GiftTRAP Story on Castanet - Local game goes global
GAMES Magazine Best Party Game of the year 2007/2008
We heard a rumor last night (Oct 8th’07) GiftTRAP was tipped to win GAMES Magazine Best Party Game of the year 2007/2008.
Prior winners include Apples to Apples, Snorta, Cranium Hoopla and Wits & Wagers. If you need a new cool game this holiday you know where to look!
It’s great to be a member of this exclusive club.
"The best partygame since Cranium. Simply a fantastic concept."
GiftTRAP is on sale in Norway in the for Christmas and the first reviews are in.
The review is by Brett Spill Guiden and it’s in Norwegian. We hope to post some more extracts soon.
That’s such an awesome quote, it’s great to be compared to such a successful game.
What’s interesting is that the game is in English (with Norwegian rules) . Lots or Norwegians speak perfect English so its not that strange. Even more amazing was the reactions to GiftTRAP in France when we launched a year ago. At the time GiftTRAP was available in English only. Given how the French generally don’t tolerate “English Only” product this is impressive. A year later we have now produced a English/French version which will be in the stores shortly.
We look forward to hearing more reviews from Norway.
Thanks!
GiftTRAP wins prestigious "2007 Game of the Year Award"
Reknowned game expert and inventor Bruno Faidutti reviews games from his “Ideal Game Library” throughout the year. GiftTRAP was selected for the 2007 Game of the Year. Bruno’s reviews are highly respected throughout the industry.
Bruno selected these games from a shortlist of 7 and finally chose them because they are “more original, more refreshing”. Bruno hopes they are “forerunners of new nice trends in the game world trends toward gorgeous bits, strong theme, fun and nastiness.”
Click here for more
We’d like to thank Bruno for the recognition - it’s much appreciated.
GiftTRAP wins 2007 Board Game Podcaster Award
GiftTRAP was nominated and won Best Game from a New Publisher.
We’re very honored to have won and we’d like to thank all those people who voted for GiftTRAP.
Find links to all the awards and listen to the podcast announcing "Best Game from a New Publisher"
Here are the links to the contributing podcasts and blogs
The awards are organized by collaboration of respected board game bloggers from around the world.
GiftTRAP cited by Creative Commons presentation at Yahoo Creative Talk at Stanford
Eric Steuer, Creative Director of Creative Commons gave a presentation at the Yahoo Creative Talk on July 11th 2007 at Stanford.
GiftTRAP was cited as a success story for the use of Creative Commons licensed images. Thanks for the mention!
We really couldn’t have made the game without the huge database of Creative Commons images to choose from. Today there are over 5million images on Flickr alone. Keep up the good work!
Watch this space for our next release of the game using lots more images without all the complications of Copyright. California, we have something special for you.
Some may conclude the use of CC images is a bad thing, we have found it to be very positive and even though we have access to a range of photo libraries, we will always use a CC image if a quality image is available simply because of the conversations it generates and the fact that we involve more people in the game.
It’s just makes good marketing sense.
We believe GiftTRAP is the first game to be based on CC images.
Valentines Beware: Gift-Giving Opinion Poll Unveils Honest Feedback is the Best Gift you can Give
Our 1st annual Holiday Gift opinion poll uncovered a costly chasm between those who give and those who receive;
- 65% wanted honest feedback if they gave a bad gift
- In contrast only 15% gave honest feedback to admit they didn’t like a gift
- We’ve named this 50% disparity the ‘Gift Gap’
The glaring double standard is that we mostly want to receive honest feedback, but we are unwilling to return the favor and actually give others this feedback.
This begs a very important question: How do we find a socially acceptable way of telling people we dont like their gift?
Our survey indicated that 68% of gifts were inspired by conversations with friends, thus our inability to be honest perpetuates the great re-gifting cycle. A complex bluffing game exists below the surface resulting in a mountain of wasted resource that fuels the e-Bay/re-gifting economy.
Our survey estimated each person gave $250 of unwanted gifts this Holiday and found 35% of gifts were unloved and that each person spent a little over $750. The lifetime cost per person of bad giving is $8,000 just on Holiday gifts alone.
Gift giving isn’t just reserved for the holidays. When you think about it we waste money through out the year.
How are we going to narrow the Gift Gap and rid the world of unwanted gifts? Are you ready willing and able to give honest feedback next time you receive a gift? How will you begin conversations that reveal your passions that lead to better gifts?
With Valentines Day only weeks away we don’t have long to wait to put your honesty to the test.
The poll is still running with over 8,500 responses from over 850 respondents so far.
Two peacocks or a pair of designer jeans?
Jacqueline Jung write articles for ‘Nights and Weekend’ on travel, fitness, and humorous bits of everyday life. The site includes reviews of movies, books, music, and board games.
Here’s an extract from Jacqueline’s review of GiftTRAP
‘My stylish 12-year-old would rather receive two peacocks than a pair of designer jeans? You learn quite a bit about your friends and family while playing GiftTRAP.’
‘We thoroughly enjoyed GiftTRAP and are looking forward to more amusing evenings around this board game. Maybe my husband will give me that romantic weekend in Venice.’
