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Giddy Goose 'n Gander: Imagination at Work Overturning Traditional Game-Board Play
As the technology business specialist and games inventor told TDmonthly Magazine, “There are so many people in the games industry that it’s hard to get noticed. It’s why you have to be different and innovative.” With two games ready for distribution, Piratack and Piratitan, and at least two more in the works, Groundwater believes he has the formula to succeed in a tough market.  NO DICE “The first thing we did is to make the games look great,” he shared with TDmonthly. “They’re hand drawn and jump out at you visually. The second thing we did is to do away with the same old game play, where you roll the dice and move your piece around the board over and over again.” So, instead of dice, Piratack has cards. Instead of moving a piece around the board repetitively, it has stages where the rules change. Instead of playing it at a predictable pace, it comes with a timer. As Groundwater put it, “Our games add a dimension of chance and excitement in ways that traditional game boards don’t. It’s that simple.” FROM PLAY TO BUSINESS Groundwater first decided to take game invention seriously after getting some feedback from friends regarding an early version of Piratack. “For a number of years now, I have had various ideas about games. However, a couple of years ago, while on the beach with a bunch of friends, one evening I suggested we play the game I had been working on in my spare time,” Groundwater told TDmonthly.  The reaction from his friends was positive. One of them, a graphic designer, teamed up with Groundwater and started to develop the idea and the game. “Things just grew after that,” said Groundwater. He believes his team now can do much of the design work that they once had to outsource. Manufacturing, of course, is outsourced and will continue to be outsourced, but the biggest lesson he’s learned so far is that much of his own experience in other industries can be applied to the game industry. From negotiating with business interests internationally to rolling up his sleeves and doing some of the technical work himself, he feels confident in forging ahead with new games and new ideas. FLEXIBILITY FOR SPECIALTY Groundwater also believes his production setup is a good fit for the specialty retailer. His international experience allows him a direct line to production facilities and he can produce unique orders when necessary. As Groundwater said, “I love specialty retailers because they’re flexible. Well, I’m flexible, too.” Since Groundwater’s first games deal with pirates — a favorite theme among boys and the specialty toy-store owners who serve them — he could be getting those “flexible” orders quite soon:
 Writer's Bio: Dennis Furlan is a freelance writer who lives just outside of Toronto, Canada. He works on a variety of writing and editorial jobs with clients and publications worldwide. Dennis is proud to be part of the TDmonthly team, serving as a regional correspondent for the northwestern U.S. Read more articles by this author |
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