a pursuit of fruitless endeavors and endless refinements

Tag: super-sizing games

Big Doins

No, not “doyns,” “do-INZ.”  Big stuff is brewing.  I teased this photo back when I was exploring The Cave:

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Gen Con 2016, Part 4

click here to see part 1 of this series.

click here to see part 2 of this series.

click here to see part 3 of this series.


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Sunday was the last official day of Gen Con 2016 and I’m always a little lost on what to do.  The Dealer Hall is a good option to find last minute deals or get in that last demo of a game you’ve been eyeing.  This year, I was trying something a little different- I was running a few events.

Big Pimpin’

One thing that has fascinated me in board games is the concept of taking a standard game and blowing the whole thing out to a larger size.  These “super-sized” or “Giant/Mega” versions of games are usually seen at game conventions or public spaces. I suspect this is mostly due to the cost involved in creating giant versions of the game and the space needed to play/store it but it also creates a spectacle and attracts a lot of attention.

It’s the spectacle that drives us to make giant versions of these games. It’s this unique aspect of play that engages the players and the audience in a way that takes something very familiar and maybe even boring and makes it into a memorable experience. For me, playing a giant version of the game brings me back to a child-like state where the pieces barely fit in my hands.  My movements are awkward and clumsy and I become fully immersed in the game itself.  It occupies a wide field of my vision and I am in the game as completely as I can ever be.

Gen Con 2014 wrap-up: continued

So last time I talked about Aaron Jenkin’s massive 3D recreation of FFG’s A Game of Throne board game. This time I want to highlight some of the other large scale pimp-outs I saw at the convention.

I’ll start with a favorite area control game of mine, Domaine.

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End of Summer: Gen Con 2014 wrap-up

So July and August have come and gone but one of my yearly highlights occurs during summer so I’d like to go show off a game pimper’s view of my favorite gaming convention: Gen Con. For those that don’t know it, Gen Con is one of North America’s largest gaming conventions. This year, it’s attendance topped Essen Germany’s Spiel convention. Since Spiel occurs in November every year, I’ll be interested to see if their numbers improve to edge out Gen Con.

How big is this convention? The latest numbers came in at a staggering 56,614 unique attendees over the 4 days (August 13th-17th). This was my eighth year and it was good to see that the convention still holds its charm and I still find a lot of great things to do.

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