11 Aug The Return of Low Tech Games
Younger Gamers and the Return to Physical or Low Tech Games
Whenever I meet a parent anywhere and tell them I am in the board game business, among the first comments I hear is “wow, thank you for helping to offer an alternative to ‘screen time’ for our family.” The global obsession with the wonders of mobile technology has left parents and educators seeking alternative ways to engage children of all ages in basic “heads up” activities.
Conversations with our kids are often punctuated with electronic interruptions from snapchat, text, and Instagram. We have actively sought events and activities where our family would be insulated from the constant peppering of messages and alerts from the “outside world”. My family takes a technology holiday, either for an evening or a whole day, at least once each week.
Parents everywhere seem to find what we have found – that playing a game is a great way to connect with our friends and kids, often at the same time. Board games stimulate conversation, cause our kids (9, 12, and 25) to interact and find common interests, and often create bonding moments where a team is united against a common opponent. We find that playing a game for an hour or two is an easy way to make sure we connect with our kids and they seem to welcome our family game night,
We are convinced that the rise of geek culture and the emergence of high quality tabletop game experiences like Ticket to Ride, Catan, and Codenames, has helped move the gaming trend from niche to more mainstream. However, underlying the movement is a deep seated desire to connect with family and friends is the driving trend behind the resurgence of the board, card, and dice game industry.