Board games are fun for everyone! Business idea: release of board games Board games are a place for companies as a business.

It may sound surprising, but the board game business is a very promising line of work in the entertainment industry. The fashion of spending time at the classic "Monopoly" or the more modern "Munchkin" captivated children and adults. This pastime allows you to combine leisure time with the development of analytical thinking and creativity. Selling ready-made and producing your own board games can be a source of stable profit, provided that the organizer approaches it wisely.

Making board games is a very creative and analytical process at the same time. Each classic game has its own history of creation. For example, classic "Monopoly" invented by one man Charles Darrow in the USA during the Great Depression. He personally made and sold 5,000 sets for a new entertainment that aims to build his own business empire and the survival of other players from the market.

Another legendary game with a more convoluted plot and more probabilities - Dungeons & Dragons or "Dungeons of Dragons". It was created in the 1970s by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The authors were inspired by another board game, adding fantastic creatures and magic. A younger, but no less famous detective story with quests and battles with monsters Arkham Horror created by Richard Launis, based on the worlds from the stories of the mystical Howard Lovecraft.

Board games are interesting for adults and children, they develop analytical thinking and creativity

From these examples, it follows that plot development can be inspired by reality, fiction, and even another game. The author creates a virtual world with his own laws, sets the rules and invites others to dive into it. Of course, this is a creative process, but it can still be distinguished characteristic stages:

• plot development and rules;
• creation of a material base (cards, cards, schemes, cubes, tokens);
• testing;
• revision;
• mass circulation.

Game development as a business

It is safe to say that not everyone is able to produce board games. But if you feel the potential to perform such a complex of works, proceed with confidence - there will be connoisseurs and demand. When designing a script and a set of cards, don't expect to get rich instantly. The creators did not become very rich people in a short time, even if their work met with a massive response (as was the case with "Monopoly").

It will take months or even years to create a complex game. The author needs not only to come up with a plot, but also to work out the maximum number of possible scenarios so that the action does not come to a standstill. Creative thought alone is not enough. It is necessary to predict in what ways events may develop, how players can act, how the plot ends, is there a winner, etc.

What can be the source of board game development:

1. Existing board game. For example, the classic "Monopoly" is transferred to new countries, cities, even to a new reality, or the rules are completely reversed ("Antimonopoly"). This option is attractive in that the most difficult part of the work has already been done by the creators, and the developer only has to change the design, entourage and material base.
2. Popular books and films. Simple "adventure games" and quests in the worlds of famous universes will meet with a response from their fans.
3. Imitation of phenomena and situations from real life. Quests for survival in extreme conditions, solving practical problems can perform both cognitive and entertaining functions.

If you are planning to make money, it is better to create a board game on a computer, contacting an artist or designer. With its help, it will turn out to create beautiful cards, tokens and other inventory. The author's memorable design will become a component of success, because it will give players aesthetic pleasure.

Home Game Development

Making money in this way is quite difficult. It is possible that you will be interested in how to create a board game at home for personal use, without commercial plans. The rules are about the same: come up with a plot, prepare inventory and try to play. The easiest way is to draw classic "adventure games" at home: the player rolls a dice and makes moves according to the dropped number. At each stop, he must perform some action: buy something, sell something, defeat someone.

Such quests can be informative and educational for children. For example, at each stop, the child learns a new fact or tries a new action. The plot is limited only by the imagination of the creators. You can make a card, tokens together with your children - this will bring no less joy than the process itself.

The production of board games includes not only script development, but also colorful printing of cards, tokens, booklets

Board games store opening

Consider drawing up a rough business plan for a board games store. This is another faster and more reliable way to make money from this hobby. It can take years to create your own game, and tens of thousands of rubles to develop and print the material base. Making a profit by selling other people's works will be much faster.

It is more profitable to open an online store. The demand for this category of product is not so high as to cover the rental of even a small space on a monthly basis.

These are special products that are of interest to a very limited number of customers. Stimulating demand through advertising will only work marginally.

From this point of view, investing 15–20 thousand rubles at a time in an online store is safer than renting a retail outlet for a month for the same money. You can do the maintenance of the site yourself, and store the boxes with games for sale at home. This approach is perfect for the first months of work. Selling via the Internet does not limit the number of buyers to residents of one city, but brings the entrepreneur immediately to the all-Russian level of trade.

The cost of opening an online store:

• website creation - from 15 thousand rubles;
• purchase of several categories of goods in several copies - from 30 thousand rubles.
• professional photo session for the assortment - 5 thousand rubles;
• promotion of the site and accounts in social networks - at the request of the entrepreneur.

An alternative to selling board games - opening a club for players

Another option to make money without developing and selling yourself is to create your own club. This is a place where people come to play their favorite natsol quests with like-minded people or to get acquainted with new leisure options. The demand for this format of recreation also cannot be called massive, so the business is very risky.

