Everybody Wins: Four Decades of the Greatest Board Games Ever Made by James Wallis is a journey through modern games (according to the introduction, board games from as far back as Old Egypt have survived to the present day). If you’re looking for a present for your favorite gamer(s), this is the book to gift.
The introduction explains the layout of the book and gives a brief history of play and games. Wallis introduces the Spiel des Jahres, which is the premier game award, explaining that they don’t elaborate on the exact criteria for winning. Learning the impact of the Spiel des Jahres on game sales was eye-opening!
Wallis then takes readers through each year of the Spiel des Jahres (one chapter per year) from 1979’s Hare and Tortoise to 2022’s Cascadia. He analyzes each of the winning games, giving its historical context, and even strategies for playing/winning. Each chapter includes a chart of the winners and recommendations of that year. Learning about the games was fascinating, but I think my favorite chapter was “The Ones that Didn’t Win.” In this chapter, Wallis identifies various “future classic” games that the Spiel des Jahres had not recognized in their early years. He gives a brief description/analysis of each, as well.
Everybody Wins is a gorgeous coffee table book; a history of modern games; an in-depth analysis of the Spiel des Jahres award-winning games of the last 40 years; and a fascinating read. The book is laid out in such a way that you can either read it front to back or you can pick and choose which games or years you want to read in whatever order you like. It is also the perfect wish list for gamers. My Christmas list has grown by leaps and bounds after reading Everybody Wins! I’m even considering giving games as gifts that match significant years in the life of the recipient. What gamer wouldn’t love a set of games from the year they were born; the year they graduated high school/college; and/or the year of a significant event in their life.
TOP TIP: There are sidebars throughout the book (approximately one per chapter) that are white text on different colors of background. I found them very difficult to read, so I took a picture of the sidebar with my cellphone, zoomed in to read, then deleted each one as I finished it. The sidebars have interesting information that you don’t want to miss, so don’t skip them if you can find a way to read them!
Buy now with my Affiliate link! https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Wins-Decades-Greatest-Board/dp/1839081910
٭٭٭٭٭Highly recommended
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