John Kaufeld

Creating 60 minutes of "special time"

Thu, 31 May 2012 12:58:19 -0400

They’re a little late to the party, but at least they showed up…

The American Psychological Association recommends that parents carve out 60 minutes of focused time with each of their children every week. They recommend doing something fun together - playing, drawing, shooting baskets, flying kites, or whatever the parent and child can enjoy.

Parents who play board games with their kids figured this one out a long time ago.

The good news: You can do it too, but you need the right game.

Fast, engaging designer games like Carcassonne, Ingenious, Ticket to Ride, Set, and Continuo make great focused family time activities.

Speed-oriented games such as Blink, Dutch Blitz, or even Slapjack give you and your kids an activity to share where mom and dad probably don’t have the best chance of winning.

The right games create a vital bridge to help family connections. They create a safe place for conversation and laughter, and they even supply the topic. Connections started over a tabletop game give conversation-shy dads the foundation for more and better conversations, especially with teens.

But it all starts with time. Make time to connect. That’s the first key.

helloyoucreatives: Great outdoor advertising by...

Thu, 31 May 2012 10:26:09 -0400

helloyoucreatives:

Great outdoor advertising by Mercedes

Brilliant, simple, surprising, memorable, and shareable.

That will light up Broca’s area like the noonday sun, and connect the thought of Mercedes to words like fast, creative, and clever.

Well done!

Optical illusion: 2D-3D chairs by Japanese architect Yoichi...

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:01:49 -0400

issey-miyake-tokyo-1

issey-miyake-tokyo-2

issey-miyake-tokyo-3

issey-miyake-tokyo-4

Optical illusion: 2D-3D chairs by Japanese architect Yoichi Yamamoto for the Issey Miyake store in Tokyo.

The moment you walk in the store, you immediately feel the need to pull out your phone and share a picture.

Awesome!

My thoughts exactly.

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:26:05 -0400

My thoughts exactly.

It's time to play, Scout!

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:52:00 -0400

It's time to play, Scout!:

The Boy Scouts recently announced a new “game design” merit badge, which will roll out during 2013.

This is tremendously cool news for the Scouts out there and for the specialty tabletop game industry as well.

This merit badge is a tangible way to connect Scouts with the growing world of Eurogames to develop all kinds of key mental abilities, including:

critical thinking skills
strategy skills
system thinking skills
process design skills
general creativity

As I found out more, I’ll pass it along.

RIP Mike Wallace.Believe it or not, I made Mike Wallace sweat...

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:03:00 -0400

RIP Mike Wallace.

Believe it or not, I made Mike Wallace sweat one day.

Our station director walked up to me in the WBST radio news room one afternoon during 1980 as I was prepping for the 4:45pm newscast.

“Do you have time tonight to do an interview and put together a story for tomorrow?”

“Sure. Who is it?”

“Mike Wallace from ‘60 Minutes’.”

“Very funny,” I replied. “Who is it really?”

“It’s Mike Wallace from ‘60 Minutes’. He’s speaking in Emens tonight, and doing an interview with us and WIPB at 6pm.”

A couple hours later, I stood next to a student TV crew backstage at Emens Auditorium, pointing a microphone at legendary TV journalist Mike Wallace — the man whose interview skills made corporate executives and politicians squirm on camera — and hoping that my questions didn’t sound completely lame.

“I hate being interviewed,” he said out of nowhere.

I just looked at him. I was so happy my recorder was already running.

“You? But you’re the king of interviews. I watched you on ‘60 Minutes’ for years. You’re part of the reason I’m here.”

“I hate being on this side of the microphone. It always makes me nervous.”

Sweat covered his forehead. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his face.

I don’t remember any details from the interview itself, but I’ll never forget hearing this amazing professional journalist confess that he hated being interviewed so much that a trio of college student journalist-wanna-be’s made him sweat.

True story.

The folks at Hubspot put together a quick & to the point...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:27:00 -0400

The folks at Hubspot put together a quick & to the point infographic about getting your page ready for Facebook’s new Timeline.