Just how well do you know the people in your life?
Lynn Little, BellaOnline’s Board Game Editor reviews GiftTRAP
Here’s an extract
‘Playing the game can really give insight into what to give people as gifts. I played with my husband, thinking this would be the easiest way to move on both tracks pretty fast. I learned that I do not know him as well as I thought I did when it comes to buying him gifts. It was an eye-opening experience and a lot of fun at the same time.’
‘It’s easy to learn to play and is a lot of fun to mull over the options of gifts. GiftTRAP is a crowd pleaser and can really show you just how well you know the people in your life’
GiftTRAP Makes the Party Game Top 5 for 2006
Bernie DeKoven of Major Fun has just announced his top 5 party games for 2006
GiftTRAP was listed alongside Wits & Wagers & Quelf.
GiftTRAP is awarded Les Trois Coeurs
Les Trois Cours is an award for top ranking games which you will not grow tired of created by François Haffner.
The list is deliberately an exclusive club. We’re honored to see GiftTRAP listed alongside great games games like Bohnanza, Caylus, Jungle Speed, Torres & Puerto Rico. Here’s a short extract from the review (translated from French.)
‘GiftTRAP It is beautiful, it is funny and it will decorate your Christmas tree.’
Gift Ideas for All Occasions
Meryl Evans content maven and publisher of Gift Ideas for All Occasions just posted a review for GiftTRAP. Here’s an extract.
‘At first glance, it looks like a game promoting materialism and the gimmes, but instead the game is about great conversations, laughs and getting to know each other better.’
‘Imagine how hilarious it was to hear another player admit to wanting laser hair removal treatment. Not exactly something to give as a gift, but it loosened up everyone in the room within seconds.’
‘Something interesting lurks in the game instructions: a Creative Commons license! This is the first Ive seen in a game, heck anything outside of the Internet.’
GiftTRAP gets thankfully considered
Listen to Mark Kinney, Chris Heim & Carole of All Games Considered.
Heres a few random extracts
I like it, its quick to learn. There are only 5 steps
I like the different decks. Each deck represents a certain price level. The cheapest gifts are somewhat harder.
It passes the heft value test. As far as party games go, its a very cool one. The strategy is about figuring people out. Its a cool concept overall.
‘It’s a good chic game’
‘It would rock to submit an image under creative commons licensing
‘We all figured you wanted to swim with Dolphins, but it turns out dolphins and water skiing are completely different’
‘We all picked a fully furnished home-office cause were all geeks like that!’
Giving and getting is a whole Ying Yang thing!’
‘There are gifts in here to appeal to the hobby gamer like a teepee and getting to drive a tank’
‘I can see a cross-promotional marketing potential like a Disney set of GiftTRAP!’
‘GiftTRAP are raising money for Right To Play for children in developing countries’
Gift giving goes to Babylon
Listen to Eric Burgess of Boardgame Babylon review GiftTRAP along with Quelf.
Here’s a few quotes from Eric.
‘I am very fond of it and would like to lend my voice to the positive views.’
‘I love these fantastic high quality components - GiftTRAP is most definitely a good game’
‘I really think this is a winner. I like the game a whole lot and think that it is a terrific game to play with pretty much anyone. There is no reason why you cannot get people to the table for this one. I think a real winner and good for all audiences certainly you cannot go wrong with the look of the game ֖ it is absolutely gorgeous and full of components. A big thumbs up for me on this one I think this is a party game we will be enjoying for many years to come.’
Good Gift Game Guides 2006
Here’s an extract from the 2006 Good Gift Game Guide featured in Seattle’s Morning News
‘I was prepared to dismiss this game as little more than a celebration of materialism, but unexpectedly found myself loving it: It’s well-designed, hilarious, and a terrific conversation stimulant’ - Matthew Baldwin
GiftTRAP is also listed in Chicago Tribunes Top Ten Games for 2006
‘In this fun-filled conversation-starter, secretly pick the gifts you’d like to give and you’d like to get. Score points for giving--and getting--great surprise gifts, and lose points for giving lousy ones. Even after the game is over, expect a lot of, “That was the perfect gift! You know me so well!” Or, “Why on Earth would you think I’d ever want a train ride as a gift?!”’ - Eric Gwinn
Massive Play Weekend hits Shaw Cable
Learn all about GiftTRAP as Shaw’s Tim Morton interviews Nick Kellet and his eldest daughter Freya, the original inspiration for the game.
GiftTRAP hits home at Creative Commons with Cool Contest
Here’s your chance to get your name on a card game as the inventor, all thanks to the guys at Creative Commons!
We got introduced to Creative Commons’s CEO, Lawrence Lessig by Steve Jurvetson, one of our photo contributors.
Steve also happens to be a major VC in Silicon Valley and the guy that coined the term ‘Viral Marketing’. He’s also a Flickr fanatic, which was how we first connected.
Talking with Lawrence inspired us to think of a contest to create rules for a card game derived from the gifts published in GiftTRAP.
