Lafayette Journal & Courier

Get your game on: Resurgence of board games offers something for every taste

By DOROTHY SCHNEIDER

November 15, 2007

Enjoy talking like a pirate? What about coming up with movie plots and titles? Or, maybe you enjoy combining useless trivia knowledge with a keen sense of aim?

Good news. There's a board game out there for you.

Consumer experts say there's been a resurgence in the board game market during the past decade, even as video game popularity continues to soar.

"Each year we're getting more than the year before," said Carlos Fernandez, manager of The Game Preserve store in West Lafayette.

There's a wide assortment of "hot" board games on the market right now, Fernandez said, and they make perfect gifts or party activities during the holiday season.

Glenn Sparks, a Purdue University communications professor, researches the ways that new technology impacts interpersonal relationships. He said the popularity of board games is a great trend, especially in the young adult demographic that's grown up saturated with electronic media.

"It could be a new discovery for them," Sparks said. "A board game is a marvelous way to get away from that screen and get engaged with other people face-to-face."

"The discovery of board games may well be a discovery of the kind of communication that's enriched in emotion in a way electronic communication is not," he added.

Amanda Sharpell and Chris Anderson, both Purdue sophomores, said they love everything from board games to video games, even though many of their friends don't feel the same.

"Board games let you interact with each other more," Anderson said.

Sharpell said she recently got into the game The Settlers of Catan, which she likes because it's complex and "makes you think."

Some of the most popular games are geared toward party settings and can get people acting pretty silly.

Fernandez said the game Curses, which came out in 2001 from Play All Day Games, trips players up with "curse" cards with commands ranging from "talk with an accent" or "don't bend your elbows" for the rest of the game.

"That's a game you just put in someone's hands and explain it a little and they buy it," he said, adding it's one of his store's best sellers.

Fernandez said some of the most popular new games include:

Hollywood Shuffle, from All Things Equal, Inc. The game gives players a chance to construct their own movie plots, titles and stars using the tidbits given on cards.

Zooloretto, from Rio Grande Games. Players collect zoo animal pieces and have to carefully plan out their space.

Take Your Best Shot, from R&R Games. It combines trivia/wordplay cards that players must answer correctly and toss the corresponding ball into the central container.

Qwirkle, from MindWare. Players must match tiles by shape and color and build off of each other's moves.

Arkham Horror, from Fantasy Flight Games and other publishers. It's an adventure game that challenges players to save the world from invasion.

Game-giant Hasbro, which operates the Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers brands, listed the following hot games for the holiday season:

EXPRESS Games offer shorter versions of Monopoly, Scrabble and Sorry! that can be played in just 20 minutes.

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? brings the popular television show home.

Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition incorporates a debit payment system into the classic game.

The Game of LIFE: Twists & Turns puts a modern spin of the traditional game, offering players four different non-linear paths -- adventure, family, education and career.