Games: buying, selling, winning

My hat is off to Hasbro for the company's Family Game Night promotion. The promotion reminds the public of the importance of families playing together and it is an idea we, as an industry and as a nation, should get behind wholeheartedly.

A few decades ago there was a motto stating, "the family that prays together stays together." Years later, that adage was modified to propose that "the family that plays together stays together." Game playing is certainly one way to achieve that end. But togetherness is not the only reward.

When parents, older brothers and sisters, teachers or youth leaders take the time to play a game with young children it offers an open door to the inner child.

The game-playing experience offers a chance to teach concepts of fair play, taking turns, following rules, respect for other players and, of course, competition. In addition, children can learn math concepts, statistical probabilities and vocabulary skills at the same time they are learning social skills.

In today's society we have many distractions that tend to separate the family. Most homes have televisions in several different rooms, as well as computers and other electronic entertainment devices, all of which tend to cater to an individual's self-interest. While these are all wonderful means of entertainment, generally speaking, each medium is inclined to promote separation among family members rather than family togetherness.

Children, as well as adults for that matter, need to develop a sense of community in order to be successful human beings from a social standpoint. Board games, with good wholesome themes, can be one element useful in that development. When family members sit down to play a board game they are agreeing to commit time with one another. They are also agreeing to sit in close proximity of one another and hopefully share a quality experience.

Retailers have a great opportunity here to assist and promote this experience by offering a wide variety of board games to the public. Everything from the latest fads or hot licenses to the proven staples are available for the retailers' shelves.

And the game-playing experience even transcends the retail environment, as staff participation is very important in promoting games. Many store managers will play a game with their staff or assign a game to a staff member to play with family or friends. Their experience can then be reported back to the entire staff increasing the storewide knowledge about the game.

The majority of games are "conceptual" sales instead of "aesthetic" sales. The consumer needs to understand the basic concept of a game before purchasing so staff knowledge about contents and playability of a game are very important.

There is another upside to game retailing.

Games, in general, are not impulse purchases, so retailers can be sure they will attract serious buyers when they stock games. And little, if any, advertisement is needed to promote game merchandising. Research indicates that 80 percent of most adult games are purchased through word of mouth.

Retailers also have the opportunity to assist in building the popularity of games in their communities. By featuring game-a-month or game-a-week promotions in their stores, retailers can help develop game-playing trends in their areas. Some successful merchandisers promote game nights in their stores or tournaments at local youth clubs. Other retailers simply display an open game in the store.

But no matter how they are sold or how they are promoted, games are a win-win investment for both retailers and consumers alike.