Member of the Chicago Toy & Game Group

Our mission - We are the resource for toy and game inventors to learn about the industry and show their products to board game retailers, manufacturers & licensors and game players at fairs and expos around the world, e-newsletters, co-op mailings and website listings. Retailers need new products. In between inventors & retailers are game suppliers, reps and agents. We bring everyone together and promote toy, card and board game inventors as the celebrities they are. See Chicago Tribune article announcing our debut 10 years ago!

BOARD GAME INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS:  

Sign up now for the Toy and Game Inventor Conference! Over 40 speakers/representatives from (manufactures) Hasbro, Disney, Spin Master, Razor, Patch Products, Martinex Oy,.Rio Grande, ThinkFun, Out of the Box, Buffalo Games, Top Trumps, Design Edge, Sybarit, Identity Games, (retailers) Sears, Fat Brain Toys, Marbles, Best of Best (top inventors) Peggy Brown, Leslie Scott, Kim Vandenbroucke, Joyce Johnson, Colleen McCarthy Evans, (consultants, reps) Kuniochi, Richard Gill, Tim Walsh, Richard Gottlieb, Tracy Dudkiewicz, Dana Campagna Lanham (play promoters) Global Toy News, Toy Industry Association, Strong National Museum of Play and more November 17th and 18th www.tagie.net

Visit our exhibit at the eighth annual Chicago International Toy and Game Fair! The Chicago Toy and Game Fair showcases product from around the world to the public and media just before the holidays. Events and activities for all ages. Visit www.chitag.com for details! November 19th and 20th.

Toy and Game Inventor of the Year Awards honoring toy and game inventors on November 18th. Past generous sponsors include Hasbro (Presenting Sponsor), Patch Products, Learning Curve, Razor, Playology, Leslie Scott, Joyce Johnson Designs, Design Edge, Toy Industry Association, Strong National Museum of Play, and Chicago Toy and Game Group. Presenters this year include John Ratzenberger (actor and Founder of Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs), Tim Walsh, inventor, author and filmmaker is Master of Ceremonies.  Read about it in Richard Gottlieb's blog. http://www.globaltoynews.com/2010/11/2010-tagie-awards-john-ratzenberger-daryl-hannah-lisa-henson-and-the-toy-industry-stars-turn-out.html

There are four interesting blogs for game inventors, check them out and post your thoughts: Game Critics/Inventors as Celebrities, The Soul of the Industry, Why Board Games are Important and Chicago Toy and Game Fair: One Big Focus Group. Read about the Founder of DiscoverGames and The Chicago Toy and Game Fair, Mary Couzin, in The Tribes of Toy Nation: The Enthusiasts 

Read the latest happening in the industry as well as thought provoking articles at Global Toy News. DiscoverGames's founder Mary Couzin is one of the columnists.

For the best and most interesting resource anywhere on the history of toys and games, go to http://www.theplaymakers.com and order a copy of Timeless Toys (formerly The Playmakers). Tim Walsh, inventor of Blurt! and co-inventor of TriBond does a superb job of documenting the history of our industry.

Join AGPC today! The Association of Game & Puzzle Collectors is the only international organization for collectors and researchers who share a common interest in the history and preservation of games and puzzles of all types. Go to www.agpc.org for more information. DiscoverGames attended their convention in Boston learned a lot, met terrific people and had a wonderful time.

WHAT'S NEW

Board Games are Hot - Let's Make Them Hotter

Increasing the Happiness Factor - Al Waller, CEO of Out of the Box Publishing and Guest Columnist for GamesforEducators.com

Games and Human Development - Nate Scheidler, Columnist for GamesforEducators.com

Playing with games puzzles and toys makes for better executives; who knew? - Richard Gottlieb, Playthings Blog

Even with the Internet, Board Games are Still in Vogue - Ruth Solomon, SunTimes Media Group

How the board game Monopoly helped free POW's in World War II - Brian McMahon of Mental Floss

Ellen DeGeneres Loves to Play Games - Denise Hughes, USA Today

Kinesthetic Marketing/Hands On Marketing - column by Richard Gottlieb, author and consultant, in Playthings June 2007

Ball State Daily News - Samantha Zilai writes about college kids playing games. (pdf version)

BoardGameNews.com - Scott Tepper interviews Mary Couzin, founder of Discover Games and Chicago International Toy and Game Fair

Boardgames.about.com - Erik Arneson interviews Mary Couzin about Chi-Tag and posts a slide show from Chi-Tag!

Outside the Box - Bruce Whitehill, Knucklebones Magazine

How to Sell Your Idea for a Video Game - by Tom Sloper, works for board game inventors as well.
Alan R. Moon - Why shouldn't inventor/designer's names be on the box; AND, Designer Games - the second generation of games.
Gameclubs - Looking for people to game with?

Archived Stories about Board Game Sales

WHY SHOULD YOU PLAY BOARD GAMES?

For the most comprehensive collection of articles anywhere about why playing board games is good for you, visit www.GamesForEducators.com.

