BoardGameGeek (BGG) is an online forum for board gaming hobbyists and a game database that holds reviews, images and videos for over 125,600 different tabletop games, including European-style board games, wargames, and card games. In addition to the game database, the site allows users to rate games on a 1–10 scale and publishes a ranked list of board games.
Dec 7 2020History
BoardGameGeek was founded in January 2000 by Scott Alden and Derk Solko,6 and marked its 20th anniversary on 20 January 2020.7
Since 2005, BoardGameGeek hosts an annual board game convention, BGG.CON, that has a focus on playing games, and where winners of the Golden Geek Awards are announced. New games are showcased and convention staff is provided to teach rules.8 There is also an annual Spring BGG.CON which is family friendly, and an annual BGG@Sea which is held on a cruise.
In 2010, BoardGameGeek received the Diana Jones Award, which recognized it as "a resource without peer for board and card gamers, the recognized authority of this online community."9 The New York Times has called BoardGameGeek "the hub of board gaming on the Internet."10
In 2020, BoardGameGeek was inducted into the Origins Award Hall of Fame.11
The site has branched out into other fields by using the same system for RPGs and video games (rpggeek.com and videogamegeek.com).12
Golden Geek Award
Since 2006, the site annually awards the best new board games of the year with the Golden Geek Award. Winners are selected based on a vote by registered users.13
2006–2009
| Category | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year14 | Caylus | Shogun | Agricola | Dominion |
| Best Strategy Game151617 | Caylus | Shogun | Agricola | Le Havre |
| Best Wargame18 | Twilight Struggle | Combat Commander: Europe | Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage | Combat Commander: Pacific |
| Best Children's Board Game19 | Nacht Der Magier | Zooloretto | Chateau Roquefort | Sorry! Sliders |
| Best 2-Player Board Game20 | Twilight Struggle | BattleLore and Commands & Colors: Ancients | Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage | Space Hulk (third edition) |
| Best Family Board Game21 | Ingenious | Zooloretto | Thebes | Pandemic |
| Best Party Board Game22 | Diamant | Wits and Wagers | Say Anything | Time's Up! Deluxe |
| Best Card Game23 | - | Caylus Magna Carta | Race for the Galaxy | Dominion |
| Best Board Game Artwork/Presentation24 | - | BattleLore | Jamaica | Space Hulk (third edition) |
| Best Board Game Expansion25 | - | - | - | Pandemic: On The Brink |
| Best Print & Play Board Game26 | - | - | - | Dune Express |
| Best Innovative Board Game27 | - | - | - | Space Alert |
2010–2019
| Category | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year28 | Hansa Teutonica | Dominant Species | Eclipse | Terra Mystica | Splendor | Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 | Scythe | Gloomhaven | Root | Wingspan |
| Best Strategy Game29 | Hansa Teutonica | Dominant Species | Eclipse | Terra Mystica | Five Tribes | Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 | Scythe | Gloomhaven | Brass: Birmingham | Wingspan |
| Best Wargame30 | Washington's War | A Few Acres of Snow | Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan | 1775: Rebellion | Fire in the Lake | Churchill | Falling Sky: The Gallic Revolt Against Caesar | 878 Vikings: Invasions of England | Hannibal & Hamilcar | Undaunted: Normandy |
| Best Children's Board Game31 | Forbidden Island | Animal Upon Animal: Balancing Bridge | King of Tokyo | Forbidden Desert | Tales & Games: The Hare & the Tortoise | - | - | - | - | - |
| Best 2-Player Board Game32 | Washington's War | A Few Acres of Snow | Android: Netrunner | Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game | Star Realms | 7 Wonders Duel | Star Wars: Rebellion | Codenames: Duet | KeyForge: Call of the Archons | Watergate |
| Best Family Board Game33 | Tobago | 7 Wonders | King of Tokyo | Love Letter | Splendor | Codenames | Codenames: Pictures | Azul | The Quacks of Quedlinburg | Wingspan |
| Best Party Board Game34 | Telestrations | Dixit Odyssey | King of Tokyo | Love Letter | Cash n' Guns 2nd Ed. | Codenames | Codenames: Pictures | Warewords | The Mind | Wavelength |
| Best Card Game35 | Innovation | 7 Cudów Świata | Android: Netrunner | Love Letter | Star Realms | 7 Wonders Duel | Arkham Horror: The Card Game | Century: Spice Road | The Mind | Wingspan |
| Best Board Game Artwork/Presentation36 | - | Merchants & Marauders | Takenoko | Mice and Mystics | Abyss | Mysterium | Scythe | Photosynthesis | Root | Wingspan |
| Best Board Game Expansion37 | Dominion: Prosperity | Twilight Imperium: Shards of the Throne | Alien Frontiers: Factions | Lords of Waterdeep: Scoundrels of Skullport | 7 Wonders: Babel | Ticket to Ride Map Collection: Volume 5 United Kingdom & Pennsylvania | 7 Wonders Duel: Pantheon | Scythe: The Wind Gambit | Scythe: The Rise of Fenris | Wingspan: European Expansion |
| Best Print & Play Board Game38 | Zombie in My Pocket | The Thing | D-Day Dice: Free Trial Version | Tiny Epic Kingdoms & Coin Age | ...and then we held hands... | Dune: The dice game | Star Trek: The Dice Game | My Little Scythe | Orchard: A 9 card solitaire game | TINYforming Mars |
