Board games were a big deal back before we had computers and smartphones. Then they took about a 20 year vacation of unpopularity in the general public. What we're seeing now, however is a board game renaissance thanks largely to crowd funding and renewed interest in spending time with friends in real life.
Perhaps you have heard of Kickstarter or Indiegogo? These crowdfunding platforms have created an amazing way for game designers to know there is a group of interested buyers before investing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. There are a quite a few board games that have funded in excess of millions of dollars.
There are many people looking to unplug or get away from screens and hang out with friends. For whatever reason, the most popular party games seem to be leaning toward "adult" themes, but there are many other new and popular games if raunchy (Joking Hazard or Cards Against Humanity) is not your style. Take a look at these other popular games:
Highest rated games in their respective categories:
Patchwork - A 2-player quilt building game I've personally played and enjoyed. While the theme is honestly terrible, it fits well with what players are doing in the game. The use of both time and "buttons" as currency, puzzle-style quilt laying, and manipulating what pieces are available for your opponent, make this a truly unique game.
Crokinole - A 2-player disc-flicking dexterity game from Canada. This is not a "new" game, but still one of the best dexterity games around.
7 Wonders Duel - A 2-player city building game is an adaptation of the larger player count game (7 Wonders), but has seen even more popularity than it's predecessor. Players each compete trying to out-perform their opponent through a variety of available strategies.
Pitch Car - A 2 to 8 player children's dexterity game allows for unique track setup every time you play, and can really be a lot of fun smashing through and around other people's cars around the track. Don't get me wrong, I'd play this "children's game" with adults too. For a much more traditional "children's game", check out Haba's Rhino Hero, where you stack cards and move a wooden Rhino Hero up the tower of cards until they fall. You will never hear a recommendation from me regarding Candyland, Snakes and Ladders, or Monopoly.
Codenames - A newer game on the scene could be classified as either a word game, a deduction game, or party game. It ranks well in each of these categories. Players divide into two teams and compete to be the first operatives to de-code all the transmissions from their handler. Great game for new people exploring board games again for the first time in decades.
Terraforming Mars - Although admittedly, I have not played it yet, the reviews are out of the park on this relatively new and very popular Territory Building game. As the name suggests, players compete as corporations from earth to terraform Mars for the coming wave of inhabitants. Control more territory among other things to gain victory points and win the game.
While this is not an extensive list, it gives a small taste of a few of my favorite genres... Genres I may dig into a little further in future posts if people would like. The photographs shown here are my own. If you'd like to see more images, feel free to follow me on Instagram.
Please reach out to me if you have questions about any up and coming board games, or if you would like recommendations within a particular genre, player count, age range, etc. Thanks for sharing my passion.