Board Game Statistics

Board games are one of the most popular hobbies in the world, with an estimated billions of players worldwide.

From classic card games to modern favorites, gamers enjoy many different types of games, either on their own or with their friends. For lots of gamers, board games are a social activity, while for others, they’re a chance to escape modern technology for old-fashioned fun.

Below, we’ve shared 25 statistics about board games, board gamers and the board gaming industry.

The Board Game Market Produced $2.93 Billion in Revenue in 2022

Board games are a big business. According to research published by consumer survey data source Statistica, the global market for board games produced an estimated $2.93 billion in revenue in 2022.

If you’re interested in creating a board game, this means you’re entering a large market with plenty of potential to reach a wide audience. 

Board Game Revenue is Growing at Nearly 10% Per Year

Even more promising, the board game market is growing rapidly, with revenue expanding by almost 10 percent annually.

Also according to Statistica, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the board gaming market is 9.31 percent. This means that by 2027, the board game market is projected to have approximately $4.84 billion in annual revenue.  

The US is the World’s Largest Market for Board Games

Although board games are a worldwide phenomenon, the United States is by far the world’s largest market for board games.

According to data from Statistica, the US accounted for $1.75 billion in board game industry revenue in 2022, which is more than half of the total revenue generated by the board game industry. 

If you’re a board game creator, this makes it vital to target the United States as part of your marketing strategy. As a large market, the US can give your board game a steady supply of sales and help make sure it’s a hit. 

Most Hobby Board Gamers Are 25-54 Years of Age

Board gaming is a hobby that people of all ages can enjoy, and research suggests that all ages are well represented. 

According to data from Meeple Mountain, the majority of hobbyist board gamers are between 25 and 54 years of age, with 35 to 44 the largest demographic. However, there are plenty of board gamers in all age groups, including people under 24 and over 65.

One thing to note is that it’s possible that board game demographics are slightly older than data suggests, as many older gamers may not be accessible for surveys carried out online. 

So, what does this data mean? If you’re interested in creating a board game, there’s a market in every age group, whether you’re designing a game for the very young, the very old, or the larger market of gamers between 25 and 54.

Board Games Are Roughly Equally Popular WIth Men and Women 

Some hobbies are more popular with one sex than the other. Board games are an exception. In a survey published by the Statistica Research Department, a total of 74 percent of women and 70 percent of men reported enjoying board games.

Most Gamers Socialize Through Board Games

Board games are more than just fun — for many people, they’re also an important social activity that helps them form friendships and lasting bonds.

According to Meeple Mountain, most hobbyist gamers have a regular or irregular play session with their friends as their main way to participate in games. Many others attend conventions, take part in local gaming groups, and teach games, with only a small fraction of gamers playing solo. 

Puzzle Games Account for 27.7% of the Most Popular Board Games

Puzzle-solving games are eternally popular for plenty of reasons. Not only are they fun, but they tend to resist trends and appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds interested in testing their critical thinking skills.

As such, it’s not surprising that puzzle games account for many of the most popular board game products on the market. In fact, according to digital trends data blog Gitnux, puzzle games make up 27% of the most popular board games available today. 

Catan is By Far the Most Popular “Gateway” Game

Settlers of Catan — or just Catan, as it’s now known — is a modern classic.Since it first appeared on the market in 1995, it’s sold more than 32 million copies worldwide in 40 different languages, making it one of the most popular board games of all time.

It’s also by far the most popular gateway into serious board games, with many gamers reporting that Catan was the game that cemented board games as one of their favorite hobbies.

According to Meeple Mountain, Catan was the game players mentioned as their gateway game the most, followed by games such as Ticket to Ride, Monopoly, Carcassonne, Pandemic, Risk, Dominion, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Dungeons and Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering. 

The Board Game Market Grew Rapidly During the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of activities that can be enjoyable from home to become more popular, and board games were no exception.

According to Deutsche Welle, the market for board games grew by 20% in the year 2020 alone, with people turning to tabletop board games as a way to have fun at home while taking a break from digital devices like phones, computers and TV.

Many Gamers Use Board Games to Improve Their Mental Health

Many people use board games and card games to improve their mental wellbeing. In a survey conducted by Meeple Mountain, gamers reported using board games to combat anxiety, teach and practice social skills, and overcome issues related to autism. 

Globally, the Board Game Market is Worth Around $19 Billion

Globally, the market for board games is truly gigantic, with a total value of approximately $19 million as of 2022, according to data from Arizton

Like everything else related to board games, the total size of the market is growing constantly as new games come out, new gamers discover this hobby and sales of board games increase around the world. 

In fact, by 2028, the worldwide board game market is projected to have a total value of $39.99 billion.

Quick, Simple Games Dominate the Bestseller List on Amazon

Although more complicated card games and Eurogames tend to be favorites of board game enthusiasts, when it comes to mass market games, quick and simple games almost always dominate the best seller lists.

On Amazon, Connect 4, Sequence, Yahtzee, Codenames and Checkers are the top-selling board games, with Candy Land, Tapple, Zingo, Sorry and Trouble not far behind in terms of overall sales.

Games like Exploding Kittens, the Goliath games, That Sound Game, Sabobatage, and others are also reliable sellers built around simple, player-friendly gameplay mechanics.

As a board game creator, keeping it simple is important if you’re aiming to reach the widest possible audience with your game. 

Chess is Still the Most Popular Game

Chess has been around for almost 1,500 years, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down in terms of popularity. 

According to the New York Times, chess is booming in popularity again, reaching levels that haven’t been seen since the iconic 1972 World Chess Championship between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky.

Part of this increase in chess gaming can be attributed to the extremely popular Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, but another part is also due to how accessible chess is today. 

This gets to the caveat of chess as a board game — these days, a lot of chess games are held online, rather than over a physical table. 

Still, it’s impressive — and somewhat amazing, given the sophistication of many modern board and card games — that chess remains so popular with gaming enthusiasts of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. 

Gamers’ Opinions Are Mixed on Board Games That Use Digital Apps

App-assisted board games have grown more popular over the last few years, but gamers are divided on whether or not they’re as good as conventional board games.

According to Meeple Mountain, most players report neither liking nor disliking games that use digital apps as part of their gameplay mechanics, with slightly more players reporting that they like these games “somewhat” than dislike them.

Asia-Pacific is the Fastest-Growing Board Game Market

The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing market for board games, largely as a result of rising disposable incomes and a growing interest in board games in big countries like China, India and smaller nations throughout Southeast Asia.

Highly developed countries in Asia, such as Japan, are also increasingly interested in board games and tabletop gaming.

If you’re a board game creator, it’s important not to overlook the importance of fast-growing markets outside North America and Europe.

You can reach customers in China through marketplaces such as Taobao, while Indian customers are readable via Flipkart and Amazon India.

Throughout Southeast Asia, many customers buy board games from marketplaces such as Shopee, Lazada and Tokopedia.

Selling in these countries at a large scale often requires translating your board game into a range of languages. However, the rewards may be worth it, especially if your board game is designed so that people from any culture and society can enjoy it.

By 2025, the Chinese Board Game Market Will Be Worth $1.67 Billion

China is famous for traditional board games, with Xiangqi (Chinese chess), Wei Qi (Go), and Mahjong some of the most popular. These days, China is quickly becoming a large market for modern board games, card games and collectible games. 

According to Allied Market Research, the Chinese board game and card game market had a value of $583.8 million in 2018, with its value projected to grow to $1.67 billion by 2025. This gives it a growth rate of 16.3% — one of the highest in the world.

