Why was the board game 'Wingspan' that collects wild birds a big hit worldwide?
Become a bird lovers board game 'to collect the bird
Wingspan: Elizabeth Hargrave's board game is changing how we play.
https://slate.com/culture/2021/08/wingspan-board-game-elizabeth-hargrave-review-profile.html
Wingspan has been reviewed in the following article.
Board game 'Wingspan' play review to create a 'bird's paradise' by inviting beautiful wild birds --GIGAZINE
In addition, the play reviews of the expanded versions of 'European Wings' and 'Ocean Wings' are summarized in the following articles.
'Wingspan Expansion: European Wings' & 'Wingspan Expansion: Ocean Wings' Play Review --GIGAZINE
According to Slate, Wingspan can be called an 'engine building game.' As the game progresses, the combination of birds becomes more efficient at producing points each turn so that the engine warms up over time and can move faster. When a bird lays an egg, not only will it get points from that egg, but it will also allow you to play more birds, which will also get more points and generate points in yet another way. It will be like.
If the strategy works well in the wingspan, the birds in the ecosystem will be connected like a web of complex and mutually beneficial relationships. Slate says that chaining is one of the greatest pleasures of playing Wingspan.
Elizabeth Hargrave, who designed Wingspan, was a health policy analyst and wasn't originally an avid board gamer. However, when he went on a ski trip with his friends in the winter of 2005, Mr. Hargrave, who didn't like winter sports so much, was absorbed in playing board games with his friends. 'I had a strong desire not to go out and was absorbed in the game itself,' said Hargrave.
Hargrave, who loved math puzzles, continued to play board games such as 'Catan ' and ' Carcassonne' even after returning to his home in Washington. However, while playing, Mr. Hargrave noticed that there were too many themes of medieval European villages and trains, and the trade economy of the Mediterranean coast. Mr. Hargrave thought, 'Why isn't there a game with a theme that appeals to me? Then, let's make it ourselves.'
In making the game, Mr. Hargrave thought, 'Let's make a game dealing with birds.' The theme was set to birds because Mr. Hargrave is a nature lover and has a hobby of bird watching. From the vague idea of a 'bird game,' I used a huge number of spreadsheets to assemble the game for four years, and playedtest with my family and friends over and over again.
Mr. Hargrave not only finds wild birds by bird watching, but also likes to list the found birds, and he seems to have registered 755 birds in the application of the wild bird observation recording service 'eBird'. This experience was reflected in the game, and everyone who participated in the test play commented, 'I like collecting birds and watching the board the most in this game.' Also, in Wingspan, even if the game has an element of luck, it was designed with care to ensure that everyone can get points in the end.
Mr. Hargrave, who repeated test play and brought the game to completion, sent emails to various game companies and said that he actually interviewed several companies at the event venue of the board game tournament in 2016. Among them,
However, Wingspan was a huge hit. The momentum was such that Stonemaier Games rushed to make an apology comment because all of the first editions were sold by reservation before the sale started even though they produced 10,000 pieces. According to Hargrave, Wingspan earned more than his main business in a year.
The visuals of the wingspan are very beautiful, and the bird pictures used in the game are very accurate, which has been well received not only by gamers but also by birdwatchers. Therefore, the existence of Wingspan became a hot topic among bird watchers. 'I wanted to make the game something that enthusiastic gamers would want to challenge, but I thought it shouldn't be too complicated, even for those who haven't necessarily played many board games,' Hargrave said. The goal was to make it friendly. '
Wingspan is also very popular with women. The official Facebook group of Wingspan is said to have 40% female members. In addition, Mr. Hargrave received many joyful emails from male gamers saying, 'I finally got a game that my wife can play with!' Slate points out that unlike many traditional board games, which are heavy packages inspired by wars and castles, Wingspan is a package with beautiful bird drawings. ..
'It's easy to generalize the relationship between gender and games. Men are more competitive than women,' Slate said. In past research and academic research, Hargrave noted that 'women tend to promote the community and be more motivated by relaxing and familiar games,' and 'my husband also wanted to win the game very much.' And if you don't win, the fun of the game will be halved. But I think it's a little better to win the game, but I'm happy just to be able to play the game. '
And Slate said, 'The point of Wingspan is that it is difficult to play in direct conflict with others. For example, help the opponent by collecting birds that collect food for all players, not just yourself. It is possible to play like this, and the game recommends it. Also, the more you play, the more points you can get. ' In addition, 'Hargrave's game design isn't about'winning the next player', but' gently working to succeed together.'The game's smart coordination is closely linked to the spirit of protectionism. I think it has something to do with it, 'he said, and one of the reasons for Wingspan's success was that he wanted the fun of the game to work with other players rather than the competitive spirit of winning or losing.
'If you follow the hints the game gives you, you'll have a picture of beautiful birds by the end of the game. The point may not be number one, but you've built something up. '. Slate says, 'What's in the Wingspan box isn't a work of art, it's like paint or a musical instrument. Playing Wingspan allows you to create art with family and friends. It's a creative journey that creates something beautiful and satisfying, albeit temporary. '
Wingspan can be purchased at Amazon.co.jp for 5270 yen including tax at the time of article creation.
Amazon | Arclight Wingspan Full Japanese version (1-5 people 40-70 minutes for 10 years and older) Board games | Toys | Toys
In addition, the digital version has been released on Steam, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.
50% off on Steam: WINGSPAN
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1054490/WINGSPAN/
WINGSPAN Download Version | My Nintendo Store
https://store-jp.nintendo.com/list/software/70010000037019.html
'WINGSPAN' on the App Store
https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id1459520638
Wingspan-Google Play app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.MonsterCouch.Wingspan
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