Most Popular Board Games
Contents:
• There is a positive moment in the coronavirus pandemic – it has contributed to the popularization of board games. According to the Ozon online store, in April-May, piece sales of board games soared 3 times compared to 2019. The most popular game during the period of self-isolation was "Mafia", which does not require a large number of players.
After analyzing the sales data for the last 17 years, Ozon made list of the most popular board games among Russians. It is curious that "Mafia" was in it only at the 7th position.
9. "Ekivoki" (verbal)
• This entertainment will allow everyone to fully express their creative talents. After all, the hidden word must be quickly explained in the way indicated in the card: with the help of gestures, drawings, singing, sounds and other non-standard ways.
• There are different versions of "Equivoques": for friends, for children, for adult companies, etc. All words and phrases correspond to the spirit of the time.
8. "Uno" (card)
• One of the popular board games that adults and children (from 7 years old) can play together. The minimum number of players is 2, the maximum is 10.
• The winner is the first to get rid of their cards and score 500 points for the cards left in the hands of other players.
7. "Mafia" (role-playing)
• This psychological board game appeared in the mid-80s and quickly gained popularity thanks to the Italian series Sprut, in which the brave commissioner Corrado Cattani fought the Sicilian mafia.
• "Mafia" requires a minimum of props, and each player has his own role with a clearly defined set of rules. But at the same time, different companies may have their own rules of the game. For example, I was in a company where a real commissioner, as well as any other player, could admit that he was a commissioner.
• The combination of logic, psychology and personal charm, which largely influences the choice of other players, make Mafia one of the best board games of all time.
6. "Monopoly" (strategy)
• One of the most popular board games of all time was created in the early 1900s. Since then, it has thrived with numerous updates, revisions, and adaptations.
• There's a special themed Monopoly edition for just about every pop culture hit you can think of, including Friends, the Avengers franchise, and Fortnite. There is even a version called Monopoly Gamer where you play as one of the heroes of the legendary Super Mario game.
• The gameplay of Monopoly is about buying real estate and building houses or hotels for which you can then charge rent. Due to its simplicity, Monopoly has existed for more than a century. Even though the newest versions have updates such as new tokens, the game never loses that sense of accessibility.
5. "Evolution" (strategy)
• Just as living organisms that arose in the course of evolution were subjected to natural selection, so the creatures “born” during this board game will go through a harsh school of life in the fight against rivals for food.
• You can combine various animal traits to create the perfect predator or, for example, a fast, venomous and mimic herbivore. And let the strongest create their population!
4. "Who am I" (verbal)
• This fun board game is great family fun. Players put hoops on their heads with picture cards that other players see, but the one who wears the hoop does not see.
• The task of each player is to find out in a certain time who (or what) he is, guided by leading questions from auxiliary cards. Only "yes" and "no" answers are allowed to complicate the search for clues. The first person to guess 10 words on the cards wins.
3. Scrabble, aka Scrabble (verbal)
• The Scrabble board game has been around for over 80 years, and it's not hard to see why. The word game is perfect for the whole family to while away a lazy day, it is meditative and relaxing. Moreover, it gives the brain a good workout.
• During the game, you need to make interconnected words on the basis of a crossword puzzle, from random letters at your disposal. This is a simple concept that requires flexibility in thinking. The more words you make, the higher your chances of winning.
2. "Imaginarium" (strategy)
• This Russian board game appeared relatively recently – in 2011. She borrowed a lot from the foreign game Dixit, including the rules and basic game elements. However, the Imaginarium cards were illustrated only by Russian artists.
• The essence of the game is to come up with an association (word, gesture, quote, line from a song, etc.) to the picture on the card so that other participants in the game can guess which card it is. Each move is a new association, and given that the playing field can hold 98 cards, you won't be bored.
• "Imaginarium" is suitable for playing in a large company (from 4 to 25 people) or as a gift for a creative and out-of-the-box thinking person.
1. "Jenga" (for coordination)
• The word "jenga" (jenga) comes from the verb kujenga, which is translated from Swahili as "build". The player needs to build a tower from the same blocks, and then carefully pull the blocks out of the base and move them to the top of the tower.
• The most popular board game according to Ozon requires a steady hand and a keen eye. The longer Jenga goes on, the more difficult it becomes and the more important it is to remain calm and focused. One wrong block move can topple the entire tower.
• "Jenga" is convenient in that it requires only one player, and is suitable for children from 6 years old. By the way, not only people can play this game, but also robots – in 2019, MIT engineers created a robot capable of playing Jenga.
