What is Essen SPIEL?
At the beginning of October every year, the world of board and card games will celebrate its annual high point at SPIEL, the world’s largest games convention at the Essen Exhibition Center. This year there will be more than 950 exhibitors from 56 nations attending with thousands of visitors from all over the world. There are around 1,500 new releases to discover this year and even more content to see, with EDUCATOR’S DAY and Research Day both having panels and lectures by leading scientists and professionals in their respective fields relating to use of games in education and cultural fields.
Essen SPIEL 2022 review from board game designers and industry professionals
We interviewed some of the most influential and interesting people in the Board Game Industry to give us their thoughts on some of the most common questions on everyone's mind every year.
Richard Garfield - Board Game Designer on Magic the Gathering and King of Tokyo
What is your favorite part of the convention experience in Essen?
It has been many years since I have attended, and the Pandemic and young twins (5 years old now) have helped extend my absence. Probably not next year either... but maybe after that?
The best part for me has always been walking the halls and seeing as much as I can. This sounds obvious, but until I really concentrated on this, I would spend too much time learning specific games.
After the hall as closed, meeting with friends and colleagues to share what we learned and try out new games is probably even better than that, though.
What are you most excited about seeing/playing this year?
If I were there... I probably would not be looking forward to any particular game. I am much more interested in the games I don't know about than in the ones that I will be able to catch up on easily after the event.
What’s the advice you’d give to someone attending Essen for the first time?
See as much as possible. Don't get caught spending too much time on stuff that will be readily available. Try to discover something unanticipated.
What’s something you’re working on now and would like to share with our community?
My games that are new, or pretty new:
Creature Feature (a bluffing game for 3-6)
Dice Hunters of Therion, or Wurfelhelden (A light and fast dice game)
Dungeons, Dice, and Danger (A roll and write dungeon crawl)
Sol Forge Fusion (A procedurally generated card game)
From my other current projects, the most interesting, are a few digital autobattlers. I think it is a really rich design space that has a lot of tabletop game elements to it.
Ole Steiness - Board Game Designer on Champions of Midgard
What is your favorite part of the convention experience in Essen?
That would be seeing all the new stuff, especially mid-level, highly thematic action/adventure games.
What are you most excited about seeing/playing this year?
I don't know what I will get the chance to play, but I am most excited about seeing some old friends and collaborators among the publishers.
What’s the advice you’d give to someone attending Essen for the first time?
Don't wait until Sunday buying the games you want, as the hot ones sell out quickly. Also, take advantage of the outer walkways between the halls - it's a nice way to get some fresh air, to skip past the most crowded areas to get somewhere fast, and to get a break and perhaps buy a snack from the food wagons.
What’s something you’re working on now and would like to share with our community?
Lots of thematic stuff! I have both dice and card games, and would even like to do a Legacy game (but it takes time). I might be doing more stuff for the upcoming Deep Rock Galactic board game... and maybe something to follow up on Champions of Midgard…
Tom Vasel - Founder and Host for Dice Tower
What is your favorite part of the convention experience in Essen?
Seeing the international community. There are board gamers from all over the world!
What are you most excited about seeing/playing this year?
I am excited about the new CGE releases, but there are literally hundreds of new games. I'm excited to find a hidden gem that I've never even heard of!
What’s the advice you’d give to someone attending Essen for the first time?
Realize that you can't see everything, and just go and have fun! Also, wear comfortable shoes.
What’s something you’re working on now and would like to share with our community?
We'll be doing a blog from Essen, so you can see what it's like for yourself!
Cyrielle Mathieu - Community Manager & Press Officer Blue Orange Games
Blue Orange Games, have been publishing and promoting award-winning games for over 18 years. Some of their more well know titles are Kingdomino, Queendomino, Photosynthesis and Dobble!/Spot it!
What is your favorite part of the convention experience in Essen?
Meeting people from all around the world! As press officer, it’s the biggest event I’m attending, and I can finally meet partners from a lot of countries. It’s so nice to talk about our games and other stuff. I’m very sociable, and I like to meet new people, discover their passion for games, sharing some cultural information. And I really like to travel with my workmates, it’s so nice to be out of the office together. We’re on the booth all day and the night we’re looking for good places to eat (trust me they have excellent taste).
What are you most excited about seeing/playing this year?
As a publisher, I’ll be mostly on my booth, so I don’t have a lot of free time to visit the fair and play. So it will be a surprise for me to discover games on other booths, to see what is trending this year.
What’s the advice you’d give to someone attending Essen for the first time?
Last year was my first time at Essen, so I have some advice to give you! First, take some good and comfortable shoes because the fair is huge, you’re going to walk a lot, and it can be exhausting at the end of the day. Read carefully the plan if you have specific games you want to see/try, note them and go to the publisher booth. Second, don’t be shy and join a table to play, even if you’re alone. It’s the best occasion to meet new players and have a good time. Third, use the large outdoor areas (big white doors) to navigate between the halls, you’ll save time. This year, we hope for a real fair packed with a lot of people (in 2021 the attendance was reduced by half due to the Covid) so if you can skip crowded areas, go ahead.
What’s something you’re working on now and would like to share with our community?
We have great games who are coming this year and beginning of 2023, if you like kids games check Bubbles Stories Holidays, Gummiland (to learn deck building), if you like games for 2 check Volto and if you want a game with some strategy and reflection, you’ll like Mech a Dream. For 2023, I can already tell you that Next Station Tokyo will be released.
Mindful Phill - Writer for Board Game Quest and Roll & Mind
What is your favorite part of the convention experience in Essen?
My three main favourite parts of a convention are:
- Playing and demoing games is my key activity in such conventions. Many publishers will release new games during the convention, or showcase games planned to be released soon. You can also try out games under development, still in the prototype stage.
