Every year in February the biggest Toy Fair in the world takes place in New York City. This is the Mecca for buyers, sellers, developers and designers of dolls, plush toys, games and toys. Every conceivable kind of product is displayed and hyped whimsical, creative marketing and some bluster. The event is attended by people from over 100 countries.
This year's Toy Fair is reflective of what is happening in the global economy. Attendance was down, there were considerably fewer suppliers, product display, the glitz was noticeably dimmer and the general mood was very somber. World's largest toy company Mattel and Hasbro, Fisher Price reported declining sales for the year 2008 recently concluded. Smaller vendors and had even worse news to be reported and many seemed to just be hanging out, hoping for a strong Holiday season 2009 selling to revive their fortunes.
For the last ten years or more of the exciting growth of the world of the toy/game was in electronic products. Electronic Arts became a colossus with the production of games of action the adolescent male highly desirable demographic targeting. However, this year Electronic Arts also has struggled, sales dropped and only recently the company announced the resignation of their most prolific game design engineer.
Interestingly, there was an area of vigor and strength touted at the toy fair: worldly table games. Yes, the type of game families used to play the kitchen table after dinner. Parents and children interact; While they enjoyed time together, talking, negotiating, competing, laughing and bonding. Great concept! Boardgame sales enjoyed a record year.
Hasbro introduced several new iterations of the classic monopoly. Most popular board game, monopoly is played by almost 500 million people worldwide. Iconic game, set during the depression to imitate the various strata of society during that time, is the gold standard in the boardgame. At Toy Fair this year were offered on the new game table display as never before and seemed to be at the heart of the renewed interest from buyers, noting the tenor of the times. The simple board game is enjoying a revival, in part because the times we are experiencing have adjusted our sites for the importance of quality family time.
Video games are typically solitary or demographic-specific products. Table games offer a completely different game platform. A girl of eight years, his brother, sister of 10 years of age visit college and MOM and Dad can enjoy a game of excuse. The game is played at a quiet pace. Lots of kibitzing is part of the fun. Soda and popcorn are ubiquitous, while the family enjoys the game.
Consultancy of my consumer product is approached by a number of toy and observations of games every year. Many are quite ingenious. The market for this type of product is extremely competitive, as are the categories of consumer products and more mature. However, the market is always open to novel, inventive new products. The great depression, similar somehow to our current economic circumstance, was a golden age for inventiveness of consumer product. The occasion for launching successful products today is just as mature.
The key to launch a successful board game, as with many other consumer products, is simplicity. Ensure that the rules of the game are quickly and easily understandable. If the game requires a tutorial and a lot of qualifications, the probability of achieving retail placement and commercial success is minimal. It is important that the competitive aspects of the game depends on a mixture of skill and chance. Each player, no matter the age, education or experience, should have a reasonable chance of winning.
The world is undergoing a sea change caused by a disease that affects virtually all of us. The opportunity to profit from this adjustment of social values and attitudes offers a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to provide timely products with features and benefits that fit the times. Return to popularity of table games is the symbol of this new reality.
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