At the moment, most of this growth is from simple family games, although hobby games are also developing in popularity throughout China.

Collectible Card Games Have Grown Really Fast

While all types of board games and card games are increasing in popularity, collectible card games are growing particularly fast. 

According to research from NPD Group published in the Washington Post, card games like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering increased in popularity by 208 percent from 2019 until 2022. 

The Average Board Game Takes 1-2 Hours to Play

Most board games take between one and two hours to play, according to data published by Gitnux. It’s worth noting that this figure can vary significantly from one game to another — a game for kids might only take a few minutes, while others can take hours per game.

If you’re designing your game for large-scale appeal, you’ll want to aim for a game time that makes it easily accessible, while still allowing players to get involved and engaged.

For a children’s game, you’ll want to shorten the game and focus on simplicity to account for shorter attention spans. 

Most Gamers Still Buy Their Board Games Offline

It’s easier than ever to buy board games online, but many gamers still prefer to support board game and hobby stores in their local area. 

In a survey conducted by PrintNinja, 482 out of 545 respondents, or about 88% of the survey audience, said they shop for games locally. In contrast, only 323 out of the 545 respondents reported buying games through Amazon.

This means that it’s still important to reach out to local distributors if you’re aiming to maximize sales of your board game. 

43% of Gamers Own 25+ Board and Card Games

Board gamers can be grouped into two major categories — casual gamers who enjoy a game every now and then, and board game enthusiasts who own and play a much larger variety of different games.

According to data published by PrintNinja, most people own fewer than 25 board games. It’s quite common for gamers to have a larger collection, however, with 43% of gamers reporting that they own more than 25 board and/or card games. 

Many “Small” Board Games Sell Extremely Well

We’re all familiar with the immense success of games like Catan and Ticket to Ride. However, not all board games sell tens of millions of copies, nor do they necessarily need to in order to achieve commercial success.

On Amazon, many board games outside the top 500 still sell hundreds of copies every month, allowing them to succeed commercially even without a massive audience. 

In other words, there’s a lucrative long tail for niche board games that can make your game a long-term success, even if it’s never a top seller. 

59% of Board Gamers Spend $400+ Per Year on New Games

Most gamers spend a reasonable amount on their hobby each year, but only a small few spend lavishly on new board games. 

According to data from PrintNinja, 16% of board and card gamers spend $400 to $599 per year on new games. 21% spend $600 to $1,000, and 22% of gamers spend more than $1,000 each year on games. 

As for more frugal gamers, six percent reported spending less than $100 per year, with 15% of respondents reporting annual board game spending of $100 to $199, and 19% reporting annual spending of $200 to $399. 

41% of Gamers Buy Board Games Through Kickstarter

According to PrintNinja, 41% of board game enthusiasts have purchased one or more games through Kickstarter. 

Kickstarter is one of the largest sources of funding for game makers — a fact we’ve discussed more below — and it’s helped thousands of game designers access both funding and excited, eager audiences for their games over the years. 

Our crowdfunding resources can help you make sure your Kickstarter campaign is a success, from working out your price structure to marketing your campaign. 

Tabletop Games Have Made More Than $1.5 Billion on Kickstarter

Kickstarter surpassed $7 billion in total funds raised in late 2022. According to an article from DiceBreaker, $1.5 billion of that amount went towards tabletop games — around 20% of funds raised in Kickstarter in total. 

In total, board game and card game creators have launched more than 36,000 projects using kickstarter, with around two thirds of the projects funded successfully. 

Interestingly, tabletop games appear to be more successful on Kickstarter than other projects, which only have a 40%, or two-out-of-five, successful fundraising rate. 

The Tabletop Gaming Cafe Industry is Growing at 6.3% Per Year

Many board gaming enthusiasts visit cafes to find new games, make new friends and take part in board games as a social activity. As such, it’s no surprise that the board game cafe market is growing at a steady pace as board gaming becomes more popular.

According to Gitnux, the board gaming cafe industry is growing at 6.3% per year, making it one of several fields adjacent to board games to have benefited from their increasing popularity.

Learn More About Making Board Games

Interested in learning more about board games? Our guide to making a board game covers all of the essentials, from coming up with a good game concept to designing game mechanics, art, manufacturing and more.

You can also contact us to talk to our expert design and manufacturing team about making your board game idea a reality.

Types of Board Games

Whether you’re a board game enthusiast looking for fun new games to play or a budding board game designer searching for inspiration, there are thousands of board games out there waiting for you to discover them.

At first glance, understanding the different types of board games can seem overwhelming. The differences between, say, a social deduction game and a bluffing game, can be pretty mild, and it’s easy to get one genre mixed up with another.

Making things even more confusing is the fact that many of the best board games combine two, three or more types to create an exciting fusion of genres.

If you’re looking for fun new board games to play and want to find something similar to what you already enjoy, our detailed list of 39 types of board games below will help you understand what’s out there and make it easier to add new games to your collection.

And if you’re a board game creator, studying the different types of games that are available can help you to find ideas for your board game and hone its mechanics to create something fun and engaging. 

A note for game designers: The type of board game you choose can have a big impact on its design complexity and manufacturing cost. If you’d like to find out more about the best types of games for first-time creators, feel free to contact us. 

 

39 Types of Board Games

Below, we’ve listed 39 board game categories, from simple card and dice games to some of the most complex board games on the market.

For each game type, we’ve explained what makes it so much fun, as well as what you’ll need to keep in mind if you’re planning to design a game of this type yourself. 

Card Games

Card games are exactly what they sound like — games that involve using a deck of cards to play with other people (or sometimes, just yourself). These games test your future planning skills and sometimes require you to trick your friends.

Classic card games include poker, bridge and spades, as well as more modern card games like Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon. Almost all board games make use of cards, although not all board games that involve cards should be considered card games.

If you want to design your own card game, you’ll need to think hard about the specific design of your cards. They’ll need to be fun and encourage lots of interaction and smart play.

Dice Games

Dice games are all about randomness. Since these games are played with dice, you only have a limited degree of control over what’s going to happen to you. Luck plays a big part in this type of game, and no two games will be the same, even if you stick to a consistent strategy.

There’s often some math involved in dice games, as most games of this type have techniques that you can use to minimize any disadvantages and swing the odds in your favor.

Popular dice games include Ludo and Yahtzee. Many of the most well-known board games also make heavy use of dice for randomness, such as Risk and Catan. 

If you want to design your own dice game, you’ll need to focus on achieving a balance between unpredictability — which the dice will deliver naturally — and giving the game enough structure to prevent it from becoming too heavily based on luck. 

Economic Games

Economic games are all about managing resources and making smart decisions about how you spend or invest your money. You need to think ahead in these games and make sure you have enough resources to put yourself in a strong position.

The most well-known economic game is Monopoly, which lets you put your ultra-capitalist hat on and build a property empire. Many other popular board games, such as Power Grid and Catan, are also built around economic principles.

If you want to design your own economic game, you’ll need to create mechanics that encourage players to plan for the future, trade and compete over resources to gain an advantage. 

Bluffing Games

Bluffing games are all about tricking your opponents into thinking something that may — or may not — be accurate. These games are all about fooling people, usually without letting them know that they’ve been fooled.

The most famous bluffing game is poker, which pits you against several other players to fight for a pot. Other bluffing games include Sheriff of Nottingham, in which players hide forbidden goods and attempt to evade detection, and The Resistance, which involves faking identities.

If you want to design a bluffing game, you’ll need to think about how to make secret information and deception a key part of the gameplay.

Farming Games

Farming games let you pretend you’re a farmer, all without dirty hands or sunburn. They usually revolve around building a farm, growing crops and raising livestock, generally with a turn-based design. 