Club opening costs:

• rental of premises - from 20 thousand rubles per month;
• repair, interior decoration, furniture - from 10 thousand rubles;
• purchase of games - from 15 thousand rubles;
• advertising - at the request of the entrepreneur.

It is desirable to combine this type of work with a traditional and online store: the total revenue will be higher. However, the costs will rise to 200-300 thousand rubles. The business is not very profitable, so a good result will be to recoup the investment in 1.5-2 years of work.

Conclusion

The creation and sale of board games is a specific business with a small target audience. Buyers aren't limited to families with children. Many adults are discovering this kind of leisure time. But there are not so many of them to make this business sector profitable. Get started with an online store and resale popular games, because developing your own work will take at least a year.

The goal of this project is to become a connecting link for those who are fond of board games, and those who are just starting to get acquainted with this hobby.

Game libraries of the project "Play with us!" are events where you can play various board games for free.

Uz find the details of the nearest toy libraries .

This project is dedicated to everyone who:

• loves board games or wants to learn more about them;
• appreciates live communication;
• prefers to spend time not only fun, but also with benefit;
• wants to find new friends and like-minded people.

What is the peculiarity of the play with us toy libraries?

• Only the best board games are presented on the game libraries: current classics of games from around the world and new items that have recently appeared in Russia.
• Here you will be helped to choose games according to your taste and mood, as well as to understand their rules.
• Most places will offer you a discount on your favorite board games.

Where and how often do these games libraries take place?

Usually, games are held on weekends about once a month. With each new event, the project "Playing with us" becomes more and more popular. More than 30 largest cities in Russia and neighboring countries have already joined us.

For the addresses of the nearest toy libraries and the exact time, see.

How to participate in the game library?

All project activities are absolutely free and do not require an appointment. Just find the game library of your city in the list, come and play with us!

Where can I find the latest news about game libraries?

Follow us here on the official project page!

Photos from already held toy libraries

Until recently, it was difficult for us to imagine that board games - a familiar and even, as it seemed a few years ago, entertainment beginning to become outdated - could be a profitable investment.

The difficulty of predicting the development of the board game industry is that the market for "board games" (as fans of this way of spending time call them) includes too many different products - from the simplest "walkers" (roll a dice and move chips) to complex thematic and strategic games, where you need to calculate options several moves ahead. According to preliminary estimates, the annual sales of board games are $ 100 million.

There is no single definition of board games yet. Usually, board games are understood as games that can be played indoors using specially designed equipment - a playing field, chips, cubes, cards, tokens, etc.

As a rule, a small amount of items required for the game allows them to be placed on the same table and / or in the hands of players. The number of participants starts from two or more players. In some cases, there may even be one player, but such games are in the minority.

Board game production process

The production of a board game consists of several stages. The first - one of the most important - is thinking over and developing the idea of \u200b\u200bthe game, determining its type, storyline, goals and degree of entertainment, creating a preliminary sample ("draft" version) and testing.

At the second stage, the final external design of all game elements is designed - cards, fields, chips, etc., up to packaging. Then an estimate is drawn up for launching the set into production, the circulation is calculated, at which the release of the game becomes profitable (the smaller the circulation, the more "golden" your game sets will turn out to be), contractors are selected to perform all the work.

The average circulation of one board game released in our country is 5-6 thousand copies. If you have a rather complex game that requires the use of additional inventory (for example, a cube, chips, tokens, etc.), then sometimes it turns out to be advisable to split production, up to looking for partners abroad.

Pay attention to the quality of your products. For example, if your board game involves the use of cards and / or the playing field, you should not skimp on printing.

At the stage of launching the serial production of the board game, it's time to start organizing the sale of your products.
Usually new games are offered to small stores (general stores, bookshops, toy stores, gift stores, etc., depending on the topic and target audience of your product).
Supermarkets make rather high demands that a young company may not be able to handle. Another common and effective option is to create your own online store, where anyone can read the description of the game and the rules, see photos and place an order directly, bypassing intermediaries.

The board game industry is attracting more and more attention from both developers and investors. In fact, the development of a board game requires tens of times less money than the creation of a computer game. The profitability of some projects reaches 300-350%.

Even during the economic crisis, when sales of computer games in our country fell by $ 150 million, the demand for "board games" continued to grow steadily.

However, in practice, most likely, it turns out that the prospects for such a business are not as rosy and optimistic as we would like. The competition in this segment is already high enough. And despite the fact that despite all the efforts of the sellers of board games, who do not just offer their goods, but try to create demand for it, this type of entertainment in our country is not yet as popular as in the West.
For example, in Russia, board games aimed at children in low and medium price categories (from 100 to 500 rubles) are in the greatest demand. Games for older players costing from 500 to 3500 rubles are not being sold so actively.

