When reading the instructions Tuesday, Ceman noted the time estimate for the chosen game was 30 minutes per player. Some are played quickly and others take a time investment. 'It's 200 different experiences,' he said. Travis Crowe of Appleton,was among a group playing at Boardlandia on Tuesday, and pointed to the variety of games on the shelf behind him to describe his interest. Many start with simpler games and grow into heavier strategy games. 'They're looking for a fun way to reconnect with their kids that literally isn't plugged in,' Fuge said Last year, Fuge's stores held more than 100 family game nights at schools and churches in the region. “There’s an idea of who a gamer is, but it’s not accurate,” Ceman said “Anybody can be a gamer.”įamilies, though, are more often finding their way into gaming. It drew a big and unexpected uptick in Wisconsin interest last year when word spread about one particular group of avid players - members of the Green Bay Packers.īoardlandia owner Tim Ceman said nerdy perceptions of the hobby held back growth for a long time, but that's not the case anymore. Some of today's board games, for instance, have players working as a team and playing against the game itself.Īwareness is spreading. Settlers of Catan has been one of the hot-selling board games for several years. Some games are meant to be more passive and allow for conversation to flourish. The mechanics of game play have grown. Some take minutes to learn, while others are far deeper and require sustained concentration. “It’s not just roll the dice and go around the track.” Pat Fuge, owner of Gnome Games, pointed to the creativity found in modern board games. 'I can definitely tell you that growth continued, making 2015 the seventh consecutive year,' he said.Ī variety of factors are bringing new faces to the table. They haven't finished compiling their latest figures, but there's enough to talk about the big picture. It's more than doubled since 2008.ĬEO Milton Griepp said those games remain small potatoes when compared to the video game market, yet there's no forecast on when that growth might plateau. Madison-based ICv2, a consulting firm and trade publication that covers 'the business of geek culture,' reported six consecutive years of sales growth in the hobby games market through 2014. The game crowd has always been there, but the hobby has been flowing of late into the mainstream, boosted perhaps by the appeal of the lovable 'Big Bang Theory' nerds who have dominated sitcom television for much of the past decade.

'It's all different ages and different skill levels,' he said. Craig Diehl of Appleton, arriving at Chimera for tournament play, said shops have helped sustain interest in the game by offering access to a wide variety of competition.

Chimera hobby shop