Entry 10: Is Bigger Better?

        Looking around at ALL the games that my wife and I have and dreaming about the day when we can actually have our own space to properly display our huge game collection, I realized that the games we love come in all shapes and sizes of boxes. Some publishers try to manufacture games that are in uniform in box dimensions such as Gamelyn Games and their Tiny Epic series which makes putting their games on display together much easier. Other publishers such as Deep Water Games have game boxes of all shapes and sizes which makes organizing games by publisher and utilizing the most efficient shelf space more difficult to accomplish. Now to dive into the topic further…. Is bigger better? (no innuendo intended, get your minds out of the gutter). 

       

        The answer to this question flat out is NO, bigger does not always mean the games are better. There are some great games out there that take up a more of table space and fits into a little larger box (thinking of the new Lost Ruins of Arnak by Czech Game Edition) and there are great games that are in a standard size boxes (11.5” x 11.5” x 3”) such as the Dominion games that have an insert in the boxes to help keep the sets all neat and organized so you find the specific cards faster. 

        Some great family games that we enjoy are from Gamewright Games. If you were to put the majority of their titles together, you could fit them in a single Bankers Box. They do have a few titles that are larger boxes but still the point is that why use extra shelf space if it is not needed. 

        Another game company that uses a uniformed sized box for games in their “roll & write” series of games is Stronghold Games. The box sizes are designed to fit the score pads that are included in the game and the dice needed to play. Simply put…. Bigger is not always better. Just imagine if Yahtzee came in the smaller boxes years ago; would that have changed how the “classic” mass-produced games were made and packaged? I would like to think so. 

        So to keep in the spirit of this post, I will end by saying that no matter what size of box a game comes in just keep on playing games and socialize with friends and family. Large or small (box), you can not measure the value a person can place on the quality time and memories made from being with loved ones.