Board games have gotten more popular the past few years, largely because of the pandemic and people being forced to find ways to entertain themselves when they weren’t allowed to go out. As it turns out, more than half (56%) of Americans attend game nights, and 70% say the best part about playing games is spending quality time with family, according to SolitaireBliss.com.
A new study from SolitaireBliss.com pinpoints the most popular board game in each state and major U.S. city. What’s funny to me is that I’ve never even heard of the most popular board game in Michigan. I thought it might be Monopoly or Life or one of the classics, but this one is a pure mystery to me. I love those games, by the way. It’s been too long since I’ve played Life.
So, what’s the most popular board game in Michigan? It’s Catan. Yeah. Again, I’ve never heard of it. In Detroit, the most popular board game is chess. That makes more sense to me. According to Wikipedia, Catan is, “Catan, previously known as The Settlers of Catan or simply Settlers, is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlag as Die Siedler von Catan.” Where have I been all these years?
According to the study, “When asked their favorite part of playing board games, 70% say they get to spend quality time with their family, 65% say it’s because they get to spend quality time with their friends, 56% enjoy the mental challenge and 56% say it’s because they grew up playing board games. Nearly half (49%) enjoy the competition aspect of it all.” That makes sense, and my favorite thing about playing games is the friendship involved. View the full study results and more cities and states here, and happy gaming.