Coming May 23rd!

It's that time of year again!

Omaha Gives! is a 24-hour online giving event organized by the Omaha Community Foundation to grow philanthropy in Douglas, Sarpy, and Pottawattamie counties. The goal is to inspire the community to come together for 24 hours to give as much as possible to support the work of public 501c3 nonprofits in the metro area. We have a few community members who truly LOVE what Spielbound does, and they want to encourage others to learn more about us, too! They will match every donation to us through Omaha Gives! up to $5,000! So if you donated $100, it will turn into a $200 donation!

The funds raised here will be a big help as we:

1. Prepare for Omaha Protospiel
2. Prepare for increasing demand for curriculm games for teachers
3. Create a new part-time administrative position to handle all of our growing community programs

Please take advantage of this once-a-year opportunity!

Spielbound strives to educate, engage, and create community through board games. We are a thriving community center for people of all ages, featuring a library of over 2,000 donated board games. Funds received support:

1. Education - providing teachers games and lessons for their classrooms.
2. Stay Sharp Seniors - providing games for seniors to prevent dementia.
3. Spielmasons - game creation and play-testing group.
4. Everyone Plays - teaching games almost every day of the year!

What is Protospiel Omaha?

Protospiel Omaha is a convention that brings together board game designers and players to play test unreleased prototypes which are under development. We are excited to bring you Omaha's first Protospiel June 1-3, 2018 at the Sheraton Omaha Hotel!

Designers Get Crucial Feedback.

Protospiel events are conventions for game designers to test their prototype games. If you have a work-in-progress prototype you'd like to get feedback on, this is one of the very best ways to do it. This is also an ideal way to get last looks before setting a meeting with a publisher or launching a Kickstarter campaign.

Here's what to expect: A bunch of designers and playtesters in a room of open-play tables, informally taking turns playing each other's games and providing feedback. There are no assigned tables or schedules. Just bring your games and get them played, then reciprocate by playing other designers' games.

Players Have So Much Fun.

If you're a gamer and would love a chance to play new games and shape their direction before you can buy them, sign up to be a Spielbound, the only nonprofit dedicated to improving communities though play of board games. Spielmasons is Spielbound's game design group and has several members who have already published games and won a number of game design competitions. They meet weekly in Spielbound's game library and invite all to present and/or test original game designs for constructive feedback. As frequent attendees of board game design conventions, we are excited to host the inaugural Protospiel Omaha and provide both designers and playtesters with a great experience.

Games for Geri!

When selecting games with the just right amount of challenge, age is commonly used to help identify appropriate game recommendations. We see it on almost every game box, for ages 3 and up, ages 8 and up. I am here to represent the “and up” population. As adults we see the benefits of providing children with the opportunity to game. We understand the multiple benefits such as developing fine motor coordination, problem solving, attention, memory, recall, and social interaction skills. However, most people do not realize that for the same reasons we provide children with the opportunities to game is the very reason why we should be promoting gaming for our elders. Spielbound’s Senior Outreach programming is geared at educating the public including health professionals, and seniors about the benefits of geriatric gaming. Spielbound’s Senior Outreach is also interested in developing ways to provide opportunities for seniors of all ages and abilities to participate in games to promote overall quality of life.

This summer we will be hosting two camps for middle school-aged students interested in board games (May 30 – June 1) and board game design (June 11–15).

Spielbound Board Game Essentials Day Camp

From May 30th to June 1st, Spielbound will be hosting a three-day board game camp for middle school students. Board games can be an instrumental tool to grow and encourage skills in spatial reasoning, math, critical thinking, group work and cooperation. Throughout the days, students will have an opportunity to learn games from multiple genres with the help of Spielbound staff and volunteers. The games selected for the camp will give students a comprehensive understanding of the skills and fun to be gained through collaboration and play. The final day will end with a session where parents and Spielbound volunteers will learn games from the student in the camp. Lunch will be provided each day, send any dietary restrictions or accessibility requests to greg [at] spielbound.org and we will work to accomodate them in advance.

Board Game Design Day Camp

From June 11th to June 15th, Spielbound will be hosting a five-day board game design camp for middle school students. Board games can be an instrumental tool to grow and encourage skills in spatial reasoning, math, critical thinking, group work and cooperation. Throughout this camp, students will have an opportunity to learn games from multiple genres with the help of Spielbound staff and volunteers, to identify the structures of board game design, and to then design a working prototype of their own original board game. They will get to work with members of Spielbound's Spielmason board game design group, who have printed and published multiple games. The games selected for the camp will give students a comprehensive understanding of the skills and fun to be gained through collaboration and play, and the design process will help them gain skills in graphic design, creative writing, and collaboration.

The camp will end on Friday the 15th with a demo session where students will teach their games to family, friends, and Spielbound volunteers from 3pm-5pm.

Lunch will be provided each day, send any dietary restrictions, accessibility needs, or questions of any kind to greg [at] spielbound.org and we will work to accomodate them in advance and get you the answers we need.

We <3 Board Games!.

"Hello friend!"

"Hello friend!"

This greeting has become pervasive at home as my 1-year-old hits buttons on her talking toys repeatedly clearly in search of a flaw in the machine.

"Hello friend!"

"Hello friend!"

...

I happened to be opening a new board game when I last heard this. Popping out the cardboard tokens, sorting the meeples, and putting the pieces into zip-top baggies - there's a unique joy in this ritual. Even when you've done it as much as I have cataloging hundreds of games for the Spielbound library. Still, while I have some favorites, my love of board games comes not from the material possession, but from the play with friends*. From the confused look after getting the "Do Something" token playing Magic Maze to the relish of winning a close game of Majesty where everyone scored ~150 points to the look of disbelief when the village removed an innocent villager (again) in Werewolf - the games are the medium (or even the MacGuffin), as the memorable experiences all require the participation of friends!