Home Play Games
Decorative packaging, simple play and that perfect price tag make board and cards games more giftable.
By Tina Benitez -- Gifts and Dec, 2/1/2010 12:00:00 AM
New Years Eve was game night for Eric Leddel. One holiday gift he received were new chips for his poker set; his friend got a new backgammon set. “That tells me something,” said Leddel. What it tells him is what is true for the games category.
Joysticks, consoles or solitary confinement to a computer screen for hours on end is not the only form of game play consumers seek. Board, card and other family, party games still hold their own, even in a tight economy. Experts even predict higher growth for the category this year as families stay home more and buddies look to connect off of Facebook, Twitter and other social networking outlets — as long as game manufacturers pay close attention to a diversity of game play, packaging and consumers’ wallets.
Game sales remain steady, because people still have a need to connect on a very basic level, now more than ever. Video and computer games still fulfill a game-playing need, but people are searching for one-on-one link without a screen in between.
“People are putting more of a premium on simple, social interaction with all of the technological distractions in their lives,” said Leddel, managing director, The Box Girls, Los Angeles.
Selectivity in the games section is key for gift retailers. Still, more are picking up or expanding their games sections to meet this personal need. Barnes & Noble doubled its games section in the past year. For specialty gift retailers, packaging and price point are more key than quantity.
It’s What’s Outside
As gifts, unique packaging is one thing that attracts consumers to games. Classic games like Scrabble, Connect Four or Monopoly will always sell throughout time, but visual appeal is just as important as what’s inside, something Leddel and his team take seriously. “Our packaging and our themes have focused on more and more fun and more vibrant designs and colors.”
Sleek, hat box shapes give the Box of Questions games a different look from ubiquitous, rectangular ones on the market. Each game features a set of coaster-shaped question cards for game play and conversation. Boxed games Birthday Party, Celebrity Gossip, Happy Hour and Never! Vs Ever are new to The Box Girls line this year.
“We have blurred the lines between a gift and a game and call our product giftable games,” said Leddel. “A game as a gift is now seen as a great item, because it involves everyone and passes time in a fun way without having to spend money out on food, drink and baby sitters.”
Games can also double as decorative items, which make them attractive to consumers since it’s not something that will just get stored away after use. When Front Porch Classics released its Bookshelf Editions of classic games several years ago, it was the first line of games to really break into small gift and higher end stores, according to Steve Hart, co-founder FunHub Creative, Bellingham, WA, the design and development team behind the Octopi line of games and Front Porch. The hard box packaging resembled a real book and looked good sitting alongside real books as decor once game play was over.
“Up until then, family games were put in the closet or under the bed,” said Hart. “Games don’t need to end after the play session is over. You can get a paper board game, and keep it in the closet for 365 days a year,” said Hart. “We’re still looking at things you can put on a book shelf.”
This year, a new cooking game that incorporates cooking activities is in the works, as well as a new line of games that will teach about indigenous regions through game play based on those specific regions. The first on Indonesia, OranguTag, is based on a traditional the game of that region; additional games on Hawaii and the Amazon rain forest will come out throughout the year.
Game Lessons
People continue to purchase games as giftable items, according to Hart, so game play is also important. A fun, crowd-pleasing game that makes them want to play again and again will sell more than anything with a familiar character slapped on a box and game pieces.
“It’s important to provide value to consumers beyond an interesting theme,” said Hart. “People are looking for something they can learn quickly and play quickly. People are crunched for time. You just don’t see families sitting down like that anymore. They’re looking to have an experience but also something they can learn quickly that’s engaging. If it engages them enough, they can always play another round.”
Easy game play that’s fun is a winning combination. A card game that matches colored circles, Super Circles, and number card game, 7 Ate 9, are some new additions to the Out of the Box games lineup this year. “People are really looking for games that allow them to connect with other people,” said Leah Sugar, director of marketing for Out of the Box Games, Dodgeville, WI. “They’re looking at board games over video games for that connection.”