But they left out one thing: Most of your Facebook customers never visit your Timeline. Instead, they read your content through their stream and see your profile image and page name next to it:

According to comScore, Starbucks generated 156 impressions across Facebook (via content and media) for every 1 person that actually visited their page. Vitrue has found that the news feed is 110 times more engaging than a brand’s page, tabs, or apps.

Instead of investing hours of time on your Timeline cover image, fine-tune your profile picture so it clearly represents you and your brand.

Board game jam? Sounds awesome.

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:15:00 -0500

Board game jam? Sounds awesome.:

Designing a board game from start to finish across a single weekend?

Sounds awesome to me.

This particular Board Game Jam took place at George Brown College’s School of Design in Toronto, Alberta.

Wouldn’t that be cool to do here at IPFW?

I must think on this.

Old Milwaukee's $1500 Super Bowl spot

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:55:05 -0500

Old Milwaukee's $1500 Super Bowl spot:

I love it when inexpensive creativity overcomes boatloads of money.

The folks at Old Milwaukee scored a viral social media win over the major beer companies with a snappy ad featuring Will Farrel, a field of grain, and a can of beer.

And they did it with a $1500 TV ad placement in one of the smallest markets in the country.

Read the story to see how some research, inspiration, inexpensive risk-taking, and timely follow-through paid off. (Provided the viral success translates into sales, that is.)

It’s a great story!!

cartrunkent: Not a fan of this one, but it looks...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:22:58 -0500

cartrunkent:

Not a fan of this one, but it looks great.

I’m there with you.

Dixit is still a mystery to me. Some of my friends love the game, but I don’t get it. Maybe it’s a little too abstract for my brain.

Maybe I’ll give it another go anyway. I feel like I must be missing something in it.

Now that's a marketing pitch

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:18:56 -0500

Now *that's* a marketing pitch:

Jim Pynn, superintendent of the Newtown Creek Wastewater treatment plant in Brooklyn, deserves some kind of marketing award.

Seriously.

His pitch? Make Valentine’s Day memorable with a tour of a working sewage treatment plant!

SEE the plant’s giant egg-shaped digesters!!
WATCH the digesters break down noxious waste into harmless sludge and gas!!
GET a free Hershey’s kiss for visiting!!

Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

Kudos to you, Jim!!

Conversing and connecting

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:45:50 -0500

I live in a relational bell curve.

Some days, I’m on one end, feeling out-going and annoyingly cheerful. And a few days each month, I’m on the other end, where I just want people — all people — to leave me alone.

Most days, I live in the middle. I want social contact and connection, but getting it always involves people, and people can be kinda scary.

If you’re in the same boat, here are some resources for us.

The two biggest things I can offer are these:

It’s way more scary to think about talking to someone than it is to start.
Everybody’s interesting. Seriously. The trick is tapping into their passion and then holding on for the ride.

7 strategies for introverts (by introverts) to ignite your social skills
As a slightly extroverted introvert (or maybe that’s a very introverted extravert… I’m never sure), these ideas helped me get past the weird little fears that stalk me in a room full of strangers.

How to not suck at socializing

An easy introduction for meeting people in any group setting, whether for business or pleasure. Very good foundational information to get your started.

Reach out and network

Good, basic ideas. If you’re new (or nervous) about meeting people in a business networking situation, start here.

What’s your favorite tip for meeting and connecting with people?

I am a big fan of Ticket to Ride. I have USA with 1910 expansion, Marklin, Europe, and Switzerland. My 17 year old daughter and I play. I have the card game (which isn't really much fun) I also play online. I'm looking for the next great game and am thinking of Settlers of Catan. I tried to learn this one online, to see if I wanted to buy it, but it seemed kind of slow and I didn't quite get it. What do you think of the board game? Thanks

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:51:18 -0500

Hey there! Thanks for reaching out and posting your question. You started my morning with a smile.

I’m going to toss a few questions back to you…

* Do you usually play Ticket to Ride as a two-player game with your daughter or do you have a couple more players in the mix?

* What really grabs you about Ticket to Ride? What do you like best about it?

