STEAM (adding the arts to the scientific mix) are trends that are growing across all categories of the toy industry. I, along with Geena Davis, Maria Bello, and Claire Munn, currently serve as a judge for DevelopHERChallenge, a non-profit organization that tasks toy designers to create STEM-based toys and games for girls. Currently, only one in seven girls opts to be an engineer, and similarly, only one in six girls opts to be a toy and game designer. It’s important to give kids a full array of options, instead of limiting boys to blasters and girls to Easy Bake Ovens. Toys and games shouldn’t instill limitations; instead, they should inspire, educate, enable social learning experiences, and comfort kids.
The Growth of Eurogames Eurogames, such as Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride, continue to migrate from hobby stores to the mass market. The New York Times recently reported that sales at hobby stores in the U.S. rose 15 to 20 percent in each of the past three years. Additionally, Amazon says board game sales increased by a double-digit percentage from 2012 to 2013. Some manufacturers are even putting a licensing twist on Eurogames. USAopoly, for example, has launched The Walking Dead BANG! and Adventure Time Munchkin. The addition of popular licenses makes the games more relatable and approachable. Just as Lego boosted the construction category, Eurogames are bringing up the board game category.
Stories Sell Products There is no better example as to the power of the story to sell product than Debbie Sterling and GoldieBlox. Sterling, a female engineer, was inspired to create an intuitive construction game for girls because of the lack of women in her field.
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Sterling created a brief video to tell her story and launched GoldieBlox via Kickstarter, a crowd-funding platform that allows consumers to pledge money toward a product to help launch it into production. With a goal of $150,000, the company raised $285,881, launched a viral YouTube video, became a media sensation, and kicked off this year with a Super Bowl commercial—all as the result of a good story. Stories sell, and I wouldn’t be surprised if more game inventors’ stories are used to sell product.
Crowdfunding Crowdfunding on platforms such as Kickstarter is gaining popularity due to success stories such as Debbie Sterling and GoldieBlox. TechCrunch reports that more money was pledged to board games than video games on Kickstarter in 2013. Cards Against Humanity, an offensive yet hilarious party game for adults, launched on Kickstarter with a $4,000 goal and raised $15,570. The game took on wild popularity, and the company has since produced four expansion packs as well as smaller-scale seasonal and theme packs. Additionally, Moby Dick or, The Card Game, a card game based on the classic American novel, raised $102,730 with a goal of only $25,000. Robot Turtles, a decidedly low-tech game that teaches kids the basics of programming, currently holds the title of the most-backed board game in Kickstarter history, with more than $631,000 pledged. Created by Dan Shapiro, the game was picked up by manufacturer ThinkFun and is now available for purchase. All of these trends are changing the face of the games category, but all prove that no matter how digital our world may become, there will always be room for traditional games. ■
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