Popular farming games include Caverna and Agricola. Many other games mix farming elements with other types of gameplay.

If you want to design a farming game, you’ll need to think about game mechanics that emulate real-life farming, all while keeping players involved and invested in the gameplay. 

Abstract Strategy Games

Abstract strategy games test your strategic thinking. These games are brain-benders that tend to have little in the way of themes or narrative, but combine clear rules with deep and complex gameplay that pushes your brain to its limit.

The most famous abstract strategy game is chess, which has been played around the world for more than 1,400 years. Other strategic board games, such as Go, Azul and even Connect Four, can all be considered abstract games in one form or another. 

If you want to design an abstract strategy game, you’ll need to focus on creating deep strategic options from relatively simple rules. It’s also essential to eliminate any luck component from the game’s mechanics. 

Murder Mystery Games

Murder mystery board games combine the thrill of detective novels with elements of deduction, suspense and a healthy, or perhaps unhealthy, dose of paranoia. Games of this type are about discovering clues and using them to piece together a crime, usually a murder.

The most well-known murder mystery game is Clue, which was developed in the 1940s. Newer murder mystery board games include Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, Mysterium and Letters from Whitechapel.

If you want to design a murder mystery game, you’ll need to create a captivating storyline and pair it with clever, thought-provoking clues that keep players motivated to continue. 

Children’s Games

Children’s games are designed for kids. They’re usually straightforward enough for very young children to learn in a short period of time, and tend to combine bright colors with fun, engaging settings.

Popular children’s board games include Mouse Trap, Animal Upon Animal, My First Stone Age, Dinosaur Escape and Candy Land. 

If you want to design a children’s game, focus on making it simple, engaging and fun. It’s better to avoid using game mechanics that require lots of time to learn, as these may be off-putting for younger kids. 

To create a game that appeals to parents as well as kids, try to sneak some educational content into the game, whether it’s math, strategic thinking or vocabulary.

Educational Board Games

Educational games are designed to make learning new ideas, concepts and topics fun. They’re typically children’s games that focus on specific subjects and skills, although some educational games are also designed for adults.

Popular educational games include The Magic Labyrinth, which tests players’ memory, as well as Brain Quest, which combines learning with a roll-and-move design and custom rules based on the age of the players. 

If you want to design an educational game, you’ll need to focus on achieving a balance of fun and learning to keep players engaged and interested. 

Maze & Labyrinth Games

Maze and labyrinth games are all about successfully navigating through complex paths. They test your spatial awareness and problem-solving skills, often while adding in design elements from other types of board games.

Fun maze and labyrinth games include Labyrinth and The aMAZEing Labyrinth. Tsuro is also one of many games from other categories that involves maze-like elements, which are mixed with abstract strategy.

If you want to design a maze or labyrinth game, you’ll need to focus on developing a board or path that’s dynamic, challenging and capable of changing as the game progresses. 

City Building Games

City building games let you take control of a city as mayor, all without the boring meetings and tiring political campaign. Games of this type are all about building and managing your city while making smart planning decisions.

Popular city building games include The Capitals, Suburbia and Citadels. Many of the world’s most popular board games, like Catan, also combine city building elements with other types of gameplay.

If you want to design a city building game, you’ll need to focus on game mechanics that involve urban planning and resource management, allowing your players to feel like they’re developing their very own city.

Engine Building Games

Engine building games are all about designing and creating an “engine” or system that produces better results as the game progresses. Most players start the game with simple abilities and add to these over the course of each round. 

Popular engine building games include Wingspan, Splendor and Terraforming Mars. Many other games from different genres also include engine building elements.

If you want to design an engine building game, you’ll need to focus on gameplay elements that let players really build and improve on their systems over time, making each move important.

Deduction Games

Deduction games are all about figuring out what’s going on — or in some cases, something that has already happened — using clues that are given to you, either by the board game itself or by your fellow players. 

Some deduction games are referred to as social deduction games. These involve players trying to uncover each other’s identities, usually with one “good” and “bad” team.

Classic deduction games include Clue, which mixes deduction with a murder mystery setting, as well as Codenames, which pits teams against each other to spot agents using one-word clues. 

Popular social deduction games include Werewolf, Secret Hitler and The Resistance, which are designed to make paranoia and uncertainty part of game night. 

If you want to design a deduction game, you’ll need to focus on mechanics that let your players use logical reasoning to uncover information and find solutions, either on their own or as part of a team. 

Memory Games

Memory games are, as the name suggests, all about memorizing certain facts, figures and other information. This type of board game tests your ability to recall sequences, locations or specific items. 

Classic memory games include Memory and Simon, which involves memorizing and repeating a simple sequence of lights and sounds. Modern board games, like The Magic Labyrinth, also use players’ memory as a major gameplay mechanic.

If you want to design a memory game, you’ll need to focus on challenging players to remember and recall information, all without bombarding them with too much information at once. 

Civilization Building Games

Civilization building games let you build your own empire from scratch. They combine elements from other board game genres by requiring you to think about long-term strategy, good resource management, and sometimes even warfare against your opponents.

The most popular civilization building games include Through the Ages, Twilight Imperium and Civilization. Many board games from other genres also make strong use of civilization building gameplay mechanics and elements.

If you want to design a civilization building game, focus on mechanics that let players grow and evolve their societies by making smart decisions, managing their resources and interacting with their fellow players.

Trivia Games

Trivia games are all about testing your knowledge. These games test your ability to recall facts, often in a diverse range of different categories. Many trivia games make use of a simple design that revolves around a deck of cards with questions. 

You’ve probably played Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy before, both of which are classic trivia games that have been around for decades. Modern trivia games include Wits & Wagers, which adds a fun betting element that’s great for parties.

If you want to design a trivia game, remember that you’ll need a bank of interesting questions to keep your players engaged. You’ll also need to decide whether to specialize in a certain topic or go broad and use a range of categories to keep the game fun for everyone. 

Drafting Games

Drafting games are about choosing the best options from a pool. They combine strategy, quick decision making, and outguessing your opponents, forcing you to make snap decisions on the fly in order to come out ahead.

Popular drafting games include 7 Wonders, Citadels, Sushi Go. Popular card games like Magic: The Gathering can also be played as drafting games.

If you want to design a drafting game, you’ll need to give your cards a set of desirable qualities and players a method for taking turns to choose them.

Storytelling Games

Storytelling games invite you and your fellow players to weave a tale. They often involve a mix of creativity, improvisation, and sometimes even put your acting skills to the test in front of your friends.

Popular storytelling board games include Fallout: The Board Game, The Adventures of Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. 

If you want to design a storytelling game, you’ll need to focus on crafting game mechanics that inspire players to be creative and weave a narrative throughout the game. 

Negotiation Board Games

Negotiation games put you in full deal-making mode, requiring you to trade, bargain and act as a diplomat with your fellow players. Coming out ahead in this type of game tests your ability to persuade others, as well as your math and long-term planning skills.

A classic negotiation game is Diplomacy, which involves negotiating with your opponents to get ahead as one of Europe’s Great Powers. Other extremely popular board games, like Catan and Monopoly, also involve lots of negotiation.

If you want to design a negotiation game, you’ll need to create opportunities for players to work together and bargain, as well as mechanics that make sure deals between players have a large impact on the game. 

Dungeon Crawler Board Games

Dungeon crawler games are all about adventure and teamwork. You and your fellow players will explore a dark dungeon filled with monsters and treasure, often as part of a longer-term story or campaign.