- Buying your favourite games is the most exciting part of attending a convention. With many board games and promos exclusive to the event, it is a unique opportunity to get hold of games that will not be in retail anytime soon. It is also common to find exclusive "collection" or "deluxe" versions of games designed for crowdfunding that will never reach retail stores.
- Finally, I would attend a couple of workshops or events exclusive to the convention to get a break from the busy hall corridors.
What are you most excited about seeing/playing this year?
We have prepared and published a list of the Top Ten Anticipated Board Games at Essen Spiel 2022. Do not miss checking this one out!
What’s the advice you’d give to someone attending Essen for the first time?
It would be best if you prepared adequately for Essen Spiel, as it is a massive convention which can be overwhelming. Prepare a list of the top games you want to play during the event and the publishers you want to visit. It is highly advisable to preorder games for collection during the fair if the publisher allows you to do so. Prioritize buying the games on your list sooner than later because the most popular games run out of stock early in the event.
In summary, plan your attendance carefully so that you do not get lost and overwhelmed by the number of stands and activities.
What’s something you’re working on now and would like to share with our community?
Working with Board Game Quest, I have started what I hope to become a series of interviews with new but renowned designers that "think outside the game box" to create unique experiences around critical themes for the current times.
Our first interview was with Elizabeth Hargrave, who brought awareness of the games' industry to a new generation of game themes with Wingspan, winner of the 2019 Kennerspiel des Jahres. Elizabeth is vocal about diversity in the game industry, especially regarding women and nonbinary Board Game Designers.
I founded the website Roll & Mind to promote diversity and inclusivity in the games industry and community. And we have since started bringing our articles to Board Game Quest to reach a wider audience.
Belén Moreno Garrido - Marketing Manager for Corvus Belli
What is your favorite part of the convention experience in Essen?
To be able to see so many games in one place (this year 1185 new games are presented), and to be aware of the number of people who share the same interest.
What are you most excited about seeing/playing this year?
For us, without a doubt the presentation of Warcrow Adventures.
From competing games, "Lacrimosa" by Devir (Spanish publisher) and "Flowar" by Ediciones Primigenio (also Spanish) are very interesting for me.
What’s the advice you’d give to someone attending Essen for the first time?
For the exhibitor, I would let him breathe and focus on his own booth. The competition is enormous, but don't lose focus.
As a player, make an itinerary and be clear about what you want to see or try.
What’s something you’re working on now and would like to share with our community?
Warcrow Adventures is what we are presenting at Essen. A narrative dungeon crawler set in our new fantasy universe.
Frédéric Vuagnat - Board Game Designer on Vivarium
What is your favorite part of the convention experience in Essen?
My favorite part of Essen SPIEL as a "professional" is it's a perfect place to see at the same time all my game designer and publisher friends. So it's always a pleasure to walk in the hall of Essen, stumbling on friends from everywhere.
What are you most excited about seeing/playing this year?
The game I'm waiting the most should be My Island, the sequel of My city. It was such a blast, can't wait to see what they put in this one.
What’s the advice you’d give to someone attending Essen for the first time?
Take very comfortable shoes! We walk so much in the 3-4 days!
What’s something you’re working on now and would like to share with our community?
I'm glad to see my new game Vivarium at Essen Spiel, only a few weeks before the official release. Can't tell anything else yet about other projects, or my publishers will send contract killers to me. Maybe I can tell it's about licenses and huge IP's...Knok Knok...Bang Bang
Marc Paquien - Board Game Designer on Pan’s Island and Yamatai
What is your favorite part of the convention experience in Essen?
I like these sides of the convention: Meeting other designers or illustrators in a conference room, or in a restaurant. Discovering their early prototypes and talking with them.
What are you most excited about seeing/playing this year?
To be honest, I didn't spend so much time to study upcoming releases. But Starship Captains makes me curious, because I like the theme and CGE games.
What’s the advice you’d give to someone attending Essen for the first time?
Plan your accommodation long before, in order to rest as close as possible: it's crowded!
What’s something you’re working on now and would like to share with our community?
I am currently working on an abstract game called "Tetra", co designed with my friend Cédric Millet ("Meeple circus" designer). Here is a picture of the prototype:
Micha Le Bourhis - Head of Asmodee Research & Access+ studio, France
Micha is the head of Asmodee Research & Access+ studio, a part of the Asmodee publishing group which is the biggest such group in the world. Thier portfolio of iconic game titles includes Catan, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Dead of Winter, Splendor, 7 Wonders, Just One, Dobble/Spot It!, KeyForge and Star Wars: X-Wing. Asmodee operates in Europe, North America, South America and Asia.
What is your favorite part of the convention experience in Essen?
Meeting with the international Asmodee Family and industry friends. I also enjoy feeling the hype of the new trends in the game design industry.
What are you most excited about seeing/playing this year?
I’m most looking forward to trying Twilight Inscription (from inside the Asmodee group) and The Wolves (outside the Asmodee group)
What’s the advice you’d give to someone attending Essen for the first time?
Try to come on Thursday / Friday!! ( and avoid Saturday / Sunday) haha
What’s something you’re working on now and would like to share with our community?
Check out the content from the educators’ day and the researchers’ day programs to see how playing is going beyond entertainment 😉
What we learned about SPIEL:
We hope this insight was more than helpful to those of you attending this year, or even the ones who are missing the fair, but still wanted to know more about it. Essen SPIEL is an amazing place for any board game enthusiast, no matter the position in the industry, or even if you just play the games. So just wear comfortable shoes, explore the convention space and have fun meeting new people and playing new games! Enjoy the convention and share with us your findings on social media.
To finish things off, I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to this article. You guys, gals and nonbinary friends are amazing!
