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Board Game Studies Colloquium VIII

Abstracts

Adrian Seville

THE GAME OF GOOSE IN ADVERTISING: A STUDY IN BOARD GAME DESIGN

During the 20th century, the traditional Game of Goose was widely adapted for advertising purposes. These adaptations have been little studied. An exhaustive treatment is impossible, but a systematic approach gives insights into board game design. This presentation outlines three main methods for creative design in this genre:
  • Use of a 'Story Line' characterises games where the player - in imagination - participates in an unfolding story. Many of the advertising games have a story line associated directly with the product.
  • Iconographic variation can affect: favourable spaces, hazard spaces, ordinary spaces and/or the winning space. Images may be replaced thematically or otherwise differentiated; and the replacements may or may not be uniform. However, not all replacements are thematic- some are designed to fit the imagery to the intended market.
  • Rule variations can affect any or all of the key features of traditional Goose rules, enabling introduction of product-related elements.
Advertising games must resolve difficult design considerations - practicalities of play, game structure, cost, promotion of the product, nature of the market. The Goose derivatives give insight into how this may be done successfully.

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