It’s been exactly a year since I decided to start my Game Every Day challenge to play at least one game every day in 2016. Not only did a blow that challenge out of the water, but I also hit 730 plays for an average of 2 plays a day. Let’s see how this changed my stats from my 2015 Zeitgeist!
Overall Stats
| Total Plays | 730 |
| Unique Players | 237 |
| Unique Games | 222 |
| Unique Locations | 33 |
| H-index * | 10 |
* Read more about Board Gaming and the H-Index.
Charts and graphs
Thanks to my Game Every Day challenge, the number of games I played this year skyrocketed from 320 in 2015 to 730 this year. Also, thanks in large part to review copies from publishers the number of unique games I played jumped from 109 to 222.
As was the case in 2015 my primary gaming partners are my three oldest children, Noelle (11), Evan (8), and Mason (6). Interestingly enough I played more games with my father in law, Dean, than with my youngest son, Henry. Nashville Game Night was also a much larger part of my life this past year, which increased the number of players from 61 to 237.
I played 124 two player games this year, with my daughter as my primary gaming partner. My oldest son is quickly moving up the ranks as his grasp of logic and strategy increases. I can’t wait!
Because the monthly game night I run rotates venues, I play in more locations than perhaps some other people do.
Thanks to the exemplary from BG Stats App, tracking plays and slicing the data is much simpler.
New Additions
This year featured a number of notable new additions. Lords of Vegas, Russian Railroads, World’s Fair: 1893, Automobiles, and Imhotep all made their ways into my collection this year, and coincidentally also topped my ratings. View our top games of 2016.
Fun
The Game Every Day challenge was fun for the most part, but resulted in an unfortunate increase in strictly solitaire games. While I respect people who do solo gaming, it’s not my cup of tea. I’ve decided that I’m not going to do solo gaming any more. I’ll make exceptions for games I want to learn, or games like Russian Railroads which have an EXCELLENT solo variant (seriously it’s amazing).
Board gaming is fun for me, and I don’t want to play games for their own sake. I want to enjoy the time I spend with my friends and family as well.
Flops
When you play such a large number of games, you’ll inevitably run into some flops. Some of the games that disappointed me most this year were Fresco (which I highly anticipated), Glass Road (too easy for experienced players to run the board), Caladea (I was talked into playing it, don’t ask), Targi (also highly anticipated, was just too long). The game which most earned the “flop” moniker was Quilt Show. This game was terrible…I genuinely don’t know how it was even published.
Amusingly enough, one of the games I listed as a flop last year was New York: 1901. I played it again this year and really enjoyed it. So just a word to the wise. Your tastes change, and sometimes a great game can just fall flat. Always be willing to try things twice.
The Full List
Here’s the full list of games I played in 2016. Check out my Game Every Day challenge if you’re interested in a breakdown by week.
| # | Game | Plays | Places | Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mancala | 25 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Solitaire | 23 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 6 Nimmt | 22 | 6 | 16 |
| 4 | Las Vegas | 20 | 8 | 26 |
| 5 | PitchCar | 12 | 2 | 13 |
| 6 | No Thanks | 12 | 2 | 9 |
| 7 | Coloretto | 11 | 1 | 7 |
| 8 | World’s Fair 1893 | 10 | 3 | 10 |
| 9 | Rocky Road a la Mode | 10 | 2 | 7 |
| 10 | Star Realms | 10 | 1 | 4 |
| 11 | Patchwork | 9 | 3 | 6 |
| 12 | Pickpockets | 9 | 1 | 6 |
| 13 | Birds Of A Feather | 8 | 4 | 21 |
| 14 | Exploding Kittens | 8 | 3 | 9 |
| 15 | Camel Up | 8 | 3 | 9 |
| 16 | Dino Dude Ranch | 8 | 2 | 7 |
| 17 | Bullfrogs | 8 | 1 | 3 |
| 18 | Animals on Board | 7 | 4 | 13 |
| 19 | Seeland | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| 20 | Deep Sea Adventure | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| 21 | Battle Sheep | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| 22 | Oh My Goods | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| 23 | Daxu | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 24 | Pandemic The Cure | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| 25 | Port Royal | 6 | 5 | 12 |
| 26 | Isle of Skye | 6 | 4 | 12 |
| 27 | Lanterns: The Harvest Festival | 6 | 5 | 10 |
| 28 | Fuse | 6 | 3 | 10 |
| 29 | DC Deck Builder | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 30 | Imhotep | 6 | 5 | 9 |
| 31 | King of Tokyo | 6 | 2 | 9 |
| 32 | Sushi Go! | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| 33 | Automobiles | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| 34 | Happy Salmon | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| 35 | Rhino Hero | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| 36 | Flip City | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| 37 | Kingdom Builder | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| 38 | Kahuna | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| 39 | Imperial Settlers | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| 40 | Hive | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| 41 | Hornochsen | 5 | 5 | 14 |
| 42 | Barnyard Roundup | 5 | 3 | 11 |
| 43 | Forbidden Island | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 44 | Lords of Vegas | 5 | 3 | 7 |
| 45 | Herbaceous | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| 46 | Castle Knights | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| 47 | Stone Age | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| 48 | Pandemic | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| 49 | Tsuro | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| 50 | Parade | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| 51 | Apotheca | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 52 | Rolling America | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 53 | Braverats | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 54 | Tides Of Time | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 55 | Friday | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 56 | For Sale | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| 57 | Through the Desert | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 58 | Clue | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 59 | Colony | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 60 | The Siblings Trouble | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 61 | Blueprints | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| 62 | Titan Race | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 63 | Russian Railroads | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 64 | Zombie Dice | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| 65 | Sagrada | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 66 | Holmes: Sherlock & Mycroft | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 67 | Sanssouci | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 68 | Family Showdown | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| 69 | Codenames | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 70 | Turn the Tide | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 71 | Power Grid | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 72 | Cockroach Poker | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 73 | Eminent Domain: Battlecruisers | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 74 | Ticket To Ride | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 75 | Gold West | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 76 | Moustache Smash | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 77 | The Networks | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 78 | Monopoly Deal Card Game | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 79 | The Castles of Burgundy | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 80 | Crab Stack | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 81 | Spookies | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 82 | Stop Thief | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 83 | The Game of 49 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 84 | Best Treehouse Ever | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 85 | Spaceteam | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 86 | Yspahan | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 87 | Splendor | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 88 | Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 89 | Trambahn | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 90 | Rummikub | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 91 | Jaipur | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 92 | Eminent Domain | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 93 | Quarriors | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 94 | Lost Cities | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 95 | Medieval Academy | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 96 | Spot it! Freeze | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 97 | Thebes: Tomb Raiders | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 98 | Tumblin-Dice | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 99 | Great Fire Of London 1666 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 100 | Istanbul | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 101 | Kitty Paw | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 102 | Forbidden Desert | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 103 | Carnival | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 104 | San Juan | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 105 | Hare & Tortoise | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 106 | Roll For It! | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 107 | Concordia | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 108 | Pit | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 109 | Saboteur | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 110 | Minecraft Card Game | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 111 | Zombie Kidz | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 112 | Lotus | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 113 | This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the 2-4 of Us | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 114 | Topiary | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 115 | Snow Tails | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 116 | Coin Age | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 117 | Racko | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 118 | Medina | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 119 | The Builders: Middle Ages | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 120 | Kigi | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 121 | Ahead in the Clouds | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 122 | Royals | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 123 | Farmageddon | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 124 | Pie Factory | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 125 | Coup | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 126 | Pass the Pigs | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 127 | Agricola: All Creatures… | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 128 | Pinata | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 129 | Targi | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 130 | The Manhattan Project: Chain Reaction | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 131 | Spoons | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 132 | Progress: Evolution | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 133 | Oh Hell! | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 134 | Five Crowns | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 135 | Fuji Flush | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 136 | Swipe | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 137 | Bomb Squad | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 138 | Cape Horn | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 139 | Loopin Louie | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 140 | Fool’s Gold | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 141 | Scythe | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 142 | Diamant | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 143 | Survive: Escape From Atlantis | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 144 | The Grizzled | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 145 | The Game | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 146 | Bruges | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 147 | Sequence for Kids | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 148 | Formula D | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 149 | New Bedford | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 150 | Piece o’ Cake | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 151 | Control | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 152 | D-Day Dice | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 153 | Betrayal at House on the Hill | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 154 | Coconuts | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 155 | Downfall Of Pompeii | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 156 | Love Letter | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 157 | Wordsy | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 158 | Ghost Stories | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 159 | Celestia | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 160 | Dice City | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 161 | Karuba | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 162 | Grand Austria Hotel | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 163 | Luna | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 164 | Trajan | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 165 | HoverKraft | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 166 | Black Fleet | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 167 | Voyages Of Marco Polo | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 168 | Saint Petersburg | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 169 | Lord Of The Rings: Deckbuilding Game | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 170 | Paris Connection | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 171 | War | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 172 | Castle Panic | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 173 | Blokus: Trigon | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 174 | Quadropolis | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 175 | Dexikon | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 176 | A Feast for Odin | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 177 | New York: 1901 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 178 | Caledea | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 179 | Monopoly Junior | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 180 | Sheriff of Nottingham | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 181 | Uno | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 182 | Champions Of Midgard | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 183 | Ra | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 184 | Between Two Cities | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 185 | Qwirkle | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 186 | The Great Heartland Hauling Co. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 187 | Mahjong | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 188 | Harbour | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 189 | Checkers | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 190 | Pagoda | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 191 | Cathedral | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 192 | Swish | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 193 | Roll For The Galaxy | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 194 | Alien Frontiers | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 195 | Hamsterrolle | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 196 | JunKing | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 197 | Tiny Epic Galaxies | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 198 | Mille Bornes | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 199 | WWE Superstar Showdown | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 200 | Pirate’s Blast | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 201 | Machi Koro | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 202 | Quilt Show | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 203 | Viva Java: The Dice Game | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 204 | Cacao | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 205 | Onitama | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 206 | Ice Cool | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 207 | Potion Explosion | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 208 | Rivals For Catan | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 209 | Gadgeteers | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 210 | The King Is Dead | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 211 | The Blood of an Englishman | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 212 | Unpub – Roses | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 213 | Sylvion | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 214 | Yahtzee Steal The Deal | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 215 | La Granja | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 216 | KLASK | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 217 | Frontier-6 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 218 | Terrace | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 219 | Glass Road | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 220 | Fight for Olympus | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 221 | Tokaido | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 222 | Fresco | 1 | 1 | 2 |
