As part of a major investment in the growth of its UK games business, Ravensburger is recruiting for a Games Product and Development Manager in Bicester, Oxfordshire. The focus of the position will be on working with inventors to develop new products for the local market, as well as adapting games from the company’s international portfolio. Familiarity with licensed products will be helpful but the work will cover family games, children’s games, strategy board games, action games, card games, and brainteasers.

The Strong and National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York needs a Vice President for Marketing and Communications. A minimum of 10 years experience is required. Responsibilities include working with senior leadership on marketing initiatives, public relations, admissions pricing, membership programs, digital strategy, and managing the museum’s portfolio of trademarks. The selected candidate will also work on the National Toy Hall of Fame and World Video Game Hall of Fame induction programs.

A European Sales Associate is wanted by Pegasus Spiele. Previous experience in sales is required. The focus will be on the Italian market, so fluency in Italian is also important.

Among other open positions at Asmodee North America in Roseville, Minnesota are Mass Market Specialist and Amazon Account Manager. For the former, the job is to develop marketing plans, manage the website editorial calendar, and oversee a staff of writers and graphic designers. For the latter, the job is to maintain relationships with Amazon and Amazon Marketplace 3rd party sellers, place orders and track inventory, forecast and monitor sales, and manage new product launches.

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New fellowships are available for research at the The Strong’s National Museum of Play. The idea is to support researchers accessing the museum’s library; collection of toy, doll, and game artifacts; and video and electronic game resources. The G. Rollie Adams Research Fellowships will provide academic professionals, independent scholars, museum scholars, and advanced graduate students at the masters or doctorate level with $500 per-week stipends. Applications are due April 20th.

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Today, Dungeons & Dragons, the swing, and Fisher-Price Little People were inducted in to the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York. Each year, the Hall of Fame at The Strong’s National Museum of Play recognizes two or three toys for longevity, innovation, achieving icon status, and fostering discovery.

Regarding D&D, Curator Nic Ricketts was quoted:

More than any other game, Dungeons & Dragons paved the way for older children and adults to experience imaginative play. It was groundbreaking. And it opened the door for other kinds of table games that borrow many of its unique mechanics. But most importantly, Dungeons & Dragons’ mechanics lent themselves to computer applications, and it had a direct impact on hugely successful electronic games like World of Warcraft.

Past inductees include the Barbie dolls, Chess, the Atari 2600 Game System, Lincoln Logs, the rubber duck, Slinky, Twister, and other toys and games.

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Would you like to be the primary person responsible for the Monopoly brand or help preserve games for museum archives or develop the digital version of a popular card game?

At Hasbro, the numerous open jobs include Senior Director of Global Marketing (“define and drive the global strategy for Family Gaming”), Design Manager (supervise technical design development efforts for a games category product line), and Product Designer (for “Phygital Games” combining physical and digital products). Subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast, is looking for, among others, a Director of Competitive Gaming and eSports for Magic: The Gathering, a Game Designer fluent in Japanese for Duel Masters, and a Principal Product Designer to oversee MtG R&D efforts and “develop strategic direction for block environments.”

Spin Master wants to hire a Public Relations Coordinator to manage outreach to press and a Senior Copywriter to author marketing materials.

Mattel has three Senior Designer positions open in the Boys Toy Box team for people with “a passion for action figures and/or game design.” Also positions for a Sr. Manager Digital Marketing and a Digital Producer.

ThinkFun is looking for a Product Manager and a Senior Product Manager to help organize the company’s projects, keep them moving forward, and manage quality.

Among the people that The Strong (National Museum of Play) is looking for are a Director of Conservation (to preserve games and toys in its collections), a Project Cataloger (to digitize and inventory games and puzzles), and a Teaching Host (to work with visiting school groups).

Ceaco (A.K.A. Gamewright) needs a Sales & Marketing Coordinator to assist with accounts, prepare marketing materials, and analyze sales data.

White Wizard Games (Star Realms) has an opening for a Digital Deckbuilder, that is, someone with experience in server-side apps and “a passion for card games.”

Thames & Kosmos needs a Purchasing & Planning Coordinator for analyzing sales data, managing inventories, and working with suppliers.

TOMY (Battroborg, Mr. Mouth) is recruiting for several positions: Brand Assistant, Digital Merchandising Manager, and Legal & Marketing Coordinator.

Toobeez (U.S. distributor of Funskool games from India) seeks a Junior Sales and Marketing Executive to help with social media, email marketing, and specialty retailer support.

The Toy Industry Association needs a Communications Specialist/Content Developer and a Director of Audience Relations. Both positions have a fair amount to do with New York Toy Fair.

Toyjobs is a specialty recruiter for the toy industry.

