Chattanooga Area Board Gaming Landscape

Chattanooga Area Board Gaming Landscape

LAST UPDATED 11/10/2021 @ 12:45 EST

Below are the results of a survey that I posted on 10/10/21 to the following Facebook groups:

The goal was to understand the Chattanooga area board game landscape. I’m posting the results here to guide hosts in crafting an offering that matches the availability and preferences of the player base. I also hope it encourages people to host after seeing their events can align with the needs of the board game community.

The data below represents 46 responses collected as-of 11/08/21@20:22EST. I could only afford one month of the survey service, so the survey closed on 11/10.

Where?

QUESTION 1

GAME EVENTS: In a typical month, how many of those DAYS did you play a board game?

 

The cluster falls near the bottom, with most people playing less than 12 games a month (or 3 games or less a week). That equates to 96% playing once a month, 85% playing twice a month, and %67 playing weekly.

QUESTION 2

Of the above GAME EVENTS, how many times did you play at a public venue (cafe, bar, store, etc.)?

 

Either there is a lack of venues (or venue hours), and/or people dislike playing outside their relationship circles.

QUESTION 3

Of the above GAME EVENTS, how many times did you play at another person's home (do NOT count games played at a friend's or relative's house)?

 

QUESTION 5

About how many MINUTES would you drive to attend a game event?

The “Includes” numbers: If a person is willing to drive 90 minutes, then it’s reasonable to conclude they’d also be willing to drive shorter distances as well. So longer response are also counted in the the shorter durations. It’s included as the RED portion of the graph so you can see how it was added.

 

85% of respondents are willing to drive at least 30 minutes for a game. That covers most surrounding communities. Lafayette is just outside that 30 minutes zone, but only needs an additional 10 minutes for inclusion.

 Duration   Persons   Include 
15 7 0
30 19 20
45 8 12
60 8 4
90 4
TOTAL 46

Drivetime area of 30 minutes per TravelTime.com

When?

QUESTION 4

What times and days of the week are you typically available for a game (check all that apply)?

 

Tuesday evenings rival the weekend demand. Which coincides with my availability to host. So I’ll be offering a game night offering on Tuesdays. The downtown pub scene appears pretty strong on Wednesday nights, but it appears that group is not represented in the survey responses because Wednesday is comparatively low.

Weight?

QUESTIONS 6 to 9

The final questions of the survey focused on player willingness in regards to different game weights. The “weight” of a game relates to its complexity and the typical duration for that level of complexity.

Willingness Scale

  • NEVER: I would never play this type of game

  • OCCASIONALLY: I would occasionally play this type of game

  • REGULARLY: I would regularly play this type of game

  • PREFER: I prefer to play this type of game the most

  • ONLY: I would only play this type of game

Weight Scale

  • LIGHT (less than 45 minutes)

  • MEDIUM (45 to 90 minutes)

  • HEAVY (1 to 2 hours)

  • MASSIVE (3 to 8 hours)

QUESTION 6

How willing are you to play a PARTY or LIGHT game (i.e., typically finished in less than 45 minutes, easy, and not a lot of rules, components, or game mechanisms)?

QUESTION 7

How willing are you to play a MEDIUM game (i.e., typically between 45 to 90 minutes. Not overly complex but does have at least some strategy or tactics or meaningful player decisions)?

QUESTION 8

How willing are you to play a HEAVY game (i.e., 1 to 2 hours and quite a few components or game mechanisms)?

QUESTION 9

How willing are you to play a BIG AND HEAVY game (i.e., 3 to 8 hours and usually quite involved)?

 
 Light   Medium   Heavy   Massive 
 Never  0 0 0 4
 Occasionally  27 1 11 33
 Regularly  18 33 23 8
 Preferred  1 12 12 1
 Only  0 0 0 0

Heat map of the weighted data