The most well-known dungeon crawler tabletop game is Dungeons & Dragons, which has been published since the 1970s. Other great dungeon crawler tabletop games include Gloomhaven, Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate and Descent. 

If you want to design a dungeon crawler board game, you’ll need to focus on achieving a mix of interesting monsters, engaging gameplay, a fun story and plenty of loot for players to acquire on their journey. 

Eurogames (German-Style Board Games)

Eurogames, or German-style board games, prioritize strategy over luck and usually avoid direct conflict between players. Board games of this type are often rich in mechanics and have a clear theme, with players working throughout the game to score victory points. 

Popular Eurogames include Catan, Carcassonne, Power Grid and Ticket to Ride. These games often have multiple paths to victory, creating a variety of gameplay situations for players. 

If you want to design a Eurogame, you’ll need to focus on developing deep strategic mechanics that keep the game engaging. You’ll also want to limit the role that luck plays in the outcome of the game. 

Finally, you’ll want to make sure that all players are always involved in the game, even if they’re not in the lead. 

Word Games

Word games involve playing with language. They test your vocabulary, creative thinking skills, spelling and your ability to quickly come up with words, phrases or sentences on your feet.

Classic games that involve vocabulary and wordplay include Scrabble and Boggle. There are also lots of modern games that include word gaming elements, such as Codenames, Decrypto and Bananagrams. 

If you want to design a word game, you’ll need to think of creative ways to challenge players on their language skills, as well as their ability to think on the fly. 

Math-Based Board Games

Math-based board games put your number skills to the test. They usually involve a mix of math skills like calculation and problem solving, as well as luck in the form of specific cards, dice rolls and other sources of randomness.

Popular math games include Prime Club and Math Fluxx. Many other board games and abstract strategy games become a lot easier if you can apply math to their core mechanics.

If you want to design a math game, you’ll need to focus on crafting puzzles and challenges that involve mathematical concepts, all while making sure the game feels more like a fun experience than a math exam.

Collectible Games

Collectible games involve collecting and trading certain game elements, usually cards. They’re built around strategy, collection building, and often a large dose of luck. These games are often referred to as collectible card games, or CCGs.

Popular collectible games include Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokémon, which are all built around collecting and using cards. Others include KeyForge and online collectible games, such as Hearthstone. 

If you want to design a collectible game, you’ll need to build a large set of game elements and game mechanics that reward players who focus on collecting and trading.

Racing Games

Racing games combine speed and strategy. They’re about racing against your opponents to a finish line, either in a car, a train or another type of vehicle. Often, a mix of strategy and luck is required to get you to the finish line ahead of other players. 

Classic racing board games include Formula D, Downforce and Rallyman: GT. Many games in other genres also include racing elements to keep gameplay dynamic and exciting. 

If you want to design a racing game, you’ll need to create a track or course, then couple it with game mechanics that replicate the thrill and speed of a real race while keeping players invested in the outcome of your game. 

Puzzle Games

Puzzle games are all about solving creative problems. They test your ability to think creatively, logically and laterally to find solutions to challenging puzzles.

Some puzzle games are highly straightforward, such as jigsaw puzzles, while others combine puzzles with a specific theme, such as sewing a quilt or solving a mystery.

Popular puzzle games include Calico, Patchwork and Azul. Many of these games mix classic puzzles with other gameplay elements.

If you want to design a puzzle game, you’ll need to focus on creating intriguing problems that can be solved in multiple ways. The best puzzle games blend challenges and variety to keep players engaged again and again. 

Dexterity Board Games

Dexterity games test your motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They often involve physical challenges like stacking pieces or flipping cards, rewarding careful movements and punishing clumsy mistakes from players. 

Classic examples of dexterity games include Operation and Jenga. Modern dexterity games include Tokyo Highway, which involves carefully placing roads and pillars, and Flick ‘em Up!, which combines dexterity with a Wild West theme. 

If you want to design a dexterity game, you’ll need to include physical elements that test your players’ precision, balance or reaction time, all while keeping your game fun and engaging. 

Travel Board Games

Travel board games are compact and designed for quick play, making them perfect for taking with you while you’re on the road. These games often have simplified rules and smaller game components that are easy to pack.

Many popular games are sold in travel versions — for example, compact versions of chess and checkers have been around for years. 

If you want to design a travel game, you’ll need to focus on making your existing board game more portable. This could mean downsizing the pieces and game board, switching to a slightly different format or making other changes to make playing on the go easier.

Hidden Traitor Games

Hidden traitor games hide a secret enemy (or sometimes, several enemies) within your group, then force you to either identify the enemies and avoid their influence or trick other players into thinking you’re a good guy.

Many traitor games revolve around deduction and bluffing, using mechanics from multiple types of board games and combining them to create a fun gameplay experience.

Popular hidden traitor games include Mafia, Werewolf and The Resistance: Avalon. If you like hidden traitor games, you’ll also like modern favorites like Secret Hitler and Betrayal at House on the Hill.

If you want to design a hidden traitor game, you’ll need to focus on creating mechanics for the secret players to conspire against the “good” guys, as well as a way for players to interact and uncover the traitors.

Adult & Mature Games

Adult and mature games are designed exclusively for grown-up players. They usually involve more complex rules, deeper themes and mature subject matter than children’s games, with a healthy dose of things like violence, mystery or sexual humor.

Popular adult games include Cards Against Humanity and Codenames: Deep Undercover, an adults-only spin on the popular party game Codenames. 

If you want to design an adult game, focus on creating content that’s engaging for older, more mature players, whether this is through mature themes, risqué humor or more complex game mechanics that test players’ abilities.

Real-Time Games

Real-time games are all about thinking on your feet and making quick decisions. They usually involve playing against a timer, forcing players to make fast choices under pressure. In some games, players take their turns simultaneously, creating a fast-paced, chaotic environment.

Popular real-time games include Space Alert, Captain Sonar and Galaxy Trucker. Many of the world’s most popular games also incorporate real-time thinking — for example, speed chess is all about making smart, strategic moves while the clock is ticking. 

If you want to design a real-time game, you’ll need to design mechanics that encourage quick thinking, as well as a way to keep time that adds pressure and suspense without making your players feel overly stressed. 

Deck Building Games

Deck building games involve creating your personal deck of cards while you play. Games like this require a combination of strategic thinking, adaptability and the ability to quickly manage your resources as you play. 

Popular deck building games include Dominion, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Thunderstone Quest and Paperback, which combines deck building with word games.

If you want to design a deck building game, you’ll need to create a set of cards that players can gain, improve and use strategically over the course of each game. 

RPG Board Games

RPG board games mix the character development and narrative of classic role-playing games with the mechanics of a board game. They’re about stepping into another character, fun world building and an exciting story.

Favorite RPG board games include Gloomhaven, Mice And Mystics, Mage Knight and Sword and Sorcery. 

If you want to design an RPG board game, you’ll need to focus on crafting a compelling story, designing engaging characters and developing game mechanics that let your players control their adventure. 

Legacy Board Games

Legacy board games change based on the decisions you make, with the story and gameplay moving in different directions depending on your choices. Playing the game a certain way can impact future games, creating a personalized experience.

Popular legacy games include Gloomhaven and Pandemic Legacy. The first legacy game to introduce this term to the gaming public was Risk Legacy, which added a legacy spin to Risk, the classic strategy game.

If you want to design a legacy game, you’ll need to focus on developing gameplay mechanics that evolve over the course of several games, as well as a storyline that changes based on the decisions made by your players. 

Worker Placement Board Games

Worker placement games are all about taking action. More specifically, you place “workers” on the game board — or similar tokens, in some games — and use them to trigger specific actions, like collecting resources or completing tasks. 

