In this list, we are looking at ways that board games have crept into the American mainstream. Whether it is simply a really good designer game that breaks out, a special media moment, or another noteworthy breakthrough we take a look at what is propelling the board gaming hobby into the mainstream.

10) “Gamemaster” on Amazon Prime

In 2020 Amazon released a documentary on board game designers and the challenges they face. Certainly targeted at current board gamers and board game designers, I have to acknowledge the fact that this is on Amazon Prime, which gives it a wide audience breath. Due to the circumstances of the lockdown, Amazon Prime and their streaming services were a huge benefactor of people staying home providing them with a captive audience. Not only that, after watching this documentary, ordering one of the games mentioned is literally at their fingertips.

For those familiar with board gaming – this show features some heavy design hitters such as Klaus Teuber (Katan) and Reiner Knizia (Lost Cities/Quest for El Dorado). Tom Vassel from the Dicetower also makes an appearance as well. Exposure like this might just pique the interest of the “non-board gamer.”

9) “The Queens Gambit” on Netflix

Comparing Apples to Apples (pun intended), The Queens Gambit from Netflix puts competitive Chess play front and center. While focusing on one very specific, and very old game, The Queens Gambit puts a bit of chique and edginess in what many would consider a “nerdy” past time. The exposure to the hobby and chess specifically did not go unnoticed. The show has sparked an interest in all things chess included custom sets, accessories, books, and timers.

According to New York Times reporting – over the last year, sales of chess sets in the United States rose by around 25 percent, only slightly faster than the toy industry overall, said Juli Lennett, a toy industry analyst with NPD, a market research company. But in the weeks since “The Queen’s Gambit” premiered, she said, sales have grown 125 percent.

8) The “Clue” Movie

In 1985 a major motion picture company brought the board game Clue to the big screen. This movie did a valiant job of recreating the Clue mansion as well as the cast of characters in the game. This dark comedy is about seven guests, a butler, and a maid, who are all involved in a series of murders. Without going into the whole plot detail – it does pay a nice homage to the board game. In its final credits, it uses the classic Clue cards and flips them over to reveal the cast members.

Not a box office smash by any stretch, but there have been talks of a Clue remake. Perhaps in its own small way, it paved the way for another board game-inspired movie – Battleship. I hope to see more adaptations of board games into movies – each year there seem to be more and more choices.

7) Celebrity Board Gamers

Seeing someone you know or recognize can break down barriers or make something you are interested in seem a bit more accessible. Seeing someone famous do an activity may “flip the script” on what a person initially perceived an activity to be. Such is the case when people see celebrities participate in board gaming. No longer is the hobby a “fringe activity” but it is something famous (cool) people do. Now I’m not talking about celebrities who play Monopoly or Scrabble – I’m referring to celebrities who play designer games and may even be considered hard-core gamers. While not large in number there have been a few notable standouts.

Henry Cavill – The most current Superman actor is no stranger to the world of gaming. While primarily a video gamer, this Witcher star is also a big Warhammer fan. During the pandemic, Cavill set the Twitter world ablaze when he tweeted about painting his Warhammer minis. To the delight of geeks and freaks everywhere, we can Henry Cavill to our numbers.

In addition to these specific actors and actresses, there is a “cult” (pun intended) following of other prominent Hollywood figures that choose to immerse themselves into the world of Dungeon and Dragons.

Next time you see one of these celebrities – know that if you have a joy for board games, you’ve got something in common with them.

6) The Dice Tower

Even those not fully enthralled in the board game hobby may have stumbled upon the Dice Tower at some point. What started as a small podcast and single guy reviewing board gamers has blossomed into the leader of board game reviews. So far as I can tell the first videos appeared in 2008. What started as a man and his mic has transformed into a multi-media network of board game reviewers. Anyone doing any cursory research into a board game surely has stumbled across a Dice Tower video feature Tom Vasel.

Vasel’s top ten lists (and top 100’s) are a staple in the industry. Through the years the network has expanded, including various hosts working directly with Tom Vasel. The Dice Tower has reached such prominence that its Dice Tower Seal of Excellence is sought out by board game purchasers as a way to know the game is of high quality.