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The Strong and National Museum of Play have announced the 2015 class of inductees to the National Toy Hall of Fame. Sharing the honor with puppets and the Super Soaker is the game, Twister.

The invention of Twister dates back to 1964 but by 1966 Milton Bradley had already given up and called off further production of the game, which some considered too racy. Then in an appearance on the Tonight Show, Twister was played by Johnny Carson and Eva Gabor. In 1967, it sold more than 3 million copies.

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A new Toy Halls of Fame exhibit opens this weekend at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The exhibit combines The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame, which focuses on iconic toys and games, and the Toy Industry Association’s Toy Industry Hall of Fame, which recognizes the people who make them.

As with the other exhibits at the National Museum of Play, the Toy Halls of Fame puts historical and educational information right alongside interactive displays. The 5,000 square-foot space includes installations that allow visitors to:

• Create, move, and pop, via motion-capture technology, virtual bubbles in a 20-foot bubble tower.
• Orchestrate a music and light show by playing a Crayon piano.
• Use cranks, pulleys, and cords to manipulate a kinetic toy sculpture.
• Aim an air cannon at a massive mobile hanging over the atrium.

Opening festivities Saturday and Sunday include a toy character parade, dance parties, and a Yo-Yo competition.

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Thinking about new career options for 2014? Here are some current job opportunities in the game industry…

At Fantasy Flight Games in Roseville, Minnesota:

• Associate Interactive Artist [PDF] responsible for asset creation and technical troubleshooting, while maintaining good interdepartmental communication.
• Associate Graphic Designer [PDF] with experience using Adobe Creative Suite 6, an appreciation for hobby games, and the ability to adhere to workflow procedures.
• Associate Web Application Developer [PDF] with proficiency in Django Framework, Javascript, and Python.
• Hobby Market Sales Associate [PDF] to be responsible for domestic and international retail and distributor accounts.

With The Strong and National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York:

• Public Relations and Marketing Associate to assist with media relations and social media marketing.
• Object Videographer/Photographer to document artifacts on a contract basis through August.

At Paizo in Redmond, Washington:

• Software Developer with at least 4 years of Javascript, HTML, CSS, and and e-commerce experience.
• Customer Service Representative familiar with Paizo and its product lines.
• Digital Products Assistant to assist with website content management and conversion of print products to digital.
• Graphic Designer for both book layout and non-book graphic design.

With Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast subsidiary in Renton, Washington:

• Sr. Product Manager for Magic: The Gathering digital products, leading strategic product development.
• Content Manager responsible for updating magicthegathering.com and other MtG-related websites.
• Technical Producer, MTGO Live leading cross-functional teams through product development or Live Operations support.
• Associate Brand Manager, Magic responsible for product plans and marketing campaigns.
• Sr. Marketing Art Director, Dungeons & Dragons for marketing campaign materials and brand style guides.
• Sr. Business Manager, Magic Online leading expansion, managing sales, and responsible for P&L globally.
• and 9 art direction, customer service, and other jobs.

At Hasbro in Pawtucket, Rhode Island:

• Associate Manager, Global Brand Marketing & Development – Girls Gaming develop brand strategies and contribute to marketing plans for girl-focused brands.
• Senior Brand Design Manager, Boys to focus on brand packaging and other branding assets.
• Sr. Project Engineer responsible for the engineering development of Rovio-licensed products.
• Photo Studio Manager to manage both daily operations of in-house studio and oversee Producers on lifestyle shoots.
• Senior Product Designer, Pre-School Games developing products while working with marketing, research, and engineering teams.
• Three entry-level Associate Project Manager, Boys shepherding development teams and business partners through product development schedules.
• Director, Design and Development – Star Wars strategic leadership with extensive experience in the toy industry.
• Manager, Consumer Promotions to develop and implement promotions and marketing partnerships.
• Sr. Manager, Digital Marketing – International to drive online marketing in international markets.
• and 57 others!

With Spin Master:

• Project & Research Coordinator in Toronto to track Advanced Concept Team projects and research new product and business opportunities.
• Licensing Manager in Los Angeles responsible for the acquisition of new IP opportunities.

At Cryptozoic in Lake Forest, California:

• Project Coordinator assisting with production and distribution of trading cards and collectibles.
• Marketing Manager responsible for web content, social media, web promotions, and advertising.
• Graphic Designer to design art and layout visual media for print and digital.

With Panda Game Manufacturing:

• Project Manager [PDF] in either Vancouver, Canada or Indianapolis to work with clients and overseas suppliers on the production of board games.

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Thursday was a good day for the game of Chess. As if international excitement over a world championship match wasn’t enough, Chess was inducted in to the National Toy Hall of Fame in the National Museum of Play.

