Month: June 2020

The Legacy of Monopoly

Growing up, I would beg my two older brothers to play Monopoly. That enthusiasm to play died prematurely.

You see, anytime they’d land on one of my big-money properties, they’d quit unless I gave them a sweetheart deal that usually included some of my properties. I basically paid them to lose to them. 

Those memories resurfaced after playing some co-operative board games.

I began to wonder, “Why couldn’t you change the rules of Monopoly and make it cooperative?“

Continue reading “Why I Made Awesome Town” →

At first, I was worried that adding a screen to a board game would negatively impact board games “One more screen people are glued to”.

I think technology (screens or AR) blending with board games is inevitable, but I also think it could be amazing if done right.

Best practices for blending digital with analog game elements:

• Adds value not addiction.
• Provides enjoyable experiences without sacrificing well-being.
• Creates fun elements unachievable any other way.

I see potential for

• Combat games like Risk could have fog of war, heroes, cover, flanking, moral, fatigue.
• Economic games, like Awesome Town, could be mass multiplayer in a persistent world. 
• All kinds of games could have vast “replay-ability” with randomized scenarios like alien invasion, zombie apocalypse, natural disasters, influencers, etc.
• Another HUGE potential is how game developers could make games as platforms for user-generated content. So, maybe Isaac Childres publishes Gloomhaven with it’s 95 scenarios and fans create another 300 scenarios.
• Lastly, I see AR infused board games as a way to draw video gamers into a more social game setting. My friends and I played a ton of Star Craft, Command and Conquer, etc. we always sat alone in front of our computers. Can you imagine how fun it would be to play a realtime strategy game with AR in your living room together with your friends?