Running Through ToyFair
by Patrick Matthews

Every February, toy and game manufacturers from across the country and beyond gather in New York to show off their latest and greatest products. The show is industry-only, which means that unless you're in the business, you won't see what they're up to until after it arrives on the shelves. I attended this year both as a game designer for Live Oak Games, and as a reporter for Games for Educators. Unfortunately, I only had a single day to run the fair, but I did get a chance to see a lot of great games. Here are the ones that really stood out from the rest.

Teaching Economics with the Masters of Venice

Masters of Venice is a gorgeous looking game from R & R Games. Players are merchants in Venice (circa 1400), buying, selling, and trading their way to fame and fortune. The richest player at the end of the game wins. This is a long game (takes about 30 minutes per player), so it may not be feasible to play an entire game in a classroom setting. It is still a great way to stimulate discussions about economics, supply and demand, and the stock market.

I spoke with Frank DiLorenzo at R&R Games about possible classroom uses. He pointed out that Masters of Venice can very easily be broken down into segments. Playing a full game requires twelve rounds, but you could play three rounds at a time and leave the game set up between plays. This would take no more than thirty minutes at a time. Another idea is to set up the board to illustrate scenarios. You could present the scenario to the students, ask what they think is the best approach, then play a few rounds to see what happens, or let them play out your scenarios during their free periods.

Whether you're a teacher, a homeschooler, or just a parent looking for a fun approach to teaching economics, you should definitely give Masters of Venice a look.

GameWright Shines

GameWright seemed to have something for everyone at their booth. They introduced nine new games at the fair. I'll just hit some of the highlights here. For the little ones, Bingo Link (ages 6+) is a twist on Bingo where all the cards have the same items, just arranged in a different way. You call out an item on your card, and everyone finds and puts a marker on that picture on their card. The first person to link two sides together wins. Dweebies is another one that looks like a lot of fun. It's a clever card matching game with distinctive illustrations that are real eye-catchers.

For the older kids, Forbidden Island (ages 10+) is sure to be a hit. It's a cooperative game that puts everyone on a sinking island. There's no element of betrayal in this one, no "who will be the first one to trick the other players" mechanic. Instead, it's straight out cooperation, with each team member having a special power. Priced at only $15.99, this would be perfect for after class activities, or anyone teaching social skills.

Sounds Like a Plan is another really intriguing game for kids aged ten and up. This one has players giving advice for bizarre situations, and not always good advice. Each turn, you roll the die to see what kind of advice should be given (good advice, bad advice, your grandma's, or psychic advice). It looks like a lot of fun, and would make a great reward activity for a small group of students.

Finally, there is Sumo Ham Slam. No, I don't think there's any educational value to it, but I just had to mention it. Sumo Ham Slam is a game about sumo wrestling hamsters. Feed your hamsters to give them more weight and make them tougher to knock over. Crazy fun.

Grasshopper: Preschool Perfection

One of the great joys of ToyFair is discovering new companies with exciting products, and the most exciting product I saw this year was Grasshopper Preschool Prep Kits. They are kits filled with activities for preschoolers, but that description doesn't do them justice. These are the activities that parents need to know about, the sorts of things that kids will not only enjoy doing, but will also set them up for a much better chance of success in school. Rachel Rudman, the designer of the kits, showed me the "ABCs and Simple Shapes & Following Directions Kit" and the "Getting our Hands Ready Kit."

The first includes all sorts of innovative ideas to help improve a child's letter-recognition and early writing skills, the second ways to help kids build hand strength and coordination. I particularly loved the "letter gel pack" which is a translucent pouch partially filled with colored gel. The kids slide a template with a letter on it into the pouch, then trace the letter with a finger. When they pull the letter out, the gel in the pouch holds the shape of the letter.

As Rachel says, "the whole idea behind the kits is to help kids get ready for school without workbooks, pencils or stress.  We're allowing kids to be kids, understanding that play is the best way for children to learn!"

Morphology: Creativity Unbound

Anyone familiar with Pictionary will instantly understand Morphology. During play, you draw a card and try to make an image that causes your teammates to guess the word on the card. The key to Morphology is what you're making the image with. You're not drawing or sculpting in this game. Instead, you're using the pieces included in the game (strings, beads, wooden sticks, and colored blocks). You might think that having to use objects to make pictures would limit your creativity, but the opposite is true. Working only with the pieces provided pushes you in new directions, frees you to move beyond your own drawing skill. In addition to being a lot of fun, this game is a clear win for any class involving creativity.

Taking Fluxx Outside

Looney labs showed me a new version of Fluxx that should be grabbing the attention of science teachers across the country. The game is called EcoFluxx and it adds a great educational component to the award-winning fun of Fluxx. If you've played Fluxx before, you're probably already going to the website to buy this new version. If you haven't, here's a quick primer. On your turn, you draw a card into your hand, then choose a card to play. Cards can do everything from change the rules of the game to help you win to help stop another player from winning. If it sounds crazy, it is, but it's also a lot of fun.

Now here's the part for teachers: EcoFluxx correlates with National Life Science Content Standards for both levels 5-8 and 9-12. Click here for more details. The combination of Fluxx fun with national standards is tough to beat.

Making Change

If you're looking to help kids develop early math skills, you should definitely take a look at Exact Change. The goal of the game is to get rid of all your cards, and you do this by playing a card that matches the color or number of the last card played. What makes the game interesting (and educational) is that you can play more than one card if they add up to the last card played. If the last card played was a quarter, for example, you could discard two dimes and a nickel.