You’ve heard of remixing music, but now we’ve taken remixing into a new domain! GiftTRAP Experience will be the world’s first remixed party game.
Eric Steuer, Creative Director for Creative Commons, commented ‘GiftTrap is a fantastic party game. This contest—and the idea of using a Creative Commons license to encourage people to make their own versions of the the game—will prove to be both smart marketing and a creative way for gamers to experience the fun. I love the idea of new versions of the game coming out frequently. Especially when those new versions are based on user submissions. Very cool!’
Next thing GiftTRAP’s contestis featured on their home page.
Think you can improve on the rules for our free sample card game? Submit your ideas and if we pick your game we will create this new product and credit you with the design for the rules. We’ll also ship you a case of GiftTRAP and solve all you Christmas gift giving woes in a stroke!
GiftTRAP Getting High Marks at Board Game Geek
See our rating
It’s the most well regarded board game resource on the web and a hub of heated debate. The 7.0 rating for GifTRAP is amazing because these enthusiasts are very hard judges.
High-profile games like Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, Scruples & Mad Gab are rated in the 4’s and 5’s on Board Game Geek, so we’re very excited about the response so far.
Craving for a good game?
"It is a great party and a strategy game, all combined in one. Players laugh about what they received while trying to strategize to score the most points. I was really impressed with the game." Buck Lum, Craving for a Game
Click here for the full review
GiftTRAP wins new award for a kinder kind of fun
‘GiftTRAP is a party game about giving each other gifts. The better you are at giving people the things they really want, the better you do at the game.
How do you like that for a party game premise? giving each other presents… Well, we loved it!
GiftTRAP is masterfully packaged, .. [but] ... the game itself that deserves the most attention, and praise. Praise, because it’s probably the first and only party game in which empathy is a strategically valuable commodity, empathy and intuition, sensitivity and appreciation, even.
GiftTRAP is a new kind of party game. A kinder kind. A Major FUN kind.’
We received the award from majorfun.com’s Bernie DeKoven.
Thanks Bernie we love your insight.
GiftTRAP makes Faidutti's "The Very Best" List
"There are many ‘psychological party games’, but GiftTRAP is one of the very best, simply because it’s one of the most fun to play" Bruno Faidutti
He awarded GiftTRAP 5/5 for the game and 4/5 for graphics and components. That’s pretty high marks! Bruno also placed GiftTRAP into his prestigious "Very Best Board Games” list.
Click for more info and links to the full review
GiftTRAP : Dinner party gift for great conversations
"If you want great conversation at your next gathering, you need to get GiftTRAP - for yourself or as a gift for the host". Keith Ferrazzi
Click for more
CHBC's Sandy Dawson learns how to give the perfect gift
Sandy Dawson of CHBC’s OK Now learns how to give the perfect gift. Here’s the clip where Sandy interviews GiftTRAP’s Nick Kellet and Madhouse Creative’s Scott Davis. Great work Sandy!
WCNY's talk show features GiftTRAP
Scott Nicholson of Board Games with Scott previews GiftTRAP on live TV. Our CNY is a daily TV talk show, featuring the people, places and happenings of Central New York communities hosted by George Kilpatrick. Scott recommended a number of games to play including GiftTRAP. Here’s the clip where Scott teaches George, Michelle & Beverley how to play. Great job Scott! For a full copy of the video clip check out http://www.boardgameswithscott.com
Scott Nicholson : GiftTRAP gets an 'A'
"Big kudos, people are attracted to the packaging and get excited when I pull out the gift bags. Big thumbs up for its production!
GiftTRAP is best played with people you know and can laugh with and have fun with. It’s a fun game where you laugh and giggle about what people want. I give this game an ‘A’ with people you know." Scott Nicholson
To watch the full review click here
Greg Schloesser: GiftTRAP is simply fun!
"I’ve really been enjoying the game, and want to compliment you on a fine party game. The production value is top notch”
“GiftTRAP is simply fun, and evokes continuous outbursts of surprise, frustration and laughter as gifts are revealed. Within the confines of a family gathering or get-together with friends, the game truly shines. GiftTRAP is truly a gift worth giving or getting!" Greg Schloesser
Want to see more ....
Tom Vasel : GiftTRAP is a blast!
"GiftTRAP was a blast, and a roaring success with all those I played it. I give GiftTRAP a high recommendation. Given the natural theme of the game - the giving of gifts, most people I teach it to pick it up quite easily. With lavish production values, and enjoyable, quick gameplay (our games lasted about 45 minutes), GiftTRAP is an interesting party game that I think most folk should check out.” Tom Vasel
Want to see more ....
Dogma Radio interviews GiftTRAP's Nick Kellet
Hear all about the interview with Dogma Radio’s Roland Tanglao and GiftTRAP’s Nick Kellet
Click here to download and play the Podcast. 3,000+ downloads
Are you a reviewer?
Are you a journalist? Do you work in TV/Radio? Are you blogger, a game club organizer or just an enthusiast/expert for board games , gift giving and social interaction?
If you’d like to review GiftTRAP we’d love to hear from you.
Get in touch
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