Being the first post on the site, I think it’s best to start from the beginning, and define what we really mean by Real Board Games. Here is a short introduction about the vision we have.

First of all, board games are always real. That’s one of the core points. A board game is something you can not only see, but you can touch it, feel it and smell it. You hear the clattering sound when the dice hit the table, and feel the texture of the pieces as you move them around the board. Your opponents sit right in front of you, and you can look them in the eyes as they plan their next move.

The very basis of every game is of course its dynamics and the rules. There has to be a good balance between complexity and intuitiveness, and the game has to offer new challenges with an appropriate frequency, to keep players engaged. Computer games are really good at this, being able to compute and keep track of complex rules with a high speed, letting the player do only what makes the experience optimal, and spicing it all up with flashy visuals and immersive sound effects. A board game on the other hand is more or less limited to the amount of information that the players can keep in their minds during the game, and the visual part is very static. What is it then that makes board games so competitive and appealing still today?

The global board game market size grew 20% in 2020, and now exceeds $15 billion. According to Business Wire the market is expected to grow 13% annually during the coming 5 years. The board game market is still only a fraction of the value of mobile- and computer games, but there is a clear upswing going on, making board games more and more popular. 

Our assumption is that it’s the connection to something real that is the key here. Where computers are good at simulating the real world, board games are, as a matter of fact, part of the real world. You experience a board game with all your senses. Thereby, a board game is not only an abstract set of rules. In the best case it’s a beautiful piece of art, that you both see, feel, hear and smell. On top of the visuals, it has both weight and a texture that you can feel, and that makes up part of the gaming experience.

Our aim is to focus on this fact, and produce board games that both look and feel great. The games should either have a tight connection to the real world, describing a phenomenon as realistically as possible, or teach the player skills that they can utilize in the real world. Real Board Games will make use of all the strengths that the medium allows, creating games that feel real in every sense of the word.

Let us know your reflections on this in the comments section. We will be back with more news as the project proceeds.