Hey, did you know The Game is a modern classic? You didn’t? Well, that’s good because I’m going to tell you why The Game is a modern classic right now!
The Game is a modern classic because a wide audience enjoys it, it went into production after 2003 (the cutoff for when a board game is a classic versus a modern classic), and is enduring in terms of how long its been in production.
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What Is A Modern Classic?
A modern classic is a game that’s enduring (meaning it has stayed in production longer than the average game), a wide audience enjoys it, and it went into production in 2004 and beyond. The reason for the last stipulation is because that was the year modern board gaming really started taking off with a lot of modern classics being created and sold between then and 2010. Since then, the hits just keep on coming.
Why Is The Game A Modern Classic?
The Game is a modern classic for all the aforementioned reasons, but I’d like to go into more detail about each. Let’s start with the game has to have been in production for a while.
It’s Enduring
So, I have yet to define what I mean by staying in production for a while or it’s enduring. The thing is…this is hard to define. For example, I don’t think every modern classic needs to sell millions or even a million copies for people to consider it a classic.
I do think, however, a modern classic should have multiple print runs, but unlike the date I mentioned above for when a game is a classic or a modern classic, the fact is I just don’t know an exact number of print runs or copies sold.
The more I think about it, the less I think it has to do with copies sold anyway. I think it’s more about how much it stays in the public consciousness. That could be due to copies sold or it could be due to how often people are talking about the game. How often does one hear about the game or see it on a shelf or advertised online? Is it a game that comes to mind often when using examples in articles?
These are hard things to define, but there is a cutoff somewhere that I would like to find one day.
However, all that to say that The Game definitely falls into the category of an enduring game. The Game sold over a million copies, comes to mind often, is on shelves in stores such as Target, has multiple versions, and has been around since 2015.
So, in short, The Game is enduring.
A Wide Audience Enjoys It
There are two parts to this aspect of a modern classic. One is the enjoyment, and the other is the wide audience. Let’s start with the enjoyment part.
It’s safe to say people enjoy The Game. People rate The Game highly, a lot of people have bought it, and its publisher has created multiple versions of it.
Having played The Game multiple times myself, I can see why too. It’s fast, fun, engaging, and easy to set up, teach, and play again and again and again.
As far as the wide audience part goes, The Game is appealing to a wide audience for the reasons I mentioned in the previous paragraph. The Game takes 20 minutes to play. Up to five people can play it, and people can play it solo too.
The Game is cheap, costing between $10 and $15. People ages 8 and up can play it. It’s easy to find.
Also, it doesn’t require someone to understand a language all that well to play it because it only uses numbers. It’s strategic but doesn’t crush you with how much thought you have to put into the game. It’s fun and has plenty of decision-making. And it’s cooperative, so no one gets upset if they lose.
Overall, the game appeals to about as many different types of people as a game can.
The Game Was Made After 2003
In fact, The Game was made in 2015. It’s important The Game was made after 2003 because that’s my definition of when a game is considered a modern classic versus when it’s just considered a classic. Another way to put it is games made in 2003 back are classics and games made from 2004 on are modern classics.
This is because I noticed there weren’t many games I’d consider classics made up to 2003, but a whole ton of them started showing up in 2004 and after.
That said, I’m sure better researchers than me could figure out a much better year to separate classics from modern classics, and while I did do research, in the end, my thoughts on this divide are just an opinion. So, take them with a grain of salt.
Did You Know?
(Each time you refresh the page you will get a new “Did You Know” fact!)
Did you know there’s a lot that goes into teaching board games? For example, are you familiar with what I call, “little rules?” Even if you are, check out my huge list of strategies to make teaching board games easier here!
In Conclusion: Why The Game Is A Modern Classic
So, The Game is a modern classic because it checks off all the boxes of what a modern classic is. I personally love The Game and I’m glad to continue to spread that love in as many articles as I can. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy The Game as much as I do one day too.
That said, what are some games you think are modern classics? Let me know your thoughts and why in the comments below!
And, as always, keep on gaming, fellow board gamers.
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