly a fourth-grade teacher at The Bush School in Seattle, took Evolution into the classroom, using certain challenges and puzzles within the game as team-building and interactive exercises with her students. Archer found that students who were normally quiet or reluctant to raise their hands seemed to come alive when the elements of competition and fun were thrown into the mix.
The winner of numerous game awards, the game “evolves as you play,” getting a “tribe” together in a race up the “evolutionary” ladders. Teams draw, decode puzzles, decipher clues, mime, rhyme, act, sing, answer trivia questions and even “read minds” and predict the future. Evolution retails for $34.95, and is suggested for players ages 12 and older. It’s available at select independent game, hobby and book stores and on amazon.com and toysrus.com or from the company (425-736-0933; www.platypusgames.com).
Baffle Gab, created by Port Townsend word-lover Pamela Moore Dionne, rewards its players for creativity with language. Players draw cards with five words to make silly sentences and stories to earn “bone bucks” from the game’s word-loving dog, Gabby. The first player to earn 100 “bone bucks” wins the game. Players read their stories to each other for some laughter-filled times. Teri Matz, Seattle parent of boys ages 8 and 10 says, “It is a great way to get the kids writing descriptively. The provided words are perfect for creating funny and engaging stories.”
Also a perfect tool for the classroom, Baffle Gab uses a cognitive systems approach to learning writing, reading, vocabulary and spelling skills. The game retails for $29.95, and is recommended for players 8 and older. Call for a local retailer or order the game online (1-888-385-2498; www.bafflegab.com).
The mission of the game Around the World: The Ultimate Global Board Game for Kids, invented by Seattle’s Stacy George, is to provide a platform for bridging the cultural gap. Kids ride the Channel Tunnel from England to France, walk through the streets of Bangkok, visit temples in Nepal and dive among sea turtles in Australia as they navigate the board game’s primary categories of Culture & Customs, Geography, Language and People & Places. It’s based on Tracy’s own global adventures.
“The U.S. population is culturally diversifying at an unprecedented rate; global perspectives are prolific, thanks to multi-media and marketplaces becoming borderless,” writes George. “Parents today are keen to this dynamic and searching for ways to prepare their children to contribute in our growing culturally diverse country.” Around the World sells for $26.99, and is best for kids in third grade and above. Order it online at www.aroundtheworldgames.com.
When Seattle’s Michel Alvarez introduced chess to his son, Jean-Michel, using a standard chess set and instruction book, it did not go well. He found that his son became quickly bored and overwhelmed, and so he came up with the idea of hiding treats, stickers or small prizes inside hollowed out chess pieces. Alvarez called his game WonderChess.
WonderChess features 32 innovative, fillable chess pieces, a 52-page, 10-lesson, 3-D illustrated instruction book, a 15 x 15-inch foldable chessboard and more. It’s available in the classic edition for $19.99 or the deluxe edition in a tin box for $29.99. The company also sells WonderCheckers for $17.99 and WonderLetters, a variation on crosswords with prizes hidden in the letter pieces, for $24.99. The games are recommended for ages 4 and older. It is available at major retailers, including Borders Books, Nordstrom and Toys R Us, as well as in independent stores (1-800-725-2890).
“Game night” is a beloved tradition in our household. Every Friday night after a pizza dinner, the family chooses a game and sits down for some fun. We always have a great time, spending a few hours laughing and enjoying each other’s company. We inevitably end up learning a little bit about whatever the game has to offer and get to know each other better in the process. Board games are a way to unplug, cozy up by the fire on a stormy Northwest evening, and bring the family together. Enjoy!
Lori Broznowski is a Bellevue writer and the mother of William, 4, and Sofie, 7. She and her daughter have prototyped games for a local company.
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