The market is so full of these games that when one does something original, it really stands out. They don’t have big payoffs – they are just super-fun games with great repeat play value.īeing an inventor, I think what makes a really great ‘wow’ moment in a game is a totally unique payoff that can give even a seasoned player an unexpected jump. Our family loves games like Codenames, Ticket to Ride, and card games like Five Crowns and Canasta. It’s getting more difficult to deliver them for the magic $20 price point, so I think you may not see as many of this type of game in the next five years as we’ve seen in the last five. I think there has been a “pseudo” arms race when it comes to these payoffs. It’s also worth noting that the importance of a ‘wow’ moment is also very segment driven because it’s much more important in pre-school and kids’ games. Throw anything in – a good name, a good hook, maybe a novel play mechanic, a relevant theme, a simple mechanism and simmer… If the mix is just right, it can be a mass market hit! Play experience is kind of a weird recipe. It’s the play experience that is most important! The Floor Is Lava is a great example of a game that has been very successful without this type of ‘wow’ moment. That said, I don’t think a ‘wow’ moment is necessarily a must for mass market games as there are all kinds of successful games that don’t have this kind of payoff. One of my kids’ favourite games when they were little was Elefun, where the magic for them was in watching the butterflies flutter out of the elephant’s trunk. Certainly, our most successful games have had this kind of payoff!Īlthough the Pie Face ‘wow’ moment is not exactly unexpected, the result of the payoff is somewhat unexpected in the look of the person with whipped cream on their face.ĭrone Home has an amazing payoff it’s the first board game to have a flying drone and that is an exciting play experience! And Soggy Doggy’s realistic shaking action is one of those unexpected payoff moments in a game that really resonated with consumers! I think the most important part of a ‘wow’ moment in a game is that the payoff is slightly unexpected and hopefully quite unique. Our goal is to figure all those things out and to keep those kids “wetting their pants”! Sounds easy right? I wish it were so! Coming up with the right mechanism, the right action, the right theme and the right game play – all meshed up into one item – is key. Kids and adults will always want the thing that keeps them entertained and coming back for more. Again, like the horror movies – it can work in classics or in B-movies… It plays on basic human nature. Is this still a must for the mass market – YES, I do believe so.
It’s like a jump scare in a horror movie – it keeps you on the edge of your seat and – even though you KNOW that it is coming… It just “gets you” every time! The thing that makes you jump, or giggle, or drop your jaw in amazement.
I believe that a great ‘wow’ moment is something that you want to experience again and again. To find out what makes for a great ‘wow’ moment in games – and whether it’s still a must for the mass market – we spoke with Big Monster Toys’ Sam Unsicker, Ulco Toy & Game Co’s Don Ullman, Fuse’s Oliver Morris and Creating Unique Toys’ Adam Borton. Some recent examples of games that embrace a ‘wow’ moment include Mattel’s Flushin’ Frenzy, Spin Master’s Soggy Doggy, Goliath’s Rattlesnack Jake, TOMY’s Seasick Sam, PlayMonster’s Drone Home and John Adams’ Windy Knickers.īetween them, the ‘wows’ span soaring turds, soaking dogs, pouncing snakes, barfing sailors, flying spaceships and swinging pensioners – and they’re all inventor items too.
The surprise factor has always been popular with kids’ games, but enjoyed a boost following the success of Hasbro’s Pie Face in 2015 – itself a Game of the Year winner in 2016. Out of this year’s nominees, the game boasting one such moment is Spin Master’s HedBanz Blast Off, a twist on HedBanz that sees the card fly off your headband if you take too long to correctly guess what’s on your head. Think the splat of Pie Face, the snap of Crocodile Dentist or when Pop-Up Pirate’s Pirate Pete soars into the air. One interesting thing that stood out in this year’s crop of Game of the Year nominees is that only one of them uses a ‘wow’ moment meaning an in-game mechanism that triggers a surprising – and often sharable – moment. This year’s Toy of the Year finalists have been announced, including those in the running for Game of the Year.