The cost of developing one board game, depending on the idea and complexity, from several tens of thousands of rubles to hundreds. However, the main problem is not in creating a board game, but in selling it.

Nowadays, when there are too many players (including Western ones) on the domestic market of board games, new companies are trying to occupy their own narrow niche by offering inexpensive but themed games, which, as a rule, have additional functions in addition to entertainment (for example, games on development of imagination, strategic thinking, for learning foreign languages \u200b\u200bor even teaching some skills).

The sale of board games in Russia increased by 3 billion rubles in 2017. When the market is covered by supply for 25-30%, this option of activity allows you to make good money. Business payback can be achieved within 3-6 months. You can write games yourself, enter into contracts with authors, and adapt Western counterparts. The option of purchasing a franchise is relevant. When investing from 300 thousand rubles. you can count on a profitability of up to 200%. Hobby World and Igroved are vivid examples of organizing a similar business in Russia, which managed to reach multimillion-dollar turnover and conquer the Western market.

Board games - a profitable business niche?

In recent years, board games have been actively gaining popularity in Russia. In 2016 alone, the turnover of this market amounted to 10 billion rubles. How is this possible in the age of information technology, saturated with mobile applications and computer programs for gamers?

The reasons for the active spread of desktop entertainment are most often called:

• the desire of people to take a break from gadgets, which have become an integral part of modern life;
• the possibility of live communication with close people in the circle of family or friends.

Reference! More than 50 thousand varieties of board games have been created and distributed in the world today.
Source: RBK

In Russia 10 years ago, only children's games with chips and cubes from the Soviet past, checkers, chess, loto, dominoes and several world bestsellers - Monopoly, Carcassonne and Scrabble - could be found on the market.

The situation began to change from 2010-2011, when the first companies appeared, which began to produce Western models for a franchise and develop their own versions of this kind of fun.

Currently, only 25-30% of the board game market is covered, which means you can make good money on this. It is important to take into account the specifics of this segment of the Russian economy:

1. Competition between sellers is active in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In other regions of Russia, it is felt weakly.
2. Games are often an unplanned purchase. Therefore, it is important to know how much residents of a particular region are willing to spend on goods outside the list. In Moscow it is 1,000 rubles, in St. Petersburg - 700 rubles, in small towns - 300-500 rubles.
3. In large cities, such entertainment is sold more efficiently in specialized board game stores, and in medium and small towns - in the departments of toys, leisure goods, and gifts.
4. The minimum circulation of one game is 500-600 pcs. - it is unprofitable to produce such a product in smaller quantities.

Interesting fact! The segment is characterized by the phenomenon of "chain advertising": out of 10 players who have gone through several rounds in "Scrabble", "Uno" or other board game, 2-3 people will acquire a separate copy for themselves.
Source: Vedomosti

Business model: board games as a way to make money

Why can the idea of \u200b\u200bproducing and selling board games be considered a profitable business option in Russia?

• First, according to statistics, even in the crisis years of 2014-2016, sales of computer entertainment fell by $ 150 million, the board games market continued to grow.
• Secondly, if you develop them yourself and sell them to a publisher, your ROI can reach 200-300%.
• Thirdly, you don't have to wonder where to find the start-up capital - you can start with 5-10 thousand rubles.
• Fourth, it is important to understand that games with simple rules are in greatest demand.

Reference! Games of medium difficulty for children and adolescents in the price segment of 100-500 rubles are in higher demand on the Russian market. Expensive and complex board games for adults (500-3000 rubles) are less popular.
Source: RBK

Business organization options

There are several options for organizing a business based on board games:

1. Buying a franchise. A way for newbies to quickly find their customers and achieve a payback in a few months.
2. Self-development of games and their sale while maintaining the authorship to a specialized publisher. The author initially sends a prototype of the game to the publisher. If the latter is interested, an agreement is concluded. The publication assumes all the costs of making and selling the game and appropriates the proceeds, paying the author 3-10% for each box released.
3. Independent development, production and sale of desktop entertainment. Such a risky and bold idea can be further diversified by printing from prototypes of third-party authors.

Note! You can open a sales outlet by registering an individual entrepreneur. It is also worth considering the possibility of using the simplified taxation system (STS).

Product characteristics - first steps in business

Before starting a business based on board games, it is important to work out in detail a number of important nuances:

• The target audience. It is important to understand who the product is designed for: boys 15 years old or youth 25 years old.
• Subject. Any board game has a different theme - knights, wars, dinosaurs, movies, etc. It depends on which shelf in the store it will end up on.

An important point! The topic and target audience must be in strict accordance with each other. Any buyer considering a game will always ask himself the question: "Is it for me?" and "Why should I buy it?"