Sallie Kashiwa, owner and president of Timbuk Toys, Denver, said the market gets saturated with some games. More mass, Blokus from Mattel still sells, and she would not be without it, but it’s still not a huge seller in specialty. Games with a decorative aspect, easy-to-play card games and something that gets people talking, that’s what sells.
Case in point, Kashiwa recently added Goliath Games, Dallas, to her small games section this December. Even at $29.99, its classic strategy game Roll It, which plays like Othello but with more colors (surround your opponents’ pieces and switch them to your color), has been a big seller, Kashiwa noted. “There are people looking for activity-enhanced learning,” she said. “Games are so perfect, because you’re interacting directly with your child over a half hour or an hour. We’re definitely doing better with games than in the past. Today, games just have more diversity.”
Show Them the Money!
High price points like Kashiwa’s Goliath games sell, but $20 and under is still a sweet spot for most retailers. Compact games like Pocket Yam Slam meet the lower price point range and provide extended game play options. Perfect for dinner parties or on the road, the dice game from Blue Orange Games, San Francisco, strategically pits players against one another until they find the best combination dice roll and gain the most winning tokens. Another pocket-sized game from Gamewright, Newton, MA, Rory’s Story Cubes, encourages players to become story tellers, based on pictures, and retails for a low $7.99.
Even if a lower price range makes product fly off shelves faster, interesting play and sleek packaging can help even the more higher-priced games sell since people are still looking for lasting value for their dollars. “There are lots of exciting games at the $30 price point, but we still felt $30 was on the high side for us,” said Sugar. “Now we’re finding it moves, provided it’s a really great game. You may buy a game for $25 and have that game for 30 years and play with eight to 10 people each time. You can spend the same amount on a movie! Gift stores are seeing games as a great option for expansion.”
Family and party games always work, according to Leddel, who says that retailers like his company’s Family, Girlfriend-themed and tween games like Slumberparty and Truth or Dare the most. The Box Girls also provides smaller game versions to meet lower price point demand. “When they (retailers) ask for concepts, we give them titles,” said Leddel. “When they ask for a lower price point item we do it. We came up with the $10 version called the MINI, and now we’re coming up with the $2 version. Interestingly, the $10 boxes have not cannibalized the $20 boxes in 2009. In fact, the $20 version sold more even with the tougher economy.”
Quality for less is a challenge for FunHub, but Hart says the company is exploring more green materials like bamboo to help them be more eco-friendly and still provide a visually appealing game. “Ten years ago, $30 was okay,” he said. “Now when we talk to retailers, it’s $19.95 or lower. It’s a huge challenge for us to deliver. We want it to be rich, engaging and tactile. People don’t want to pick up something that feels cheap and like plastic.”
Connect the Dots
Despite tight wallets, most predict family and party games will be on the rise in 2010. “Games help people connect with each other, be genuine,” said Leslie Robinson, Trance4mation Games, New York, and creator of the Keep it Real game, which encourages conversation about tough topics like race, sex and love as players move around the circular board answering questions.
“There’s a real need, a void of people having the opportunity to talk about important stuff in their lives,” says Robinson. “This is a fun way to do that.”
Families do find games to be an alternate entertainment source, according to Hart. “One thing in this industry that is true is games are recession-proof to an extent.”
Games provide play value for years to come, whether it’s $50 or $20, according to Sugar. “A game you can keep your entire life,” she said. “Video games and most other things just don’t have that lifespan.”
We would love your feedback!
-
Playing for Keeps
Mar 1, 2010 -
Time To Shine!
Feb 1, 2008 -
The Toy Business 2.0
Feb 1, 2009 -
Next Stop: Toy Fair
Feb 1, 2007
Featured Company
-
Brandwise Inc.
Brandwise serves a model - not just an industry - by integrating, automating, and optimizing the entire sales channel, from wholesale Suppliers to their Reps and the Retailers they service. In short, our software helps Reps and Suppliers sell more and create... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