| Best Innovative Board Game39 | Catacombs | A Few Acres of Snow | Risk: Legacy | Love Letter | Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game | Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 | Captain Sonar | Gloomhaven | Root | Wingspan |
| Best Thematic Board Game40 | War of the Ring Collector's Edition | Mansions of Madness | Mage Knight Board Game | Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed Island | Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game | Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 | Scythe | Gloomhaven | Root | Dune |
| Best Abstract Board Game41 | FITS | Paris Connection | Kingdom Builder | Tash-Kalar: Arena of Legends | Patchwork | - | - | - | - | - |
| Best Cooperative Game42 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Mechs vs. Minions | Gloomhaven | The Mind | The Crew: The Quest For Planet Nine |
| Best Solo Game43 | - | - | - | - | Imperial Settlers | Tiny Epic Galaxies | Scythe | Gloomhaven | That's Pretty Clever | Wingspan |
RPG and Video game awards were introduced in 2014 and awarded through 2017. Only 1 category was awarded in 2018, and none in following years.
| Category | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best RPG Artwork/Presentation | Player's Handbook (D&D 5e) | Mouse Guard (2nd Edition) | Volo's Guide to Monsters | Xanathar's Guide to Everything | - |
| Best RPG Supplement Winner | Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set | The Dracula Dossier: Director's Handbook | Volo's Guide to Monsters | Xanathar's Guide to Everything | - |
| RPG of the Year | Dungeon Master's Guide (D&D 5e) Player's Handbook (D&D 5e)Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition) | Blades in the Dark | 7th Sea | Tales from the Loop | - |
| Best Indie Video Game Winner | Star Realms | Rocket League | Stardew Valley | Cuphead | - |
| Best Mobile/Handheld Video Game | Star Realms | Fallout Shelter | Twilight Struggle | Through the Ages | - |
| Best Video Game Visuals/Artwork | The Banner Saga | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Overwatch | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | - |
| Most Innovative Video Game | Galaxy Trucker | - | Pokémon GO | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | - |
| Video Game of the Year Winner | Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft | Multiple Winners | Multiple Winners | Multiple Winners | - |
| Best Board Game App Winner | - | - | Twilight Struggle | Through the Ages | Ganz Schön Clever |
2020–present
2020 saw many awards replaced with new categories, such as "Board Game of the Year" replaced with "Game of the Year, Light", "Medium" and "Heavy".
| Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year, Light44 | MicroMacro: Crime City | Cascadia | Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition | Thunder Road: Vendetta |
| Game of the Year, Medium45 | Lost Ruins of Arnak | The Crew: Mission Deep Sea | Heat: Pedal to the Metal | Earth |
| Game of the Year, Heavy46 | Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion | Ark Nova | Carnegie | Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory |
| Best Wargame47 | Imperial Struggle | Undaunted: Reinforcements | Undaunted: Stalingrad | Undaunted: Battle of Britain |
| Best 2-Player Board Game48 | Undaunted: North Africa | Radlands | Splendor Duel | Sky Team |
| Best Card Game49 | Dune: Imperium | - | - | - |
| Best Board Game Artwork & Presentation50 | On Mars | Sleeping Gods | Flamecraft | The Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition |
| Best Board Game Expansion51 | Wingspan: Oceania Expansion | Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders | Dune: Imperium – Rise of Ix | Ark Nova: Marine Worlds |
| Best Print & Play Board Game52 | 7 Wonders Duel: Solo | Gloomholdin' | Aquamarine | Waypoints |
| Most Innovative Board Game53 | MicroMacro: Crime City | Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile | Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition | Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory |
| Best Thematic Board Game54 | Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion | Sleeping Gods | Heat: Pedal to the Metal | Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory |
| Best Cooperative Game55 | Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion | The Crew: Mission Deep Sea | Return to Dark Tower | Sky Team |
| Best Solo Board Game56 | Under Falling Skies | Final Girl | Turing Machine | Legacy of Yu |
| Best Zoomable Game57 | Forgotten Waters | - | - | - |
| Best Party Game58 | - | So Clover! | Ready Set Bet | That's Not a Hat |
| Best Podcast | So Very Wrong About Games | Board Game Barrage | This Game Is Broken | One Stop Co-Op Shop |
| Best Board Game App | Root (2020) | Gloomhaven | Everdell | Unmatched: Digital Edition |
See also
- Amerigame
- Eurogame
- Going Cardboard (documentary)
External links
References
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