Popular worker placement games include Lords of Waterdeep, Agricola, A Feast for Odin and Stone Age. 

If you want to design a worker placement game, you’ll need to create a variety of actions that each player can choose from for their workers, as well as engaging gameplay mechanics for placing and retrieving workers from the game board. 

Train Games

Train games are all about building and managing railway routes. They combine elements from many other game types, forcing you to use strategy, future planning and your economics skills to gain an advantage over other players.

Popular train games include Ticket to Ride, Railways of the World, Colt Express, Age of Steam and TransAmerica.

If you want to design a train board game, you’ll need to focus on simulating real route planning and resource management, all while mixing in a competitive element to keep players engaged.

War Games

War games are all about simulating battles, either fictional or historical. They combine strategy, tactics and — in lots of cases — a dash of luck with an interesting setting that might range from World War II to a fictional battle for Mars. 

There are plenty of classic war games out there, including Risk and Axis & Allies. More modern war games include War of the Ring: Second Edition, Twilight Struggle, Root, Paths of Glory and Maria.

If you want to design a war game, you’ll need to create fun, engaging board game mechanics to simulate combat and strategic decision-making, as well as a great setting that draws players in and makes them feel like they’re really there on the battlefield. 

Miniature Games

Miniature games use detailed miniature models to represent characters or units. Games of this type combine tactics and strategy with collecting and artistry, since most miniatures need to be painted by the player.

Of all board game types, miniature games can be some of the most complex to produce, since building a successful game requires creating lots of different models. 

Arguably the most famous miniature game of all time is Warhammer 40,000. Other well-known miniature games include Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures and BattleTech. Many other games use miniatures as part of their gameplay mechanics, even if they aren’t strictly miniature games.

If you want to design a miniature game, you’ll need to focus on creating interesting miniatures, as well as gameplay mechanics that put them to use in an engaging, fun way.

Party Games

Party games are designed to be fun, spontaneous and often a little wild, with a focus on larger groups of players. These games tend to combine humor, creativity and social interaction to get players talking, acting and cracking jokes. 

Classic party games include Charades and Pictionary. A lot of modern board games are also designed with parties in mind, like Codenames, Telestrations, Time’s Up and Snake Oil. 

If you want to design a party game, you’ll need to focus on making it spontaneous and fun. Try to avoid any complex mechanics and instead focus on creating a game that’s fast to learn and built with interaction between players in mind. 

Need Help Making Your Board Game?

Need personal assistance and guidance? We’re here to help you with every step of your board game or card game development journey. Book a call now to talk to our team and find out more about how you can turn your game concept into a reality.

 

Custom Dice & Dice Types for Board Games

Just like cards, tokens and wooden game pieces, your choice of dice can have a real impact on the look, feel and gameplay of your board game.

Custom dice are used to play your game. Dice can add randomness to your game, bringing in a luck factor that can make the game experience more spontaneous and fun. Some games use a single die, while others may use two, three or more dice as part of gameplay.

There are several different types of dice used for board games and card games, including:

  • D4 dice
  • D6 dice
  • D8 dice
  • D10 dice
  • D12 dice
  • D20 dice

Each type of dice can be made in several ways. For example, D6 dice can be customized with your printed image or custom engraving, while other dice can be customized by engraving the dice using machinery.

We manufacture all of these types of dice, with numerous color and material options available for some dice types. You can contact us to learn more about the different types of custom dice available for your board game or view our dice online

The type of dice you choose for your board game, as well as the manufacturing method for the dice, can influence how your board game is played and affect its production cost. 

Below, we’ve explained the standard sizes for custom dice, common dice materials, as well as what you should know when you start making custom dice for your game.

Standard Dice Types and Sizes

Dice come in several different shapes and sizes, from four-sided dice that offer a limited range of potential outcomes to larger, more complicated dice with 10, 12 or 20 sides and a far greater range of outcomes during gameplay.

Dice use a simple naming system — the letter “D” followed by the total number of different sides on the dice. For example, a “D6” dice (the most common type of dice) has six sides, whereas a D20 dice has 20. 

It’s physically possible to create a dice with just about any number of sides (for example, a tiny ball is effectively a “D1” dice, while a coin can act as a “D2” dice). However, most dice used for board games and card games come in one of six common sizes.

D4 Dice

D4 dice, or four-sided dice, are pyramid-shaped (tetrahedral) dice with sides. Dice of this type provide a random number between one and four and are used in all sorts of games, including certain board games and tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons.

Unlike other types of dice, which display a number face-up, there’s no single upward face on a tetrahedral dice. Instead, a variety of systems are used with this type of dice to determine which number has been rolled.

D6 Dice

D6 dice, or six-sided dice, are the most popular, widely-used dice in board games, card games and other tabletop games. When you hear the word “dice,” a six-sided dice is probably the type of dice that pops into your mind. 

D6 dice are generally easy to manufacture and come in a range of sizes, colors and types, from printed dice to engraved dice. The most common sizes for D6 dice include 12mm, 14mm, 16mm (most common), 18mm and 20mm. 

D8 Dice

D8 dice, or octahedron dice, are dice with eight sides. As you’d expect, dice of this type provide a random number between one and eight. You might see these dice called “regular octahedron” dice, which means they have eight identically-shaped and sized triangular sides.

Because dice of this type have eight sides, your odds of rolling any value are 12.5 percent. As such, you may want to consider this type of dice if your game needs more options than the D6 dice can provide, without the need to include two dice. 

D10 Dice

D10 dice have ten sides. Dice of this type are usually pentagonal trapezohedrons (put simply, a ten-sided object with kite-shaped sides). With a D10 dice, you have a 10% chance of rolling any integer, or whole number, between one and 10.

Like other common types of dice, D10 dice are available in a large range of colors, printing and engraving options. 

D12 Dice

D12 dice, or 12-sided dice, let players generate random numbers between one and 12. Dice of this type usually have a dodecahedron shape (a 12-sided object consisting of pentagonal faces) and display the rolled number facing directly upwards.

Just like with D10 dice, D8 dice and other common dice types, you can choose from a range of colors and manufacturing options for D12 dice.

D20 Dice

D20 dice, or 20-sided dice, let players generate a random whole number between one and 20 with each dice roll. You’ve probably rolled these dice plenty of times if you’re a Dungeons and Dragons player, or if you’re a fan of other tabletop RPGs that use the same type of dice.

Like other types of dice, D20 dice are available with a variety of printing and engraving options to let you tailor your custom dice to the needs of your board game. 

Custom Dice Materials & Finishes

  • Acrylic dice. Acrylic dice are widely used in board games and card games of all types and price points. These dice are typically shiny and have deep colors, giving them the classic board game dice appearance and feel.

    Acrylic dice feature round or sharp corners. D6 acrylic dice can feature printed images, allowing you to easily customize your dice with your own printed graphics.
  • Resin dice. Resin dice are ideal for customizing the shapes on your dice set. They can be engraved with different pips, numbers or shapes. Resin dice have a unique look and tend to maintain their appearance well over the long term.

    Manufacturing resin dice requires the creation of a custom mold, leading to higher costs per unit than for acrylic dice.
  • Polymer plastic. Polymer plastic dice have been used for decades for board games and dice games. Plastic dice are simple to use and highly affordable to manufacture, making them a common choice for most board games.

    However, despite their low cost, plastic dice can have quality issues and may give your game a slightly “cheap” feeling.
  • Wood. Wooden dice have a premium feel that can set your game apart from competing board games. However, they’re more expensive to manufacture, as they can’t be made in bulk using a mold and are only available in D6 dimensions.

