Two decades ago, about 1,000 board games were published every year. Nowadays, that number stretches into the tens of thousands.
Gone are the Clue, Monopoly, Risk and Parcheesi classics. In their place are Mystery of the Abbey, War of Whispers and Ponzi Scheme.
“There’s an explosion of board games,” said Jason Leveille, the Gaming Sommelier for Pikes Peak Gamers’ Board Game Convention. “It’s a bit of a backlash against tech from the standpoint of this is a nice way to interact face to face with others. It’s really tactile. You’re there playing with physical pieces.”
Trying to keep track of it all can be overwhelming, but that’s what Leveille does to prepare for the annual convention. He sifts through one of his favorite gaming websites, BoardGameGeek.com, which tracks ratings and reviews of games. And he’ll look at and play the dozens of new games convention co-founder Jose Balderrama acquires throughout the year. From there he creates a list of games he thinks are worth checking out.
“I’ve played most of Jose’s games and break those down into what’s going to be good for different categories,” Leveille said. “The guy loves getting new games, which is why maybe I’m his friend, and we’ll learn and play between conventions.”
The event is Friday through Sunday at Memorial Hall in Manitou Springs.
The Pikes Peak Gamers’ Board Game Convention at Memorial Hall in Manitou Springs will offer 1,400 board games for attendees to try. People can play in tournaments, card games, single or multi-player games or join existing games. It’s Friday through Sunday.
Balderrama founded the convention in 2018, modeling it after BGG.CON, BoardGameGeek’s large, annual tabletop board game convention in Dallas, which he and his wife began attending in 2009.
A $50 full weekend pass will score attendees access to the 1,400-board game library and a chance to play in tournaments and card games. You can play single or multiplayer games or join a game that needs more players. Some tournaments require reservations and you can also schedule your own tournament for a game by going online to pikespeakgamers.com.
Every level of player is welcome. For those who don’t know anything about genres or mechanics or what they might like, Leveille will be on hand to help clarify game rules and encourage newbies.
“A lot of the time people think they could never go to a convention,” Leveille said. “They say there’s 1,400 games and I only know the rules to a couple games. Most of the other people don’t either. For the cost of one of those games you can come for a weekend and get a sense of what you like or don’t like. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be biased.”
This won’t be the place to whip through a nostalgic game of Pictionary, though.
“That’s the whole point of this — we’re encouraging you to play different things,” Leveille said. “Say for example you love chess, there’s a game called Zèrtz. It’s a combination of chess and checkers but different. Why wouldn’t you give that a try? You’ve got a chess set at home. If you come here take advantage.”
