When we decided to combine computer vision and board game design we did not know that the convention we were attending was the last one before COVID.
After a year of hard work and lots of ZOOM calls, based on direct experiences, I would like to share what I believe are the upsides and the challenges of the digital hybrid board game world.
SPOILER. One of the cons is actually a pro thanks to the contribution of the board game community.
Pro. Hybrid game is an uncharted territory where almost everything is still possible
At the time I write, the BGG database has more than 110k entries. Only 200 among these are hybrid, meaning they combine the familiar physical component to the digital one.
While we bring our smartphone along even to the toilet – gotcha 😉 – publishers have released only 200 hybrid board games.
This does not mean at all that the board game world is outdated. It is in fact true the opposite, as the quality and the variety of board games have increased dramatically over the last 20 years.
Rather, this data underlines that there is still a lot to discover and experiment. A start-up that develops tech for hybrid games is like a pioneer adventuring into the wild west.
The ways we can blend analog and digital are yet all to imagine. This is an extremely thrilling upside.
Con. Goals are not always easy to explain
My granny struggles to grasp how a smartphone and a deck of cards could ever be used together. All right, this is understandable as she does not even know how to use the smartphone.
However, similar situations happen also in the start-up environment. You are an energy engineer and I do not get what you are working on? Cool, that sounds like complicated relevant stuff, probably it is my fault not understanding.
You develop tech for hybrid games? I do not understand but it is just board games, certainly it is your fault.
Clarity and simplification are for sure responsibility of those who want to deliver the message. On the other hand, board games are often perceived as unnecessary products and this reduces the attention span. As far as hybrid games are concerned, one should add the shortage of concrete examples.
Combining computer vision and game design involves two challenges. The first is of tech nature and concerns a consistent blend of analog and digital. The second is about communication.
Pro. The board game market is diversified and expanding
The global board and card game market is worth $14bn and grows by 9% per year (Statista). The segment is well rooted and healthy.
The second positive aspect is that the landscape of publishers is extremely diversified. There are Hasbro, Ravensburger and Fantasy Flight, but also a lot of smaller publishers that became well known by releasing their games on crowdfunding platforms.
In this multifaceted ecosystem there are players who do not want to hear about using a smartphone at the gaming table but also many others who are instead eager to experience more deeply what that same table can offer.
Finally, as third (sub)upside, the board game community consists of people who play, talk to each other and get excited about the hobby. Very few other markets have a community as active as ours and offer the privilege to work in close contact with it.
Con. Developing tech for the board game market is not as profitable as for other markets
This is a spiky topic.
When I talk to people about what I do I tend to be very passionate. Sometimes, when they hear that I have a PhD in math and that I collaborate with top experts in the computer vision field, rather than questions about our project or hybrid games, what I get is something like
“You should apply what you do to home automation, you would earn more”
“Maybe you should stop investing time and money on board games and start working for one of those huge companies: your salary would be better”
These observations are possibly right in the content but miss two crucial points. Firstly, making board games is above all about creating and potentially about leaving something good to those who will create after us.
Secondly, making board games means being part of the same community as the players. We do not improve our creations by looking at impersonal conversion indices. We can afford to talk to people and in 2021, where everything is moving fast, this is a tremendous privilege.
The two upsides above have little to do with revenue. Conversely, a market which is less focused on profit and less concerned with scalability is the ideal ground to create something truly new.
Conclusions
At Tablescope we are aware of the challenges that we are going to face but we are also proud of providing the board game hobby with visibility on the tech start-up stage.
Looking forward to sending out our free p&p and hearing out your thoughts soon.
Featured images by M. Parzuchowski and F. Olivo/Unsplash