Move over Monopoly, pandemic ushers in grownup games
ATLANTA — Even before the pandemic, adult board game sales were on the rise, many funded through Kickstarter. An entire Jason Bateman movie in 2018 called “Game Night,” shot in Atlanta, is focused around this obsession.
On the shelves of Target and Walmart are the tried and true — “Monopoly,” “Jenga,” “Trivial Pursuit” — and more recent hits that tap into people’s more tasteless side such as “Cards Against Humanity” and “Exploding Kittens.” Pop culture games are rife as well, including those focused on “Pac-Man,” “The Office,” “Golden Girls,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Friends,” “Jaws” and “Top Gun,” to name a few.
Ironically, one of the most popular games of recent vintage is “Pandemic,” literally about what the world is going through now.
“Board games are keeping us sane,” said Lars Thorn, a Los Angeles entrepreneur and creator of drinking-themed games such as “Brew Ha Ha!” “Read Between the Wines!” and “Whiskey Business!” “It’s keeping us social and keeping us connected to family.”
Regarding sales since March, Thorn said, “it’s like a second Christmas.”
Often times, family and friends will buy multiple copies and play them remotely on Zoom, he added. He said he does it himself with family in Germany.
Here are several other board games targeting adults that range from ribald to ridiculous.
‘Kenny G’s Keepin’ It Saxy’
Creator: Big G Creative Retail price: $19.99 ($17.59 on Target.com)
Players: 2-5
Ages: 12 and up
Premise: Kenny G’s cool soft jazz saxaphone playing has made him worldwide famous going back to the 1980s. At the same time, he has always been able to laugh at his own square image and his luscious locks. So this card game plays off all those elements. Your job is to help Kenny G get through his day as smoothly as possible, overcoming hurdles such as charging his dead phone, parking tickets and running out of hair product. There are “Groove Tokens” and a chance to scat. There is even a special Spotify Kenny G songlist to play during the game.
How it came about: Big G Creative noticed in 2018 that Kenny G was trending and there wasn’t a lot of product for his dedicated fan base so they hired a game design company to create this game. “Sales have been better than we expected,” said Shannon Swindle, director of product development.
How did Kenny G take it? I spoke with the musician himself. He said his first reaction was, referencing John McEnroe, “You cannot be serious!”
“They were serious,” he said. “I wasn’t against it. I said, ‘Do you really think people would be interested?’
“They said, ‘Yes. We’ve done our research.’”
‘So I said, ‘OK, great, I’ll leave it to you.’”
He remained skeptical. But they came back with ideas and he was fine with what they did. He said he made few minor tweaks, including the cover photo, which was originally inverted.
Kenny G was also happy to promote the game on social media, including his 170,000 followers on Instagram. “I was worried there would be a lot of teasing but the reaction was surprisingly positive,” he said. “Everyone thought it was cool.”
He hasn’t actually played “Keepin’ It Saxy” himself. He can’t get himself to do that — but he wouldn’t necessarily object if someone else brought the game out.
Kenny said this is comparable to not playing his own music at his own party or asking someone else to do so. He said friends will sometimes play his music at dinner parties without asking and he won’t object. Restaurateurs
and store owners might notice his presence and start playing “Songbird” or another classic Kenny G tune over the speakers in homage.
“It’s definitely a tip of a hat to me,” he said. “I don’t look at it any other way. It’s not embarrassing.”
As for his status in pop culture, he said he’s well aware people make fun of his hair and the type of jazz he plays. “I’ve grown a thick skin,” he said. “I do the music I want to do and do it the way I want to do it. I don’t pander. I can’t do that. That’s just wrong.”
‘Throw Throw Burrito’
Creator: Exploding Kittens Retail price: $24.99 Players: 2-6
Ages: 7 and up
Premise: This is a fast-paced blend of card game and dodgeball. Players try to collect matching sets of cards faster than their opponents while dodging or throwing squishy rubbery burritos when the properly matched cards pop up. There are Burrito Brawls, Burrito Duels and Burrito Wars. In other words, don’t play this in the room with the valuable china or your favorite Ming vase.
‘Donner Dinner Party’
Creator: Chronicle Books Retail price: $19.95 Players: 4-10
Ages: 12 and up
Premise: It’s winter in 1846 and players are part of the illfated Donner Party wagon train, stranded on top of a mountain without any food. You need to collect food — or become food. Yes, there are cannibals in the mix and folks will be eaten if they aren’t rescued in time.
‘Unstable Unicorns’
Creator: Ramy Badie and TeeTurtle
Retail price: $19.99 Players: 2-8
Ages: 14 and up
Premise: You try to get as many unicorns into your stable and seven gets you the win. There are various cards that hinder your opponents’ progress and allow you to destroy their unicorns. There are several “expansion” card packs, such as an “apocalypse” expansion pack that extends the game time and “NSFW” adult-themed cards.
‘Whiskey Business!’
Creator: Uncorked Games
Retail price: $40 ($29.99 on Amazon)
Players: 2-6
Ages: 14 and up Premise: You are a distiller trying to produce Irish whiskey, Scotch whisky, Kentucky bourbon and Canadian rye. You roll seven dice at a time with ingredients on it to gather what you need to make each particular type of whiskey. The more barrels you make, the merrier. If a pirate ship shows up on the die, you are “three sheets to the wind” and required to sip or take a shot (or not, if you choose to keep it sober.) Too many pirate ships and you lose barrels. You hope to create the most barrels by “Last Call” so you can raise a “Victory Toast.”
“Player Ten: The Voting Game”
Creator: Player Ten
Retail price: $24.95
Players: 5-10
Ages: 17 and up
Premise: This is the type of voting that involves no lines, absentee ballots or political thought. Instead, it’s the type of voting that involves both clean and potentially cringe-inducing questions. Among a group of players, people vote on who, say, “would try to talk down the price of Girl Scout Cookies” or “gives the most awkward hugs” or “would be the first picked for a threesome.” You can keep the votes anonymous or for maximum tension, not. The person who gets the most votes six times wins.
‘Bye Felicia’
Creator: Big G Creative Retail price: $17.99 at Target Players: 3-8
Ages: 12 and up
Premise: This game is obviously playing off a pop culture phrase that has become common in recent years as a way to dismiss someone. During each round, players have 30 seconds to come up with as many answers as they can on a random topic, such as “Baseball Players” or “Types of Sauces.” Other players then take turns providing their own answers. When someone has an answer that doesn’t match anyone else’s, everyone says, “Bye, Felicia!” The more matches you have, the longer you stay in the round and the more points you get. There are also lightning rounds where people have to quickly provide answers until someone can’t.