Origame made its debut at the Taipei Game Show 2019. We showcased two games that we'd be releasing this year, along with games published by the Singapore Game Makers.
If board games are going to be successful in Asia, this is what it will begin to look like.
The scale of it was eye-watering; an entire hall the size of a football field was dedicated to board games. On display were over a hundred made-in-Taiwan games, all playable in traditional Chinese script. We were located in the 'Board Game Wonderland' section, which housed about 20 different publishers and design collectives from Taiwan and other East Asian countries. This doesn't include the dozen or so board game publishers and distributors scattered in the other halls. Suffice to say, board games have gone mainstream in Taiwan.
Though the crowd still had a way to go from being as engaged in or knowledgeable about board games as say, the folks at Essen Spiel (the largest game fair in the world), they were open and willing to sit and try their hands at our brand of games. Board games are the perfect meeting point for families and friends, and it was nice to see both groups visit our tables to experience Singaporean game design.
Taiwan, together with Japan, are leading the East Asian charge in terms of their market size, design, and sheer talent being poured into the industry. Every major intersection in downtown Taipei leads you to a cafe featuring board games. Every bookstore worth its salt proudly displays a shelf or a bookcase of locally designed board games. Right now, Taiwan has an edge over Japan in manufacturing capabilities, being home to a number of established board game printing factories.
We're excited to begin our journey with our new Taiwanese friends to bring Asian board games to the rest of the world. Check in later this week as we showcase a few notable board games from Taiwan, Japan, and the rest of Asia!
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