Joe Sequino, vice president of marketing for Winning Moves Games, offered advice about finding the perfect party game.
Tell us about yourself.
I have been a member of Winning Moves Games for 5 years and am currently employed as the VP of Marketing. I have an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston and a BA in English Literature from Nazareth College of Rochester, NY. Outside of my professional life, I have many hobbies that include archery, hunting, fishing, gardening, the stock market, playing piano and guitar, and I'm a lifelong New York Mets fan. My wife and I live out in the country of southern New Hampshire.
Can you give us some information on the company?
Winning Moves is a leading maker of classic card and board games, world renown puzzles, action games and popular adult party games. Since our first year of operation in 1995, we have forged a close relationship with the world's largest game company, Hasbro, Inc., owner of Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley games. As a result, many long-lived Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley games are now made exclusively by Winning Moves Games.
Winning Moves Games was founded in 1995 by four highly esteemed game industry professionals:
- Tom Kremer: Europe's most successful game agent. Tom's greatest claim to fame is having found Erno Rubik in the early 1970's in Hungary. He then licensed the Rubik's Cube® and the rest is history
- Phil E. Orbanes: The long-time head of research and development for Parker Brothers and the leading expert on the game of Monopoly®.
- Mike Meyers: The long-time head of research and development for Milton Bradley.
- Alex Randolph: One of Europe's most distinguished game inventors.
With a talented group of game marketers and developers, our mission is to provide happiness in the lives of our consumers by offering classic, retro, cool and fun games for play with friends and family.
What goes into designing a board game?
The most important decision when designing a board game is to pick an appealing theme (otherwise, sales prospects are dim). The next criteria is to innovate a method of play in harmony with the theme and whose complexity is in line with needs of the expected players (very basic if for children, more well-rounded if for families, intricate if for devoted gamers). Once theme and play are tested and perfected, the final criteria are an appealing look and visual design for the game. Graphics are vital, as they will communicate an impression, which will either bolster's the appeal of the game or detract from it via confusion or "the wrong message."
What do adults look for when searching for the perfect party game?
Of course different people look for different qualities in a game, but a great party game should be able to accommodate at least 6 players, have little to no downtime to make sure everyone is involved, should have relevant and witty content, and should require players to "perform" in some sort of way. Laughter is essential to a great party game, and if we can't laugh at ourselves...well..You get the point.
What party games are popular with preteens and teens?
The old classics will always be popular party favorites. Teens and preteens still love playing Taboo, Scattergories, Pictionary, Uno, Pit, Cranium, and other well known classics like Twister.
Do you offer any games that younger kids will love?
Yes, both adults and younger kids love playing Pass the Pigs, Have You Herd and Crocodile Dentist. If the gathering is all young girls, the Oppenheim Award winning Princess & The Pea is a big hit.
Tell us more about the games your company offers.
We proudly make and market best-selling titles like Monopoly®: The Mega Edition, Big Taboo®, Pass The Pigs®, Rubik's® Cube, Super Scrabble®, 25 Words or Less® and new hot sellers like Scrabble® Me, Power Yahtzee®, Parcheesi® Royal Edition, No Stress Chess™, and PayDay®. Additionally, many timeless classics like Pit®, Mille Bornes®, and Flinch® are now exclusively made by Winning Moves. We also make Immortal Eyes Games, a new brand of Euro styled designer games including TransAmerica™, Conquest of Pangea™, and Terra Nova®.
Where can we purchase the above games and read more about your company?
Winning Moves games and puzzles can be found at Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and many other specialty game and hobby retailers and catalogers in the US and Canada. Winning Moves does not sell to mass market discounters like Wal Mart. To learn more about Winning Moves Games and our game titles, feel free to visit our website at Winning Moves.
