November 30, 2004
Cranium
Yet another article from last Sunday's NYTimes magazine special issue on "The Thoroughly Designed Childhood":
Most classic board games are all about winning and losing. When you play Monopoly or Risk or Sorry! there is always someone crowing in triumph while others quietly sulk in defeat. But Tait, 40, founded Cranium in 1998 with the opposite idea: to produce games ''where everyone has a chance to shine,'' a phrase he repeats like a mantra in every conversation. Tait designs games that no single player can dominate; at some point, every player will be the hero. ''And then they have that moment of glow, that moment of shine, that moment where everyone celebrates them,'' he says, speaking practically in the cadence of a preacher. That makes the games particularly appealing to young children, who can be unhinged by the sting of losing. And for parents, it means that playtime is unlikely to end in tantrums. You can win a Cranium game, but no one really cares. It is, as one Cranium designer delicately puts it, ''a softer win.''
Complete article here:
The New York Times > Magazine > Phenomenon: The Play's the Thing
Comments
fascinating magazine special - all has so much more 'thick' context now that i am a parent. interesting idea: the "everyone has a chance to shine" equally one -- especially in light of having just seen "The Incredibles" which promotes thought about the balace between fair play, encouraging excellence and accepting mediocrity.
Posted by: susana ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://interactive.usc.edu/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 1, 2004 01:41 PM
How wonderful it is! Today, I had seen the film - "The Incredibles" this afternoon, my father also had seen this film in this evening. This cartoon movie is powered by Disney-Pixar.
In this film, I love the people's sensation, scene, bugbears. The scene is so sublime.
With the great imagination.
Posted by: Creford at March 26, 2005 02:26 AM
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