Latest news with #boardgames
BBC News
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Kettering board game event returns for two-day convention
A social gaming event offering hours of board games is being extended after the "huge success" of its inaugural Northants Board Game Convention aims to bring together anyone who loves a board game for fun, games and community. It is returning to Kettering Arts Centre on Friday and Saturday, after the one-day event last summer attracted hundreds of people, with many having to be turned away at the door. "It was so great to see so many families attend last year; there was such a relaxed vibe in the room, and I loved seeing everyone get involved in the tournaments, especially Connect 4," said Polly Shackleton, one of its organisers. The event is run by Ms Shackleton, Gavin Price and Dez Dell, who formed Boards of Kettering, a Community Interest Company (CIC), to promote skills and wellbeing through play. A "vast library" of more than 500 games will be available, with experienced players on hand to demonstrate, plus role-playing game sessions and a murder mystery to and competitions will return, including Connect 4, Dro Polter and Crockinole, and the venue's quiet rooms are set aside for those who prefer a peaceful place to play."After the huge success of last year's convention, we wanted to grow on that, so this year we decided to hold it over two days, said Mr Price. "We are also bringing even more entertainment this year - I'm especially excited about the introduction to roleplay and miniature tabletop games being run by local volunteers." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
FTSE 100 Succession Is a Drama Too Painful to Watch
In need of some distraction this holiday? Try a round of 'Find the FTSE 100 Chair.' Like those aging board games in the back of the cupboard, some pieces are missing and the instructions are a pain. But it's sure to suck you in. Among those playing lately: Oil major BP Plc just had its fun, lender HSBC Holdings Plc is fully immersed, and insurer Prudential Plc is just getting started.
Geek Wire
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Wire
‘Such a fun ride': Seattle family sells popular card game ‘Taco vs. Burrito' after more than 1M sales
Alex Butler — when he was a little kid — after developing the card game 'Taco vs. Burrito' in Seattle with his mom Leslie Pierson and dad Mark Butler. (Hot Taco Inc. Photo) The creators of the popular card game 'Taco vs. Burrito' — dreamed up by a Seattle 7-year-old in 2018 — are exiting with a significant win. Hot Taco Inc., the company behind the game, sold the 'Taco vs. Burrito' assets to Wisconsin-based toy and game company PlayMonster, ending a run that started with a little boy and his mom talking about how to make a game during their walks to a coffee shop. 'It's been such a fun ride. It's kind of crazy to think back to it being an idea for my son, and then all of a sudden we've sold a million copies of the game,' Leslie Pierson told GeekWire this week as she recounted the journey she had with her son Alex, now a 15-year-old high schooler. 'Taco vs. Burrito.' (Hot Taco Photo) Pierson said she, her husband Mark Butler, and Alex have always been a big game family. From a young age, Alex liked to learn new games and talk about what he liked and what he didn't. According to Pierson, her son knew he wanted to create a new game called 'Taco vs. Burrito,' and he knew he wanted to launch it with a Kickstarter campaign. How to make and play it was determined over several months of conversations on their walks. 'I really did think it was just gonna be a chat about how a product gets made,' Pierson said. But after six months they were still playing paper iterations of the game, improving on it, and falling in love with it. An inventor and serial entrepreneur, Pierson had experience in product development. She created GoodHangups and launched the magnetic poster-hanging product via Kickstarter before landing on 'Shark Tank' and making a deal with Lori Greiner on that hit show. But Pierson was not a game developer. She credits Alex with the inspiration and creation of the 'Taco vs. Burrito' gameplay — and for coming up with something that quickly made $25,000 on Kickstarter. Pierson was already a big believer in Amazon, where she was selling GoodHangups. 'The thing I love about Amazon is the fact that you don't have to have a warehouse, you don't have anything,' she said. 'You can just get your product there and then sell it. You don't have a big team, you don't have to support a big retailer or anything like that.' Alex's game sold out on the e-commerce site in a week and Pierson knew, 'there's something here.' The game and the fact that it was made by a kid resonated with families and others who enjoyed the strategic play. 