Board game convention plays out in Germany

It's not a coincidence that the convention takes place in Germany. Nowhere in the world are board games as popular as they are in Germany. The country is also home to many board game makers. The type of games created in the country has even led to a genre known internationally as "German games."

This year's trends include family games with simple rules and board games that are available as apps for tablet computers. Visitors to the fair are welcome to try the games out before deciding whether to buy them. However, they might need a little patience, as around 150,000 visitors in total are expected at the event.

The board game industry is booming in Germany, according to SPIEL '13 spokesperson Dominique Metzler. Last year, German producers recorded a 5 percent growth in sales. "Not only in Germany, but also around the world, an increasing number of people are discovering board games," said Metzler. The convention itself is international too: this year's visitors come from around 40 different countries.

The current success of board games comes despite the fact that their doom has been predicted for at least 20 years now. But the trends is just the opposite. "We find ourselves in a media era marked by overstimulation, and so it's nice to sit down across from someone in the evening and be able to look them in the eye and hear them laugh," said Metzler. "A computer game can never replace this."

Germans love strategy games. Especially popular this year is "Terra Mystica," which was chosen by the public as the winner of the German Game Award. The children's game "Kakerlakak" also received a prize.

Not every game requires a lot of mulling over moves. In Speed Cups, for example, speed and dexterity are the deciding factors. The cups need to be arranged into different formations within seconds.

The main trick in this game ("Geister Geister Schatzsuchmeister") is to work as a team to defeat the small ghosts of the underworld and claim the treasure. But the ghosts are more cute than scary, and the game is suitable for children six and up.

American astrophysicist Tim Fort, inventor of the game Stick Storm, made a special appearance at the convention. Fort created the game for a TV talent show, but now it is a hit with children. The wooden sticks are connected together to form long weaves, creating enough pressure for them to "explode" into the air - leaving sticks everywhere and parents wondering who will clean up the mess.

If this game looks familiar, that's because it's a board version of the popular 80s video game Pac-Man. Titled "Whacky Wit," it was developed by German Norman Sommer and financed by crowd-sourced fundraising.