* How long do your Ticket to Ride games usually last? Is that a good amount of time for you?

Today's question: gift for a college student

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:00:06 -0500

In today’s question, we’re looking for board game to give a college student and the student’s associated Significant Other. They enjoy playing games together, plus they hang out with a group of game-loving friends.

For gifts like these (okay, for gifts in general), I lean toward faster, more accessible games because they’re most likely to please a broad swath of people.

You won’t go wrong with any of these.

MSRPs are for reference only. The games are all available cheaper than that, although the “buy local and support your family-owned game stores” side of me would encourage you to buy local and support your family-owned game stores, so please do that. You’ll make half of my brain very happy.

Links lead to more information about the games. This article contains no affiliate links of any kind.

Incan Gold ($25.95 MSRP)

3-7 players, 15-30 minutes
available at local game stores

A push-your-luck card game that’s awesome fun. Imagine the opening temple scene of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as a card game, and you’re really close.

Set ($11.99 MSRP)

2 or more players, 10-20 minutes playing time
MENSA Select winner plus 27 other game awards since 1991
available at Target & local game stores

Deliciously smart, fun, accessible, and fast game. Rewards all kinds of thinking styles. Works well for everybody from creatives to logical thinkers.

Blokus Classic ($24.95 MSRP)

2-4 players (best with 4), 15-30 minutes
MENSA Select winner plus 5 other awards
available at Target

Visually colorful, pure strategy game. We sold LOTS of these when I had my game store, and it’s only gotten more popular. There’s also a two-player version (nice stocking stuffer) and 3D version.

Settlers of Catan ($42.00 MSRP)

3-4 players, 90 minutes (5-6 player expansion available)
German Game of the Year award plus 5 other awards
available at Target and local game stores

The German board game that brought German board games to the United States in 1995. Silicon Valley CEOs play it, and in December, 2011, both Big Bang Theory and GQ featured it (see the Settlers of Catan Facebook page for details).

7 Wonders ($49.99 MSRP)

4 to 7 players, 30-45 minutes
2011 German and Italian Best Boardgame Winner, plus 18 other awards
available at local game stores

Very innovative card game that mixes strategy with fast play. It’s one of the current favorites among my grad school gaming friends, my kids, and my regular gaming group.

kateoplis: Politico: Why SOPA is on the Congressional...

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:32:28 -0500

kateoplis:

Politico: Why SOPA is on the Congressional agenda

Hollywood’s in a showdown over its TV shows, movies and music with an up-and-coming opponent in the Washington arena: the Silicon Valley gang.

And that can only mean a huge payday for lobbyists.

According to figures compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, the film, music and TV industries have spent more than $91 million on lobbying so far this year — an amount that puts them on pace to beat all of their previous spending records.

Tell Them No

I enjoyed a great evening of gaming Saturday night with friends...

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:26:00 -0500

In the midst of Power Grid

Final board position and my plants

End of Railroad Tycoon. Ow.

I enjoyed a great evening of gaming Saturday night with friends new and old as a couple of favorites hit the table.

We started the evening with Power Grid on the stock German map (included with the game). It was hard-fought throughout, and ended with me sharing first place in a rare true tie. My new friend Jay and I each had 14 powered cities (main victory condition), nine Elektros (first tie-breaker), and 14 cities in our grid (second tie-breaker). I claimed the moral victory because my plants could power 17 vs. 14, but my biggest success was correctly managing my position in the turn order without screwing up the late-game strategy or board position. For once, everything worked.

After a quick break, we hit the table again with run through the first edition of Railroad Tycoon from Eagle (now known as Railways of the World). It’s been a while since I played the game, and it showed. I got a slow start, amassed a bunch of shares, and ended up solidly in the middle of the pack at the finish. Still a really fun time. I love railroad games!

Thanks to Nate and Joellen for hosting, and to Harold, Don, Jay, Victor, and Nate for playing!! (I need more nights like this!)

Ticket to Ride, meet iPhone

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:28:00 -0500

Ticket to Ride, meet iPhone:

Days of Wonder must hate me.

