For many board gamers, Spiel des Jahres is simply the little red pawn on a game box. Spotting it on a shelf often suggests that a game is worth paying attention to. That's not only true in the German-speaking board game world, but also in many other countries, including the UK. Over the years, winners such as The Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and Ticket to Ride have helped establish the award as one of the most influential honours in tabletop gaming. Yet, there is a lot more to this story. According to its own history and mission statements, the annual prize was never intended to be the end goal. Instead, it was created as a tool to encourage people to play games, to promote games as a cultural asset, and to help the wider public discover the value of gathering around a table. In the first in a series of articles, I want to look at this further.Read the full article here: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2026/06/09/spiel-des-jahres-the-award-that-was-never-really-about-awards-topic-discussion/Listen to the audio version here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5jjJj4NG0ZkkTn1bk3tHZi?si=_7Jij4mNRHaZd8sm8KoKFw#boardgames #SpielDesJahres #SdJ #awards
