The Business of Toys and Games
The Board Game Revival
How board games made a comeback in the digital age, the role of crowdfunding and board game cafés, and India's own traditional games.
In a digital age, board games have made a surprising comeback.
The revival
- Modern games like Catan (1995), Ticket to Ride and Pandemic created new fans.
- Sales grew strongly in the 2010s and during the pandemic.
Why
- Social experience away from screens.
- Strategy and complexity for adults.
- Board game cafés where people pay to play.
Crowdfunding
Platforms like Kickstarter let small designers fund games by pre-selling to fans. Board games became one of Kickstarter’s most successful categories.
India’s traditional games
- Chess originated from chaturanga in ancient India.
- Snakes and Ladders comes from Moksha Patam.
- Ludo comes from Pachisi.
- Ludo King, a mobile game by an Indian studio, became hugely popular, especially in the 2020 lockdown.
Indian board game makers
Indian startups design games with Indian themes and history.
Economics of games
Board games have high upfront costs for design and printing, but crowdfunding reduces risk by confirming demand first.
A designer launches a board game on Kickstarter, aiming for 10,000 dollars. Fans pledge 200,000 dollars, funding a large print run before a single copy is made.
Board games have grown strongly in the 2010s and 2020s.
- Board games made a comeback with modern designs.
- Social play and cafés drive demand.
- Crowdfunding lets designers confirm demand first.
- Chess, Snakes and Ladders and Ludo have Indian roots.
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