Board games - Together to success: 'Sky Team' is 'Spiel des Jahres 2024'
Teamwork is essential for Board Games, as demonstrated by "Sky Team", a cooperative game in the Cockpit-Scenario recognized by the "Spiel des Jahres" award jury. Similarly, players collaborate in "e-Mission", awarded as the "Expert Game of the Year". The makers celebrated their success at the Berlin award ceremony on Sunday.
Luc Rémond, the creator of "Sky Team", stated in a video message that he made the game to evoke emotions. "I have created Sky Team to stir emotions in me, and I hope the same for you," he said. Lisa Feller, an actress and comedian, announced the winner, causing significant cheers in the Berlin Spree hotel ballroom. In the race for the prestigious title, the winner from Kosmos Verlag edged out the other nominated games "On the Paths of Darwin" and "Captain Flip". The publishers anticipate substantial sales growth from the accolade.
In "Sky Team", players work together to land an aircraft. They use dice to adjust speed or deploy landing gear. However, they cannot communicate during crucial stages of the game. To overcome the numerous challenges of a successful landing, a well-practiced team is required.
First-ever Two-Player Game to Win
It's also the first time in the award's history that a pure two-player game has won. "The two-player situation is a situation that really happens quite often," said Heiko Windfelder, Programming Manager for Toys at Kosmos Verlag. "That's a little recognition that now, for the first time, a two-player game has become 'Game of the Year'."
Both "Sky Team" and "e-Mission" share another commonality: realistic scenarios. The winner in the "Expert Game of the Year" category, which caters to more experienced players, deals with the climate crisis. "Without raising fingers," the jury praised. In the game designed by Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace, players assume the roles of various world powers and make critical decisions to reduce CO2 emissions.
Jury Praises Courage for Realism
The critics appreciate the realistic scenarios in both games. "In the past few years, we sometimes had the suspicion that authors and also editors were escaping into fantasy worlds because they were afraid to tackle contemporary issues with anyone," said Jury Chairman Harald Schrapers after the award ceremony. "I, for one, prefer someone to step on someone else's toes, as that gives us something to talk about."
A separate jury exists due to the unique requirements for the "Children's Game of the Year". This year, the prize went to "The Magical Keys" from Arno Steinwender and Markus Slawitscheck. In this dice game, players must try various keys to open a treasure chest.
The "Game of the Year" Association has been granting the prize for 45 years. A total of almost 500 new releases were considered by the jury this year.
- The cooperative game "Sky Team" won the prestigious "Game of the Year" award, highlighting the importance of teamwork in board games.
- The "Expert Game of the Year", "e-Mission", also encourages collaboration among players, showcasing the recognition given to strategic games in the industry.
- Lisa Feller, an actress and comedian, announced "Sky Team" as the winner at the Berlin award ceremony, sparking cheers in the Spree hotel ballroom.
- "Sky Team" is unique in the award's history as it's the first pure two-player game to win the "Game of the Year" title.
- Both "Sky Team" and "e-Mission" focus on realistic scenarios, with "Sky Team" requiring teamwork to land an aircraft and "e-Mission" addressing the climate crisis.
- The jury praised the courage of these games for tackling contemporary issues, challenging the notion of escaping into fantasy worlds.
- The Children's Game of the Year, "The Magical Keys", was awarded to Arno Steinwender and Markus Slawitscheck, a dice game that requires players to try various keys to open a treasure chest.