So was the rubber duck.

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What a thrill! Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The Museum, an arm of The Strong institute, is dedicated to everything play—toys, games, puzzles, sport, role-play, etc. Among it’s current exhibits are one celebrating comic book heroes, one providing kids a fully-stocked scale grocery store to play shopping, and one that brings to life children’s literature with a kid-sized fairy tale forest.

The real strength of the Museum, though, is how it integrates play, preservation, and education. Within each of the exhibits, displays of artifacts are side-by-side with related fun activities. This really gives the visitor a good sense of historical trends in play. It also helps make the museum as interesting to adults as it is to children.

In fact, despite all the interactive exhibits and fun activities, one shouldn’t be misled into thinking that the National Museum of Play is just a children’s museum or playhouse. The Strong and Museum are also dedicated to the serious study of play. The Museum houses one of the largest collections of play objects (toys, games, and other stuff) anywhere (much of which is available for perusal online), maintains a large library of professional publications, manages several unique archives, and offers fellowships for researchers.

My visit to this fantastic institution was facilitated by Nicolas Ricketts, Curator; Susan Trien, Senior Director of Public Relations; and Julia Rossi, Archivist. The three gave me a guided tour of the game-related exhibits, as well as the opportunity to examine the Sid Sackson and Philip Orbanes archives.

Boardwalk Arcade

Boardwalk Arcade is a celebration of summer, carnivals, and beach-side resorts. Artifacts on display include vintage advertising posters and models of amusement park rides. For activities there is Skee Ball, Whack-a-Mole, and a variety of pinball machines. Open now through September 8th, Boardwalk Arcade would be a particularly great activity for a rainy summer day.

National Toy Hall of Fame

Inductees to the National Toy Hall of Fame include such classic playthings as marbles, Barbie dolls, Mr. Potato Head, Scrabble, Dominoes, and Star Wars action figures. All are on display in a special section of the museum upstairs. The 2013 inductees will be announced on November 7th.

Starting in 2015, the National Toy Hall of Fame will be combined with the Toy Industry Association’s Hall of Fame, which focuses on people in the toy industry. Past inductees to the latter include Walt Disney, George Lucas, F.A.O. Schwarz, and the Hassenfeld brothers (founders of Hasbro). A $4 million project will transform the museum’s existing Hall of Fame space with a 100 foot long, 20 foot high LED theatrical screen and interactive play environments.

Monopoly: An American Icon

Monopoly gets its own exhibit at the Museum of Play. Highlighted at the center of Monopoly: An American Icon is Charles Darrow’s original handmade board—round, according to legend, to fit his dining room table. Surrounding that board are displays showing the historical evolution of Monopoly from the 1906 Landlord’s Game. There are early folk-art versions of Monopoly, Charles Darrow’s tie-box Monopoly (his first commercial product, sold in Philadelphia department stores), modern branded games, and Hasbro’s recent releases.

Game Time

Game Time is  an exhibit all about our favorite subject: GAMES! Between the giant-sized, free-to-play-with versions of Perplexus, Battleship, Connect Four, and Rush Hour are two main display sections—one exploring games by genre and one showing the history of games in a timeline. The genre displays cover logic puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, word games, matching games, strategy games, roleplaying games, race games, party games, card games, dexterity games, and wealth games—each with both modern and antique examples, as well as information on their historical context. There’s so much to learn here about what makes a game, what value games add to play, and how different games tie in to different human needs and social relationships.

But if that’s sounds too serious for you, it’s also a lot of fun just to see older games compared side-by-side to modern ones of similar type.

The timeline section starts in the 1800s and ends at the present—so it’s more of a look at the development of modern games than a study of their ancient origins. Still, there’s a lot to learn about trends in game design and how games have been viewed in modern culture. One of the things that’s apparent, for example, is that the tension between games being seen as primarily educational tools or entertainment is cyclical.

Archives

Not everything at the Museum is on display. Among the archives and collections of the Museum are personal papers and prototypes of game designer, Sid Sackson, and Monopoly expert and former Parker Brothers executive, Philip Orbanes. Getting to examine them in person was the highlight of my visit. Imagine holding in your hands the manuscript to the rules for Acquire!

Did you know that when Sid Sackson received a new game, he’d throw away the box to save on storage space?

Like many game designers I know, Sackson kept a detailed notebook of all his game ideas. But he also used the same diaries to take notes for meetings and record business details. At the end of the year, he’d index them by game and person.

One item in the Philip Orbanes collection was a personal scrapbook of George S. Parker, a founder of Parker Brothers. In it was correspondence of Parker with his company’s British representatives following a trip he’d made to assess the market there just after World War I.

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