Before you start selling your game or franchise product, it's important to do a cognitive resistance test. To do this, you need to collect one or several groups of 6-8 people and, based on the results of the game, answer the following questions:

1. Are the rules of the game clear?
2. Is the plot interesting?
3. Are there any shortcomings and mistakes?

If the test results turn out to be disappointing, then it makes no sense to build a business on the basis of the chosen version of the game.

An important point! Technical issues matter. You should control the quality of printing images, the presence of constituent elements in the packs (chips, card cubes, etc.). The board game box should be smart, neat, stable and have a bright and memorable design.

The technical side

The purchase of equipment for printing, lamination, and game packaging requires colossal costs. That is why you can use the services of third parties.

Source: Habrahabr website

How to organize sales?

When opening a board games store, you can choose one of 3 options:

• Combined point of sale. Along with the main product, toys, goods for recreation, hobbies and leisure are sold here.
• Leisure club with a point of sale. In this case, the fee is charged for the game played. In addition, players can buy desktop entertainment at home, place bets, get a prize, buy a hamburger and cola, and more.
• Online store. The most reliable option to reduce the investment risk. You can start selling with running games, and then expand the range.

Advice! The first batches of games can also be sold on the basis of agreements with the departments of toys and leisure goods in large supermarkets.

Advertising is a sales engine

Advertising plays an important role in sales, based on word of mouth and social media. Leaflets (POS materials) are best distributed in shopping and entertainment areas. Advertising partners, consisting in the exchange of Lithuanians with shops of toys and leisure goods, is also effective. A less effective option is advertising on a billboard, transport, as well as ads on the network.

The main segment of buyers is young people aged 25-35. In this regard, it seems effective advertising near cafes, educational institutions, fitness clubs.

Staff matters

The sales assistant at the desk of a specific product must meet a number of requirements:

• know in detail not only the composition of the boxes and the prescribed rules of the game, but also understand it from the player's position;
• understand what can be advised to the buyer based on his age and interests;
• be able to interest in the game, to explain its essence and order.

How much can you earn selling board games?

If the author transfers the game to the publisher and expects to receive the royalties, then his costs will be about 5-10 thousand rubles. to create a prototype of the game. Typically, royalties are paid on the number of copies published, not on the number of copies sold. If the minimum batch is 500 pieces, then you can count on revenue of 25 thousand rubles, since:

• the average cost of a game is 1,000 rubles;
• the average percentage of royalties is 5% of the cost.

In this case, payback can be achieved in the first month of activity. With other options for organizing a business, the situation is different.

Table 3. Financial business plan (independent business, franchise). Source: Vedomosti

Cost item	Franchise business	Independent business
Rent and repair of premises
Purchase of commercial equipment
Business registration
Franchise lump sum
Franchise royalties
Staff salary
The cost of purchasing or printing the first batch of goods
Creating your own website

* - Self-employed business does not require royalties and lump-sum payments
** - The franchisor can provide the buyer with advertising materials and place ads on the website and in social networks; he also partly bears the cost of product design and printing.

Reference! According to statistics, an average of 50-100 game sets can be sold per month. The average revenue will be 50-100 thousand rubles. In this situation, you can count on a payback within 3-6 months.

Board games are a favorite pastime for children. Their main advantages are: mobility, practicality, diversity and availability. Recently, sales in this direction have increased. Therefore, aspiring entrepreneurs should consider starting a company specializing in the manufacture and sale of board games.

Project idea:making educational children's puzzles and quests.

Complexity:home business of medium complexity.

Main costs:design development, purchase of game items and typography.

Equipment:telephone and computer.

Initial capital:100-200 thousand rubles

Payback period:3-12 months.

Estimated profit:30-50 thousand rubles. per month.

Marketing research in this direction indicates a decrease in sales of computer games by $ 150 million. This is due to the economic crisis. At the same time, the demand for such entertainment is growing. The board game industry is catching the attention of developers and investors. This is due to the fact that it takes tens of times less money to create than to create a similar computer entertainment. The profitability of many projects reaches 300-350%.

In Russia, the greatest demand is for entertainment of a low price category (200-500 rubles). Expensive options are sold out with less activity. Marketers assure that demand will grow in 2015-2017.

A business plan is a must if you want to attract third-party funding sources. The document is considered by banks, the investor and the commission when issuing subsidies.

If you want a decision to be made in your favor, stick to a certain structure.

The main stages of making a board game

Classic directions - backgammon, checkers and chess. Modern entertainment has a focus, for example, the popular "Monopoly". The topics of sports, fashion, politics, travel, adventure and space are becoming more popular today.

The prospects for the development of the project are enormous. Consider where to start an educational desktop entertainment business.

Main stages:

• designing game driving principles;
• development of a plot, goals, semantic load;
• design of the box and all the elements used;
• purchase of components;
• making the first copy;
• testing;
• circulation production.