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Ideas

Ideas

Inside the board game renaissance

Can a cardboard box take over your mind? What the new generation of board game designers is doing to an old-fashioned pastime.

Kevin Spak and Sam Liberty are obsessed with fun. Fun is what keeps them up at night and what gets them out of bed in the morning. They think about fun the way a chef thinks about flavor, the way a symphony conductor thinks about sound. For the past nine years, starting when they were in college, Spak and Liberty have been trying to understand how fun works — to discover new forms of it, to figure out ways to conjure it and trap it in a box.

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