Board Games Are Having A Bad Time
Board Games Are Having A Bad Time
Board Games Are Having A Bad Time
By Luke Plunkett
April 4, 2020
Summary
Board game stores around the world have been closed because they're far from an essential service, and most importantly, publishers are now finding they're unable to even get their games made, let alone ship them out internationally.
So only a few weeks into the global reaction to covid-19 we're already starting to see the effects it's having on the board game industry.
In the video games x board games space, the Kickstarter for an adaptation of Rebellion's Sniper series has been pushed back, because "We don't want to ask you to support the project right now when there are bigger, more important things to worry about."
The problems don't just extend to the logistics of board game sales! Board games are an inherently social pursuit, built around the idea that you'll get friends over and sit huddled around a table for hours on end.
Basically, the longer this goes on, the worse it's going to get for every single part of the board games industry.
Games won't get made, manufactured games can't be shipped or distributed properly, many of the stores selling them are closed and the people buying them are facing an unprecedented financial crisis and can't play with friends even if they wanted to.
If you're not familiar with the scene, the board game industry is a lot friendlier than the death cult capitalism of video games, and so we're seeing schemes like those implemented by publishers like Fireside, Burnt Island, Deep Water Games, Forbidden Games and Kids Table BG, who are selling discounted games straight out of their warehouse, then donating sizable chunks of those proceeds-between 20-50%-to bricks-and-mortar stores to help them get through this.
Reference
Plunkett, L. (2020, April 4). Board Games Are Having A Bad Time. Retrieved April 7, 2020, from https://kotaku.com/board-games-are-having-a-bad-time-1842653367