Computer wargames are as good as board games! November 19, 2004
National Games Week is November 21-27, 2004
Games industry professionals throughout the country have joined
together to promote the educational, social and entertainment value
of playing non-electronic games. During National Games Week™,
November 21-27, 2004, people across the country will be encouraged to
turn off the television, step away from the computer and play a game.
Any sort of game will do, such as board games, card games,
roleplaying games, miniatures games and family and party games.
During the past decade, there has been a boom in non-electronic
games. What was once considered a niche market has become mainstream.
Board games have already set a sixth straight annual sales record,
even before the key Christmas season. The art of game design and
appearance has grown incredibly. There is a vast variety of games
that adults and kids can play together, and all enjoy the shared
experience of a smart game, some competition and a lot of
interaction. The industry has evolved to include 40,000 products with
over $5 billion in sales expected for 2004*. Many of the games are
available through specialty stores rather than the mass market.
"Millions of game enthusiasts already know that games are positive,
social entertainment." said Mark Simmons, the founder of National
Games Week and publisher of Games Quarterly™, "We are encouraging
individuals, schools, game stores, churches, and anyone else to hold
a Games Day event during National Games Week, showcasing the fun of
game for family and friends."
Thousands of Games Day Hosts have been provided with the tools to
make a fun, successful event- posters, invitation cards, National
Games Week Official U.S. postage stamps, information for educators,
even promotional copies of games, via the web site
www.nationalgamesweek.net.
Key sponsors for this year include Wizards of the Coast, makers of
Magic The Gathering™and Dungeons & Dragons™; Eagle Games, publisher
the new Bootleggers™; Pokémon USA, organizers of huge Pokémon™
Trading Card Game events; Rio Grande Games, whose title Carcassonne
won Best Game of the Year in Germany and the USA; and Mayfair Games,
whose flagship game Settlers of Catan has won the same two awards and
produced an entire product line.
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Vicky Fields, vickyf@gamesquarterly.net
Matthews Simmons Marketing
80 Garden Center, Suite 16, Broomfield, CO 80020 USA
Phone 303-469-3277 Fax 303-468-6174
* According to annual industry surveys through 2001 and
extrapolations by industry experts.
