Classic Games Maintain Edge

“If you get [a game] to stick for a couple years, there’s a good chance that it will be on the market for many, many, many years.” — Phil Jackson, Mattel

These days, games are being marketed as entertainment for the whole family, and classic games are hotter than ever. Celebrity endorsements help to keep the category in the public eye, but there's more to it than that.

“We’re having our most successful year to date, and we really believe it stems from a yearning for laughter, play and togetherness,” said Heather Snavely, “head of the hive” at Cranium Inc. “Our family games are up nearly 100 percent. Families are eager to spend time together, and they’re turning to Cranium because the experiences are fun and let everyone have their moment to shine.”

Mike Knecht of Uncle’s Games noted that he feels that classic games continue to be so popular because they are well known in the first place.

“Parents pass down the games they played as children to their own little ones, and other people are more likely to try something they’ve played before than something they’ve heard little about,” he said.

But how do games get to be classics, and how do companies keep them fresh through the years?

“There tends to be an evergreen nature to games,” noted Phil Jackson, Mattel’s vice president of marketing for games, interactive and youth electronics. “In other words, if you get it to stick for a couple years, there’s a good chance that it will be on the market for many, many, many years.”

According to Anne Yates at elearningtoys.com, all classic games have one thing in common — there are no changes in the core game or packaging.

Jackson agreed, and gave the example of UNO, which celebrates its 35^th anniversary in 2006.

“UNO is the same game that it was 35 years ago,” he said. “The packaging graphics have been slightly modernized, but essentially, nothing’s changed. The other thing is the whole anniversary strategy — knowing that something has been in the market and enjoyed for 35 years really is a cause for celebration, because it’s very rare in this world that things have that kind of staying power.”

Companies also keep their classic games fresh by adding new features that keep up with the times. DVD features, for instance, are helping to keep the category fresh. (Click here to read more about this trend.) Game designer Tom Jolly, who created Wiz-War about 20 years ago, noted that his game was updated to keep it modern.

“Wiz-War was changed by changing the graphics to a more ‘anime’ look, since that seems to be the look that sells product nowadays,” he said. “Drakon, another more recent game of mine, is getting miniatures added to bring up the quality factor.”

“You need to keep your content fresh,” said Jackson. “If there’s going to be a Top 10 list — which is what Outburst is all about — of Mel Gibson movies, instead of just being Mad Max, you’d want to make sure that ’The Passion of the Christ’ is in the game as well.”

What follows is more information on traditional games, their updated forms and new games that may one day become classics.