Thoughts on travel size/small format games

When I read this I think "why not just play a game on my Ipod like plants vs zombies or angry birds?"

I guess the "travel" game industry is going the way of the *iPad* or the *Table PC*!!!

Those two (2) devices have a larger display surface than an iPod, Cellular Phone or mobile gaming system (like the Nintendo 3DS) and I'm thinking these might be the more natural progression for games that require a board.

Obviously games developed for those platforms are going to be good "travel" games. And battery life with the devices is pretty good nowadays - you even have battery chargers for the car.

So if I was a person interested in developing games for "travel" purposes, I would lean towards the iPad or the Table PC.

Again just my opinion!

First I'm curious about what direction you plan to take StormGate. Do you want to take it to publishers, publish it yourself, or just make a game that's fun for you and some friends to play? Let me warn you that if you're looking for option 1 or 2, a chess variant will be an extremely hard sell - most publishers specifically state on their submission pages that they have no interest in those - and I haven't seen a successful chess variant Kickstarter.

I don't intend to be negative at all, because you may have a great game. And I want to encourage your idea of making travel games, because I think there probably is a market there, however untapped.

While it's true that phones and tablets have taken a lot of that game space, there are still plenty of parents who encourage other formats, and would be happy to find something more interactive for their kids to do in a car... and plenty of adults who would be interested in that as well. One could argue that TVs, computers, and consoles have taken a lot of the tabletop game space, but we're still here, and growing!

Regarding your questions:

1. I don't like travel magnetic boards, but probably because the quality is always so poor that the magnets fall out of the pieces or are simply not strong enough, and the tactile feel of the boards is usually weirdly smooth (this may be showing my age though - haven't played many recently).
2. I think that if a market for these travel games is there or can be created, that market can handle different length games. How many people sit in the back of a car for hours on end? Or travel in a plane for the same length of time? I think short and long games would be good for that market. Rush Hour is a good example of a game already in that market, though it's a single-player puzzle game.
3. I have paid $10-15 for many small magnetic puzzle games for my kids, but they are typically single-player.
4. I've had Shogi and Chess and have several magnetic puzzle books (found in good small toy stores).
5. I personally would prefer a wood and peg game (Roll Through the Ages, Cribbage), and I suspect you could get a nicer inexpensive product that way than trying to get molded plastic pieces unless you had huge quantities. However, you might be able to do something decent with printed and cut magnetic sheets of pieces.

I hope this was helpful, and good luck!

It's true that Portable devices somewhat changed the need for magnetic board game. So they might be outdated.

Personally I like it. I remember having a small chess game and playing a lot of game with it. I could bring it anywhere and it was awesome.

It depends of your objective. If it's to play a game after lunch at school or at work, then yes a 15 minute time frame is very good. If it is to actually bring on a vacation or a road trip, then longer play time might be better.

I bought my magnetic board many years ago. Got rid of them recently. Mine were pretty small, I would have not mind a bit bigger. As a general guidelines, a travel game could cost at least half the real game.

The games I had were chess, backgammon and Checkers. Chess is probably the only game I played.

It depends of your objectives. If you want to be playable on a road trip, magnetic might be a better solution due to the amount of movement and the lack of table space. If not magnetic, you need somewhat to clip in the components or have some storage tray. Take a look at the catan travel game for example (which I currently own, but still not used)

I'm not fond of magnetic boards, but I would potentially use them when travelling.

Time limit is always a factor in game design. For a travel game, I would generally expect it to take less time... but realistically... I wouldn't be playing a travel game unless it's a long trip.

I second the "I'd pay half of a normal board game" answer. I probably wouldn't pay more than 10-15 dollars for a game... and even then... it'd have to be very good.

I used to own quite a few. Everything from checkers to a version of monopoly. But, with the advent of electronics I no longer need portable versions of board games.

I'd probably find pegs more desirable for the sole reason that magnets are iffy with the motions of a vehicle. Although, neither choice is that important to me.

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I do have to agree with people that the modern travel game is called an IPad. Electronics solves all of the concerns that come from actual travel games and allows for much more.

Even if there is still a market for small travel games... I think it'd be a money losing venture.