Games Played in Olden Days, Too - Board games were as important to their social life and culture as they are to ours - Cinnamom Bair, Polk Chronicles

The four challenges that games provide - Yehuda Beringer

How (any why) to play with your child in six steps - Yehuda Beringer

Play and a Child's Development - Marianne M. Szymanski, Toy Tips, Inc.
The Family that Plays Together - Chicago Parent
Board Games Fill Long Winter Nights with Traditional Fun-Our members get Pittsburgh press!
Playing Games Reduces Alzheimer's Risk - Study by the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center

INVENTOR STORIES
Leslie Scott - Inventor of Jenga

Tony Ellis - Chronicles of a Toy Inventor

Arne Lauwers - Inventor of Arne and Pictureka!, the new hot Hasbro game picked up the Chicago Toy and Game Fair

Kevin McNulty - From shining shoes to Trivial Pursuit to Endless Games.
Darlene Calhoun - Award Winning Inventor of Brainstrain and Fabrication games
Wolfgang Kramer - Torres-the 2000 Spiel des Jahres winner.
Mary Couzin - How DiscoverGames.com began.
Tom Jolly - Manufacturing or Marketing your Own Game .
More Inventor Stories

INVENTION CORNER - KIDS

Kids Invent the Darndest Things - Paul Niemann of MarketLaunchers.com and author of More Inventor Mysteries

INDUSTRY LEADERS SPEAK OUT
Bruno Faidutti - Thoughts on protecting your game, prototypes and more

Rules Guidelines - as suggested by Michael Gray
Beth Pfeiffer McNay, CEO Gamewright, Traditional games enjoy a renaissance in the Video Age.
Ben Varadi, V.P. of Spin Master Toys gives newbie game inventors tips of the trade.
Kevin McNulty, V.P. of Sales Endless Games talks about passion and games.

HMMM... GERMAN GAMES OR DESIGNER GAMES? WHAT ARE THEY?"
Who makes America's best board games? Hint: It's not Hasbro - BY Vicky Hallett for US News and World Report
Joe Golaszewski - How to Get Family and Friends to Try New Games Using Subterfuge, Mind Control and Violence
Bob Schwartz - Designer/German Games: One Retailer's Perspective
Frank Schulte-Kulkman - Sagaland (The Enchanted Forest) by Ravensburger was my first...
Frank Branham - Remember the 70's... when Parker Brothers had wonderful simple games for the whole family...
Wolfgang and Brigitte Ditt - German games are not necessarily from Germany...

BOARD GAME DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN

Inventing an Out of the Box Game, Max Winter Osterhaus of Out of the Box Publishing

Designers Perspective, Logo Design - Matt Nuccio of Design Edge

The Designer’s Perspective, The Whole Package - by Matt Nuccio of Design Edge

Planning for Success – Identifying and evaluating your options - by Kim Becker of Gamebuilders

Eleven Principles of Game Design - Andrew Looney of Looney Labs

Game Design Considerations - Greg Aleknevicus, Editor of The Games Journal

PRICING STRATEGIES

Art or Science? A deeper look at pricing strategies- Richard Gottlieb

PRINTING, PACKAGING, WAREHOUSING AND FULFILLMENT INFORMATION
Warehousing and Fulfillment Services ?Are they right for me? - Ayal Latz
Printing, Packaging, Warehousing and Fulfillment Guidelines - by Yaquinto Printing

LICENSING INFORMATION
Ron Weingartner & Richard Levy - Let's Make a Deal

Self-production vs Licensing -  Mary Couzin 

THE RETAIL REPORT

Nielsen Reveals Hispanic Consumer Shopping Behavior Insights

He's Got Game - Gordon B Lugauer, 'the' Board Game Barrister talks about his business in Enterpreneur.com

Game Store Proprietor Speaks Out - Katherine Newkirk of The Game Perserve dispenses sage advice.
Credit Cards and Seasonal Business - Customers asked if we could accept credit cards...
Marketing Your Invention - Corporate buyers will view a new product as a liability, though they see the potential of the product.  
 

THE LEGAL BRIEFCASE
They Stole My Game - Tom Jolly
Legal Outline for Toy and Game Inventors - James M. Kipling, Esq.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Awards Can Bulk Up Modest Marketing Budgets - Richard Gottlieb, Playthings

From Concept to Contract: Making a Successful Product Pitch - Although aimed at  computer designers, card and board game inventors will find similarities - David Mullich
 

YOU SHOULD KNOW

American International Toy Fair in New York, Dos and Don'ts for Game Inventors - Andy Daniel

Choking Hazard Regulations by US Consumer Product Safety Commission - regulations regarding game parts provided by Morris Kyrollos
Starting a Business by Scott Perowitz

Marketing Your Game Online - Scott Perowitz

Let Children Win at Board Games - Theresa Foy DiGeronimo
Frank Branham-ideas for creating groovy prototypes.
Wolfgang Kramer - What Makes a Game Good
Finding the right Indie Sales Representative by Richard Gottlieb.
Going it Alone - Design and production by David A. Coutts.
Game Creation - Article from Tim Novak of HAE Games.
"No one licenses an idea...If you do not have the time, money, skills, or commitment to build a prototype of idea, the odds of your ever licensing it are reduced to practically zero." Richard Levy is a professional inventor/marketer with more than 95 licensed products, including the best selling game Adverteasing. Visit the Discover Games bookstore to read more about this great book!
In 1974, Ralph Anspach, a San Francisco State University Economics professor, invented a board game and Parker Brothers sued. He then uncovered the true story of Monopoly. It isn't what you think...

NEW MEMBER BENEFITS

Inventors Digest, the magazine for idea people, is offering subscription discounts for DiscoverGames and Inventor Forum members. Through November 2008 receive 25 percent off on one, two or three-year subscriptions.	Dust off your idea and discover the simple steps to turning your concept to cash. 20-year industry vet, Keith Meyers, has taken his successful class and turned it into this easy-to-follow plan for board, card or party game design. Available at www.gamedesigncentral.com.	Ron Weingartner and Richard Levy wrote the book! The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook, our industry's bible. It is available at GreatIdeaGear.com and there is a terrific article about Ron in Knucklebone's January and March issues.

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2009 Discover Games, All Rights Reserved Note: In no event shall Discover Games or Game Geste, LLC be liable for any inaccuracies, typographical errors and omissions, which may be included in the documents and related graphics and language published within this site.