    Wooden dice look and function best with a natural color. The pips on wooden dice are printed on the wood, not engraved.
  • Metal zinc alloy. Zinc alloy dice are extremely sturdy and feel premium. They also offer better eco-friendliness than plastic dice. However, custom dice of this type are costly to produce and as such, typically aren’t used in mass market board games.

    With zinc alloy and steel dice, coloring is performed manually drop by drop, allowing you to make any custom pattern. 

You can also choose from a variety of designs and finishes for your custom dice, allowing you to tailor your dice to your specific game type:

  • Custom printed dice. Custom printed dice can include images, symbols or other unique designs to suit your game. For example, you can print a specific type of item or resource onto each face of your dice to add randomness to your game.
  • Classic pips. Classic board game and card game dice feature pips — small dots found on each face of the dice that denote the face’s value. Pips can be added to your dice in several colors and finishes.
  • Numeral dice. Dice can be finished with a bold numeral on each side. Numeral dice are occasionally used for math games, and some players find them easier to read than dice with pips. 

How Much Do Custom Dice Cost?

The cost of custom dice for your board game varies based on the type of dice you need and the quantity of dice you’d like to manufacture.

As the most common type of dice, D6 dice are generally the most affordably priced. Dice with a more complex geometry, such as D20 dice, cost more to manufacture and as such, are typically most expensive per piece.

Your choice of material can affect the cost of making custom dice for your game. For example, a set of wooden dice will cost more to produce than a set of simple acrylic dice, but may give your board game a premium feel that could be worth the additional manufacturing cost.

You can contact us to learn more about how much it will cost to design and manufacture custom dice in your preferred style and material for your board game. 

Crowdfunding Fundamentals By The Crowdfunding Nerds

Crowd Funding Nerds

Crowd Funding Nerds

The Crowdfunding Nerds have helped game creators raise over 15 million dollars on Kickstarter and Gamefound while seeing 87% of their clients' funding on the very first day of their launch. The vast majority of these clients were first-time creators!

They also have experience marketing games with well-known IPs, like the Fallout 2d20 series from Modiphius and the Dungeon Saga from Mantic Games. By using our broad range of experience and expertise, we’ve asked the Crowdfunding Nerds to lay out the very basics of crowdfunding marketing for you in this article!

Fundamental #1 - You Need A Crowd To Crowdfund

We at the Crowdfunding Nerds have found that the key to any crowdfunding project’s success has everything to do with the strength and execution of a pre-marketing plan.

The harsh reality is that you need a crowd to crowdfund. Don’t take our word for it, though; here is Everette Taylor, CEO of Kickstarter, saying just that:

“You know, if you don’t have the audience yourself and you want to reach new people and be successful on the platform, it takes digital marketing… And the second thing is cultivating an audience beforehand. I tell people all the time, some people think you can go on Kickstarter, and then throw it on there, and then, you know, magically make some money. No… you gotta push your audience there. You have to cultivate an audience around your product, your company, your service, even if it’s just your friends, your family, your 30 cousins, like whoever it is… you have to cultivate your own audience and have them ready to go and ready to support at the beginning.”

This is why you need to develop a system that builds a captive audience around your game before you launch it, and why we put so much emphasis on pre-marketing and email capture.

Fundamental #2 - Communicate With Your Community Before Launching

Many game developers are afraid of spamming their fans; however, by getting people on your email list who want to get correspondence from you and by meeting that desire, you should have people on your email list who WANT to hear from you.

For this reason, the quality of your list is more important than the quantity of your email list. You want to see people engaging with your content before launching it. 

The experience of crowdfunding is just as much about joining a passionate game developer on their journey as it is about receiving a cool game.

Fundamental #3 - Developing A Community Space For Fans

Part of your pre-crowdfunding marketing strategy is to build a following by communicating with your future customers on multiple platforms. You want as many touchpoints with your fans before launching.

Ideally, you want them to receive:

  • Your email saying your campaign is live
  • A Kickstarter/Gamefound Notification
  • A Facebook/Discord Notification
  • A YouTube notification, and more.

By developing a community around your game, fans can directly interact with you on a personal level while also meeting other fans! Eventually, your own fans will be able and willing to answer questions about your game!

Consider building a Facebook group, Discord, or sub-Reddit to share updates with your fans and answer their questions.

Fundamental #4 - Leveraging Non-Paid (Organic) Self-Promotion

The line of people creating and promoting has never been longer, and the amount of those doing organic marketing ineffectively is ever-growing. Don’t irreversibly tarnish your brand and reputation by starting self-promotion on the wrong foot!

The general rule is to earn the right to self-promote in the community you are sharing in.

You want to give more than you take and make sure that your self-promotion posts are in the best interests of the reader, not in your own.

Always read and follow community rules before posting. Some are fine with self-promotion, while others are not. In our experience, the best place to do this is within various gaming-specific Facebook groups.

Fundamental #5 - Optimizing Your Live Campaign Page For Mobile Devices

The reality is that over 80% of traffic to your live campaign page is going to be from mobile devices. Your page needs to be 100% optimized for mobile with text being clearly seen on smaller screens.

Jeremy Howard of Man Vs. Meeple joined us on our podcast to explain what elements make a useful Kickstarter page for Superbackers! He explains his “three scroll” test that you need to think about when crafting your page.

By reviewing the 12 most successful Kickstarters of all time, we noticed a commonality in the page layout, every scroll introduced a new visual or concept and kept people engaged.

Consider how your landing page experiences impact mobile devices and make every scroll engaging.

Fundamental #6 - Have A Plan For Success AND Failure

In an ideal world, everyone who has a neat idea and a well-tested game should be able to bring it to Kickstarter or Gamefound and fund it with flying colors. This is not always the case.

We have often seen campaigns that we thought would scrape by their fund goal crush it, and others that we think would explode in popularity barely fund or don’t fund at all!

You need to have a plan for all possible outcomes of your campaign so that your community can look to you as the captain of the ship and have confidence that you are capable of bringing your idea to life.

Fundamental #7 - Understanding WHY Gamers Back Crowdfunding Campaigns

We designed and developed our own board game called Deliverance which raised $39,000 in 8 minutes on Kickstarter and funded over $300,000 in total!

 

We surveyed the Deliverance community and asked them why they back games on Kickstarter. Understanding why gamers make pledges will shape your marketing strategy moving forward, and it would be a massive mistake to overlook this.

 

From our findings, here are some of the reasons why gamers back crowdfunding campaigns:

 

  1. Wanting To Help Bring Something Cool Into The World
  2. Supporting Something That Can’t Be Produced Without Assistance 
  3. Having A Say In The Design & Development Process 
  4. The Excitement Of Randomly Receiving Their Game In The Post (Loot Box Effect) 
  5. Receiving Better Value In Components Than A Retail Release 
  6. Getting The Game Before Anyone Else

So there you have it, the 7 fundamentals of crowdfunding. We hope you found this helpful!

As part of our partnership with the Crowdfunding Nerds, when you order a prototype with Hero Time Manufacturing you will get their Crowdfunding Nerds Course (Valued at $599) for FREE!


The course will show you the inner workings of how to develop your marketing strategy, run Facebook ads, and launch your campaign for the best chances of funding on day one in an easy-to-understand, step-by-step system.

The Nerds will even answer any of your questions along the way! 

What to Do if You are NOT Generating Enough Sales

What To Do if You are NOT Generating Enough Sales

As we covered in the previous articles, when it comes to marketing board games and card games, there are many marketing strategies that you can use to drive sales. However, it’s not always easy to see the results you’re looking for, even after implementing your marketing efforts.