'We've sold over a million and a half games in the past six years, and it just became amazing to do,' Pierson said, noting that it was regularly a top-ranked offering in Amazon's games category. The goal of 'Taco vs. Burrito' was to assemble a meal worth the most points. (Hot Taco Inc. Photo) But the time to sell became apparent. Pierson said the sweet spot for any business she runs is the first five years, where she could still handle the surge in popularity and demand with the help of one other employee. Pierson wasn't interested in hiring a big team or developing new versions of the game to sell more products to existing customers. She was tired of getting ready for the holiday rush, or another Prime Day. The uncertainty around President Trump's shifting tariff policies didn't help either. 'Every day, Trump wakes up and has a new idea of tariffs — it's gonna be this, it's gonna be this, it's gonna be this,' Pierson said. 'And I was just like, 'I'm done.' This isn't the phase I love. I surely don't love not knowing what the cost of something is.' And Alex's passion as a teen had pivoted from card games to video games. Pierson fielded pitches from a number of different companies, and called PlayMonster's the best, saying they really got the brand and had concepts for future versions of the game. Rather than hold onto a stake in 'Taco vs. Burrito' with a royalty in perpetuity, they opted for more cash now. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. As they fold their cards on 'Taco vs. Burrito,' Pierson takes pleasure in knowing they provided quality entertainment for families, away from phones and modern digital distractions. Board and card games always brought her family together, and she's glad it worked for others. 'It's been a really good experience,' Pierson said. 'And I love that Alex had that experience of creating something, so that if he has an idea in the future, anything's possible.'
The Verge
24-07-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Indiegogo is getting acquired by Gamefound, a board game crowdfunding company
Indiegogo is being acquired by the board game crowdfunding platform Gamefound, which plans on 'integrating Indiegogo's global community of 38 million members with Gamefound's state-of-the-art crowdfunding technology,' the companies announced this morning. Gamefound has built 'the best tech in crowdfunding, hands down,' Indiegogo CEO Julie dePontbriand tells The Verge . 'By joining forces, we're aligning with the strongest platform out there — so we can bring the very best tools, features, and experience to our creators.' Gamefound has become a huge player in crowdfunding for tabletop games, with six of the top 10 tabletop campaigns last year, according to Polygon . The threat of Trump's tariffs mean that now is a potentially vulnerable time for the tabletop industry, as many board game makers rely on manufacturing in China. (A group of tabletop game makers filed a lawsuit in April in an attempt to stop them.) While the current status of the tariffs remains fluid, people are still backing games. Per dePontbriand: 'Gamefound hasn't seen a drop in US backer activity or overall campaign funding.' As part of the acquisition, Indiegogo will change its pricing to be in line with Gamefound's, which is 'a flat 5 percent fee' and 'no additional fees for any promotional placements' on Indiegogo and its newsletters, dePontbriand says. That change will be going into effect 'immediately.' Indiegogo will also follow Gamefound's tipping policy, which gives 100 percent of tips directly to a creator 'outside of the checkout flow,' dePontbriand says. This change is in the works, and 'we'll provide an update on timing as soon as possible.' Both platforms will continue to exist separately, though Gamefound campaigns will be featured on both Gamefound and Indiegogo 'for added exposure,' per the press release. dePontbriand says she will remain the CEO of Indiegogo, while Gamefound CEO Marcin Świerkot will 'take on the role of Group CEO.' Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Jay Peters Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Jay Peters Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Exclusive Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News
Washington Post
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
On Saturday, millennials play mah-jongg
Last February, my friend Fiona texted a question to me and two other friends: Who wants to learn how to play mah-jongg? None of us — a group of millennial moms in our late 30s and early 40s — had ever played the game, often thought of as a retirement community pastime for Asian and Jewish grandparents. But we love a good pretext for cocktails and gossip. And we'd heard rumblings of a resurgence among women our age, won over by mah-jongg's combination of luck, skill, and socialization. So Liz ordered a cheap set of tiles. We DoorDashed dinner from Chang Chang, then sat down to memorize a chart of Chinese numerals and watch a YouTube tutorial. A few rounds later, we were hooked, and before long, our group text had a new name: Momjong.