They deliberately tried to destroy my productivity by releasing Ticket to Ride for the iPhone mere weeks away from the end of the semester, and for only 99 cents.

Why do they do things like to me? Have they no decency?

Yes, I already bought it for my iPhone.

No, I haven’t played yet because I have school work due.

Yes, this feels unfair at some level, but I draw comfort from the thoughts of Friedrich Nietzsche when he spoke about the experiences which turn people into either zombies and superheroes: What does not kill me, makes me stronger. (I’m hoping to go the superhero route myself.)

The value of more oil and less fun in Catan

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:50:29 -0500

Catan: Oil Springs converts the classic Settlers of Catan from a balanced Eurogame into a simulation tool for exploring an environmental scenario.

The scenario in this case — the addition of oil as a powerful and dangerous ‘super resource’ — deliberately unbalances gameplay, which makes the game less fun because some players get an advantage over others.

Normally, that sort of thing would worry me. But in this case, there’s a method to the madness.

Unbalancing things makes the game less fun on the surface, but it gives people both new experience and a framework for discussing topics they couldn’t connect with — things like the impact of industrial countries on developing countries, distribution of wealth, and such.

I can almost hear the conversation at the end of the game: “Why wasn’t it fun for me? Because YOU had all the freaking resources and you kept flooding my cities!”

To see this in action, check out the Catan: Oil Springs session report from Southern Fried Science.

I dislike most educational games (okay, I openly mock and deride them) because their designers seem to work overtime in hopes of sucking every last shred of fun out of the experience. In this case, though, I see the vision.

Interesting. Very interesting. I must think more on this.

Thoughts?

Today's question: Family games!

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:59:00 -0500

In today’s question, someone’s looking for engaging family games that seat up to 5 players, and are good for kids in the 10-12 range.

Three to five players are great numbers for many Eurogames, so lots of possibilities abound. With kids in the ‘tween’ age bracket, you also want to keep things moving, particularly if they’re new to playing board games.

Since playing time is a special concern, the list below focuses on that first.

The lists contain a mixture of recent and evergreen titles which you can either find on the shelves of your Friendly Local Game Store or they can quickly and easily order for you. If your area doesn’t have a Friendly Local Game Store, you can also find these games at online sellers such as Amazon and Funagain (non-affiliate links).

Want to see some of these in action? Join me on November 12 for National Gaming Day at the Main branch (downtown Fort Wayne) of Allen County Public Library!

I’ll be there from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m demonstrating all kinds of Eurogames and talking with parents about how board games help them build stronger connections and better communication with their kids. And it’s all FREE!

So, what would you add to the list? Share your thoughts in the comments!

25 minutes or less

Botswana from Gryphon Games
Chairs from Fundex Games
Cloud 9 from Out of the Box Games
Coloretto from Rio Grande Games
For Sale from Gryphon Games
Formula Motor Racing from GMT Games
Incan Gold from Gryphon Games
Settlers of Catan Dice Game from Mayfair Games

60 minutes or less

Carcassonne from Rio Grande Games
Formula D from Asmodee
Ticket to Ride from Days of Wonder
Zooloretto from Rio Grande Games

90 minutes or less

Mystery of the Abbey from Days of Wonder
Settlers of Catan from Mayfair Games

Party-style (variable length)

Faux-Cabulary from Out of the Box Games
Word on the Street from Out of the Box Games

It's National (Board)gaming Day!

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:29:29 -0500

It's National (Board)gaming Day!:

Sure, the American Library Association’s overall program is called “National Gaming Day”, but I’m officially dubbing Fort Wayne’s program National (Board)gaming Day!

On Saturday afternoon, November 12 from 2-5pm, I’ll be at downtown Main branch of the Allen County Public Library demonstrating the best in European boardgames. I’ll also be talking to parents, explaining how boardgames can help them build better connections with their kids.

And best of all, the whole event is free!

Bring your kids and join the fun. We’ll be playing and teaching games from Gryphon Games, Out of the Box Games, Calliope Games, and others.

It’ll be a blast, I promise!!