If you’re not generating enough sales, there are some steps you can take to increase your customer acquisition value and optimize your marketing strategy.

 

 

Increase Customer Acquisition Value

  • Offer a second copy of the game at a discounted price: Consider offering customers a discount on their second purchase of the same game. This will increase your customer acquisition value and incentivize customers to make another purchase.
  • Bundle products: You can also offer bundled products, such as a game and a related item, at a discount. For example, you can bundle a game with a custom playmat, custom dice, or card sleeves. This will not only increase the value of the purchase but also incentivize customers to buy more than one item.
  • Expansions and Additional Games: When customers make a purchase, offer them additional games you have designed. It can be an expansion to the existing game, or an additional new game you have just launched. 

Remember, it costs you the same amount of money to acquire the customer even if he increased his order value. It is basically a free sale you have just made.

 

 

 

Revise your marketing strategy:

  • Showcase user-generated content: Instead of using your own content in your ads, showcase user-generated content (UGC) to build trust with your potential customers. Encourage your current customers (or paid customers haha) to post pictures and videos of them playing your game and share them on social media platforms. This will create an authentic connection with your audience and generate more interest in your game.
  • Redesign your website: If you’re not generating enough sales, consider redesigning your website. Explain and show your sell line in a different way, explain the benefits or present the overall experience in a better way. And just in case you haven’t done it already ensure that your website is mobile-responsive and easy to navigate and that your call-to-action is clear and visible. 
  • Change your ads / Consult a professional: If your current ads are not bringing in the desired results, consider changing your ad copy, images, or targeting. Consult a professional to check your ads and provide some input. There is also a chance you are not targeting the right audience. 

 

 

Last Thought

In conclusion, generating sales from your marketing efforts can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. By increasing your customer acquisition value and revising your marketing strategy, you can optimize your efforts and achieve the results you’re looking for. Keep testing and iterating until you find the right mix that works for your game and your audience.

It is easier to give up than to keep believing in what you are doing. Give yourself another two months before you stop pushing your game and dream forward.

“A leader sees his target through the chaos, and he keeps moving forward until the chaos clears up and becomes a well-trodden path” – Hersh Feb 10th 2023

 

 

10 Steps to Advertise Your Game Successfully

If you got to this article, we hope that you have already read our Board Game Marketing Fundamental and 10 steps to increase awareness of your board game. This article will be about advertising

Marketing your board game is crucial for success, and advertisements can be a great way to reach a larger audience. However, it’s important to choose the right platforms and create effective ads. Here are some steps to help with this process:

(Please note, each step here is a rabbit hole of information, and there is a lot to learn. As such, you may want to research each topic in more detail independently or hire a professional marketing firm.)

1.Choose at least two platforms to promote your game in (Facebook, Google, Amazon, Youtube etc.)

Choosing platforms to advertise your board game is important for targeting the right audience. It’s essential to understand your potential customers and where they are most active online. For example, if your audience is primarily on Facebook, advertising on Facebook will be more effective. If they constantly shop on Amazon or watch Youtube all day, reach them overthere. 

2.Check what keywords your audience looks for on the chosen platforms

Choosing relevant keywords for your advertising campaign can make or break your campaign’s success. You can use keyword research tools like Google Adwords Keyword Planner, SEMRush, or Ahrefs to help you understand what keywords your audience is searching for on your chosen platform. This will help you create an effective advertising campaign that targets the right people.

Keywords do not only mean specific words, but also things people are searching for. Understand what they are searching for and show them relevant content. For example, if people are searching for Fun Card Games, show them in the advertisement that your game is fun.

If you are not sure what they are searching for, we always recommend you start with asking yourself, what you would have searched for if you were in their shoes.

3.Evaluate which keywords are the cheapest and have high conversion (words you can rank easily for)

After identifying your target keywords, evaluate which ones have low competition and high conversion rates. This is crucial for optimizing your ad spending and ensuring you get the most out of your investment. You can use tools like Google Analytics and other SEO tools to identify the best keywords for your campaign.

4.Choose 5 keywords to focus on

Once you’ve identified the best keywords, choose five of the most effective ones to focus on for your advertising campaign. Focusing on a few specific keywords helps to ensure that your ads are more targeted and will attract the right audience. It will also help you stay organize as you try new and different word combination

5.Create the ads content

create at least (best practice is 10 of each) 3 short video ads (Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube), 3 written ads (heading and meta description) for google and Amazon, and 3 banner ads (if you will use this channel). Each ad should represent a different view of the game e.g. actual game play, display, what players get

The purpose of this is to test which ad style works best for your audience and optimize your campaign.

6.Run the ads for a good 10 days

It’s important to run your ads for at least 10 days to collect enough data to measure the effectiveness of the campaign. You can monitor the ad performance through platforms like Facebook Ads Manager or Google Ads to see the results.

Some marketing professionals average that it takes around 5,000 USD for the algorithms of the platforms to understand who your audience is and where to target them. 

7. Do an A/B Trial with your ads

Performing an A/B test is essential to identify which ad type is most effective. Split your ad groups in half and run two different ad variations. After the 10-day run, compare the results to see which performed better.

8.After seeing the results, tweak the ads for better conversion

Review the results of your campaign, identify what worked and what didn’t, and adjust your ads accordingly. Tweak and optimize your ads based on the feedback you received from the A/B test.

9.Keep repeating until you get the best result

After analysing and tweaking the ads, repeat the process until you have achieved your desired result. Advertising is an ongoing process, and you need to keep experimenting until you find the best combination for your board game.

10.Keep Track of your ad’s performance

It is important to monitor your ad campaigns to ensure that they are performing well and generating a good return on investment (ROI). Some metrics to track include cost per click (CPC), cost per acquisition (CPA), conversion rate, and ROI. Generally speaking, you want to keep checking how much money you had to spend in order to generate X amount of money.

Closing Note

Acquiring an audience takes persistence. Make a habit of finding and maintaining good contact with your audience and soon you’ll have built a community interested in your game

Once again, remember the core foundation of your marketing efforts, and that is your audience and what they love. No one will know them better than you.

 

10 Steps for Increasing Awareness of Your Game

Like we covered in our previous article of Board Game and Card Game Marketing Fundamentals, there are two types of marketing: Discovery and advertisement. In this article we will go through 10 steps you can take to increase the awareness of your game so more people get exposed to it. 

Below are some steps that you can take to help increase the discovery and marketing of your game:

  1. Build a Facebook Page: A Facebook page for your board game can be a great tool to help people follow and know who you are. You can also consider creating pages on other social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter or Instagram. Make sure to post regularly and engage with your followers. (Facebook pages are not what they used to, and Facebook does not share your posts to other people’s feeds, still, it is important to maintain it for appearances and you can ask people to leave there 5-star reviews that will be shown in google search). 
  2. Marketing Emails: Create a list of 5-10 marketing emails that you can send out to your audience. You can use services such as Mailchimp or send them manually. These emails can include information about your game, news about upcoming events, or special offers. For this one, you will first need a place to capture your audience. Make sure you first build your website.
  3. Personal Facebook Page: This is even more important than your Facebook page. Make sure that your personal Facebook page represents who you are and the game/games you have made. If someone checks your personal page, he might continue to checking and purchasing your game.  
  4. Join Relevant Groups: Join groups on Facebook, Reddit, (Board Game Geeks – only for some), and other social media platforms where your specific audience hangs out. Engage with other members in a constructive way, and share information about your game when appropriate.
  5. Find Reviewers and Community Leaders: Within these groups, you can find the perfect reviewers and community leaders that will help you share about your game. Look for people who have an established following, and who get the most likes in those groups and ask them to mention your game as well.
  6. Reach Out to YouTube Reviewers: Find reviewers on YouTube that will talk about your game. Do not over do it, as many reviewers will not necessarily bring sales, but they will generate a bunch of super awesome User Generated Content for you to turn around and use in your ads. Check out our website for a list of over 160 different game reviewers
  7. Find Active Blogs and Publish PR articles: Find other active blogs that talk about board games and see if they will review or feature your game. Make sure to do your research and find bloggers that are a good fit for your game and your target audience. Beware of blogs that charge too much money and do not bring traffic. Use Ahefs or SEMrush to check how much traffic these websites actually get. The same goes also for press releases (PR), you can find freelancers on fiver and Upwork that will have your game show up in some news channel, but do not expect too much traffic from them. Be careful when spending money on it. 
  8. Donate Games: Donate copies of your game to charities, hospitals, game clubs, or other organizations to help increase awareness of your game. People that go there will see your game, and then go on Amazon to look for it.
  9. Host Giveaways: Doing giveaways can be an effective way to increase awareness of your game. However, be aware that they can become a bloated expense with no direct result, so use them with caution.
  10. Offer Existing Customers Benefits: Offer existing customers benefits for friend referrals. Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful marketing tools out there, so incentivizing your existing customers to share your game with their friends can be a great way to spread the word about your game.

Please remember, that you first MUST identify your target audience before you start investing time and effort in any of these steps. Your audience will determine your tone of voice, your messaging, the platform and groups to be on, your colors, and so much more.  

 

 

Identify Your Game’s Target Audience

When it comes to marketing your board game, it’s essential to understand your target customers and the types of players who may be interested in your game. This knowledge will help you create marketing strategies that cater to the specific needs and preferences of each customer type, increasing the chances of success.

A target audience for a board game or card game is the specific group of people that the game is intended for. This can be based on various factors such as age, interests, hobbies, preferences, and playing styles. 

However, after working with dozens of game creators and publishers we believe that there are 5 main types of Board Game and Card Game players

 

The Five Types of Game Players

  1. Heavy Board Gamers: These customers are typically experienced players who enjoy playing board games that are highly strategic and require a lot of time to play. They tend to prefer games that have complex rules, intricate gameplay mechanics, and a high level of player interaction. Examples of games that appeal to heavy board gamers include Twilight Imperium, Terra Mystica, and Through the Ages.
  2. Light Board Gamers: These customers are typically more casual players who enjoy playing board games that are easier to learn and play. They tend to prefer games that are quick to set up and can be played between an hour and two. Examples of games that appeal to light board gamers include Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, and Settlers of Catan.
  3. Families with Kids: These customers are typically parents who want to spend quality time with their children while playing games that are fun and easy to understand. They tend to prefer games that are age-appropriate, have simple rules, and can be played in a relatively short amount of time. Examples of games that appeal to families with kids include Codename, Sushi Go,and Dixit. (some families will also like Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, Candy land, and Hi Ho! Cherry-O.)
  4. Adults who want to party: These customers are typically young adults who enjoy playing games that are social and fun to play with friends while drinking or hanging out. They tend to prefer games that involve humour, partying, and don’t require a lot of strategy or deep thinking. Examples of games that appeal to adults who want to party include Cards Against Humanity, What Do You Meme?, and Joking Hazard.
  5. Educational Gamers: These customers are typically teachers or parents who want to use games as a tool to teach others or the young generation about a topic. They tend to prefer games that help with skill-building, critical thinking, and overall education. Examples of games that appeal to educational gamers include Monopoly, Chess, and Scrabble

These 5 types of customers are an overview, you can probably dive deeper and find some more nuances, but from our experience, we feel like these are the 5 main types.

Final Thoughts

It’s possible for a game to target multiple audiences at the same time, and it can even be effective in expanding the potential market for the game. For example, a game that is both fun and educational can appeal to families as well as teachers, and a game that is easy to learn and quick to play can appeal to both casual gamers and hardcore gamers who want a fast-paced experience.

However, we generally recommended focusing the marketing efforts on one primary audience at a time to avoid diluting the message and confusing potential customers. By honing in on one specific target audience, the marketing can be tailored to speak directly to their needs and interests, making it more likely to resonate and drive conversions. Once that audience has been successfully engaged, the marketing can then pivot to another target audience if desired

 

 

How to Market Your Game -Fundamentals

As a board game creator, marketing and selling your game can be challenging. The Board game and card game market is relatively saturated so it is essential your game reaches the right audience and generates the sales you need. There are two main types of marketing channels you can use: discovery and advertisement.

Discovery channels include word of mouth, press releases, reviewers, and community management. On the other hand, advertisement channels include Google ads, Amazon ads, Facebook ads, banner placement, and more.

Although these channels differ, they share some fundamental things that you must do to succeed.

Here are three things to focus on regardless of which Marketing Channel you are planning on selling in:

  1. Find your audience: Your target audience is essential to the success of your game. Identify who your game is for, why they would like it, and what makes it unique.
  2. Interact with your audience: Get to know your audience, what they like, and what they don’t like. Conduct anonymous surveys to get feedback and insights into what they’re looking for in a game. Contact game reviewers and testers and ask for their advice
  3. Build a website: Take what you have learned and build a website that represents your company and game. This is crucial for building a brand and connecting with your audience. Your website should also be built to convert visitors into customers. This means making sure your website is designed very clearly.

How to build a board game and card game website that generate sales

Creating a website that converts visitors into customers requires careful planning and execution. One might say this is a job that should be left to the professionals. However, here are some essential elements to consider when building a website that converts:

  • Clear messaging: Your website’s messaging should be clear and concise, highlighting why is your game the best option for your target audience, and what will be their experience when they play it.
  • Visuals: Use high-quality images and videos to showcase your game and help visitors visualize how it works. In this part you should also add images of the unique experience you are selling them; fun, intense, scary, and so forth.
  • User experience: Your website should be easy to navigate and use. Make sure visitors can find what they need quickly and without confusion.
  • Trust factors: Include social proof like reviews, testimonials, or awards to help build trust with potential customers.
  • Call-to-action: Your website should feature clear calls-to-action (CTAs) that encourage visitors to take the desired action, such as purchasing your game.
  • Lead Magnet: even if your visitors do not want to purchase, you should still entice them to leave their email and subscribe. Make sure you offer them something special they can only get after they subscribed.

By following these fundamental steps, you can develop a strong marketing strategy for your board game that will help you reach your target audience, engage with them, and ultimately drive sales.

 

Enter your name and email address below and we'll send you our complete Board Game Artwork Setup guide.

– Hersh (Founder of HeroTime)


Enter your name and email address below and we'll send you our complete Board Game & Card Game Shipping Calculator.

– Hersh (Founder of HeroTime)


Enter your name and email address below and we'll send you our complete Board Game Box Labeling & Safety Marks guidelines.

– Hersh (Founder of HeroTime)


Enter your name and email address below and we'll send you our detailed guide to marketing your board game successfully.

– Hersh (Founder of HeroTime)


Enter your name and email address below and we'll send you our detailed brochure about working with Hero Time to create your game.

– Hersh (Founder of HeroTime)


Provide a few details and we'll reach out.

– Hersh (Founder of HeroTime)


HERO TIME BELIEVES IN YOUR PROJECT

Board Game Creators are the pillars of the board game industry. As a board game manufacturer, it is our duty to make sure you have everything you need throughout your journey.