Vasel and the Dice Tower opened up the mystery of designer games to the masses via YouTube. Since then hundreds of YouTube board game content creators have entered the space and have provided a wealth of information to new board gamers.

5) “Our Family Plays Games” hits Good Morning America

Within the midst of a global pandemic and social unrest, a relatively new YouTube channel made a splash on Good Morning America. Not even well know and established channels such as “The Dice Tower” or “Shut up & Sit Down” have reached this sort of mainstream attention. With a desire to “be the change they want to see” Our Family Plays Games (OFPG) brought their message to the masses via Good Morning America in June of 2020. The duo of Starla and Mik, and with the help of their son Grant have always been upfront with their message of inclusivity in board games and their message was so timely in 2020.

OFPG may not be the largest or farthest-reaching board game YouTube channel, but at that moment – it was certainly the most relevant. Highlighting what board gaming does for their family OFPG, also provided viewers with 3 quality board game suggestions. But even more importantly they drove home the message home that board games are a great way for families to reconnect, bring teens away from their screens, and promote a message of inclusivity.

4) The Covid-19 Pandemic

If you want to try and find some sort of silver lining within the context of the Covid-19 global pandemic, consider this: board game sales are up 20%. This may seem a bit counterintuitive as board games require some level of social gathering to be enjoyed. What has happened though is that instead of board game groups and meet-ups forming – the family has returned to the table to play board games.

With so much time spent indoors in 2020, families were desperate to find activities for kids to do that didn’t involve plugging in, in one form or another. This has been a great benefit for toy/game producer Hasbro, maker of classic board games like Monopoly. The company recently reported a 21-percent increase in gaming sales, which has been attributed to the rise in homebound families seeking entertainment to get through the past several months of the pandemic. According to CNN, Hasbro’s latest earnings release revealed “strong revenue growth,” one of the few industries that can tout that in regards to 2021.

3) Cranium Sale Outlets

Cranium “was born” in 1998 in Seattle Washington. It did not come from a large toy producer such as Hasbro or for that matter any large established business. It was the brainchild of a couple of guys in Seattle who designed a game with little background in game design, and less in business.

What made Cranium a breakthrough into the mainstream was the sales and marketing efforts behind it. As a small indie publisher, Cranium didn’t have access to large advertising budgets and had to rely on guerrilla marketing techniques to get the word out. The target audience for Cranium was “25-35 year-old, dating yuppies who wanted to connect to each other.” Cranium, Inc. partnered with its investor, Starbucks, and sold the game at over 1500 Starbucks locations. Cranium then partnered with Barnes & Noble to have their games sold at their locations. Cranium became the first game sold at the bookstore chain. But the real coup d’etat is the fact that Cranium became the first board game sold on Amazon. That’s right – Cranium opens the flood gates that are Amazon and brought forth board games to millions of people without ever leaving their home.

2) Amazon

There is no denying the impact Amazon has had on bringing games to the masses. Amazon provides such accessibility to a wide variety of products, and has such a huge reach – no single retailer can compare to the amount of access that Amazon provides.

With the click a mouse, you can have your game ordered and at your house without ever having to leave your house.

Amazon is no substitute for going down to your local game shop and talking to people in the shop and getting first had perspective. But it can offer a wide range of deals, as well as finding maybe a game your shop doesn’t carry.

1) Monopoly

A bit of a pariah within the board game community there is no denying the impact Monopoly has had on modern board gaming. Certainly not the most popular game to play for board game enthusiasts – it certainly is the most widely recognized board game in history. With origins dating back to 1903 Monopoly hit the mainstream when in 1935 when Parker Brothers picked up the rights and began selling the game in the United States. Shortly thereafter, Parker Brothers licensed the game to be sold outside the United States and its route to worldwide dominance had begun.

With more than 275 million sets sold in 43 languages and 111 countries, and over a billion players to got with it – there is not another game that can touch its popularity worldwide. It is THE game that will pop into just about everyone’s mind when you mention board gaming.

Because this is the game that nearly everyone who is “into board games” has played at one point or another – it earns our top spot for having the biggest impact breaking board games into the mainstream.