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1. Board gaming has been a popular hobby since Monopoly
burst onto the scene, but the typical board game that is
released has changed a lot -- especially in the last two
decades.

2. Games such as Monopoly and Scrabble were popular
family activities mostly enjoyed by children, while adult
board games were generally limited to Dungeons and
Dragons type games that were only for the most hardcore
hobbyists. There were a few exceptions along the way,
such as the game Cosmic Encounter, but for the most part,
this past time was either for children or a niche hobby.

3. Things remained this way up until the 1980s or so, when
mega popular adult social games such as Trivial Pursuit
burst onto the scene. This wave of board games showed
common adults that this was a hobby that even they could
enjoy. This in turn spawned more purchases of games for
their children, and the industry flourished.

4. As video games became more and more popular in the
1990s, board games were sort of pushed to the side for a
while. That is until one game came along and changed the
face of the scene forever -- The Settlers of Catan.

5. The Settlers of Catan was translated from its German
heritage in 1997, and became a worldwide smashing hit.
The most influential game of the last 20 years, Settlers
bridged the gap between all types of gamers -- the child
who grew up on Monopoly and Sorry, the adult who
played Trivial Pursuit with his or her friends, and the
hardcore hobbyist who was used to playing RPGs.

6. Settlers achieved this by including elements that made all
of these types of games popular: ease of play for children,
strategic depth for hobbyists, and a strong social aspect
for social gamers.

7. Gaming has not been the same since, and most games
that come out today are at least somewhat influenced by
The Settlers of Catan. They use many design features and
elements that were first seen in Settlers, such as victory
points, no player elimination, and modular game boards
which change every time you play.

8. As someone who loves to play board games with all sorts
of people myself, it warms my heart to see this sort of
mecca that we have now. Many people playing, and many
people playing together. For me and others who share in
my interests, life in 2011 is very good!

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