Researchscape conducted a series of one-question polls as background research to its survey of Kickstarter backers.
In a poll conducted March 23, 2016, half the U.S. online consumers interviewed had played a game this year: 18% in the past week, 17% within the past month, and 16% earlier in the year. The other half had played in 2015 or earlier or couldn’t recall.
How long has it been since you played a card game or board game? (In real life, not on an electronic device.)
|
Option |
Response |
Cumulative |
|
Within past week |
18% |
18% |
|
Within past month |
17% |
35% |
|
Earlier this year |
16% |
50% |
|
2015 |
9% |
59% |
|
2014 |
3% |
62% |
|
2013 or earlier |
7% |
69% |
|
Don’t know |
31% |
100% |
Sample: Poll; 418; weighted by age, gender
When asked in a separate poll to distinguish whether their last game played was a card game or board game (an admittedly fuzzy distinction), 46% of players had played a card game, 25% a board game, and 29% couldn’t recall.
What is the last game that you’ve played? (In real life, not on an electronic device.)
|
Option |
Response |
Cumulative |
|
Card game |
46% |
46% |
|
Board game |
25% |
71% |
|
Don’t know |
29% |
100% |
Sample: Poll; 407; weighted by age, gender
The most commonly played card game is poker, played by 12.6% of respondents (not counting the 1.6% who named Texas Holdem). Uno is a distant second, at 9.4%. The family of rummy games was third in popularity, mentioned by 6.4% of respondents (variants mentioned included Gin Rummy, Progressive Rummy, Aggravation Rummy, and 500 Rummy).
The most commonly played board game is Monopoly, dominating its category at 33.2% of respondents. A distant second is The Game of Life, at 5.8%, followed by Scrabble at 5.2%.
What is the last card game that you’ve played? (In real life, not on an electronic device.)
|
Rank |
Option |
Response |
|
1 |
Poker |
12.6% |
|
2 |
Uno |
9.4% |
|
3 |
Rummy |
6.4% |
|
4 |
Spades |
5.4% |
|
5 |
Solitaire |
5.2% |
|
6 |
Blackjack |
5.0% |
|
7 |
Cards Against Humanity |
3.8% |
|
8 |
Go Fish |
3.2% |
|
9 |
Euchre |
3.0% |
|
10 |
Hearts |
2.4% |
|
11 |
Pitch |
2.2% |
|
12 |
Cribbage |
1.8% |
|
12 |
Phase 10 |
1.8% |
|
14 |
Texas Holdem |
1.6% |
|
15 |
War |
1.4% |
|
16 |
Canasta |
1.2% |
|
17 |
Apples to Apples |
0.8% |
|
17 |
Magic: The Gathering |
0.8% |
|
17 |
Rook |
0.8% |
|
17 |
Skip Bo |
0.8% |
|
17 |
Spoons |
0.8% |
|
22 |
Bridge |
0.6% |
|
22 |
King |
0.6% |
|
22 |
Old Maid |
0.6% |
|
22 |
Speed |
0.6% |
|
– |
Never played cards |
4.2% |
Sample: Poll; 599
What is the last board game that you’ve played? (In real life, not on an electronic device.)
|
Rank |
Option |
Response |
|
1 |
Monopoly |
33.2% |
|
2 |
The Game of Life |
5.8% |
|
3 |
Scrabble |
5.2% |
|
4 |
Candyland |
3.5% |
|
5 |
Catan |
3.3% |
|
5 |
Sorry |
3.3% |
|
7 |
Chess |
3.2% |
|
8 |
Checkers |
2.7% |
|
9 |
Risk |
2.5% |
|
10 |
Trivial Pursuit |
1.7% |
|
11 |
Apples to Apples |
1.5% |
|
11 |
Cards Against Humanity |
1.5% |
|
11 |
Yahtzee |
1.5% |
|
13 |
Clue |
1.2% |
|
14 |
Trouble |
1.0% |
|
15 |
Ticket to Ride |
0.8% |
|
15 |
Uno |
0.8% |
|
17 |
Pictionary |
0.7% |
|
17 |
Rummikub |
0.7% |
|
17 |
Sequence |
0.7% |
|
20 |
Backgammon |
0.5% |
|
20 |
Battleship |
0.5% |
|
20 |
Chutes and Ladders |
0.5% |
|
20 |
Cranium |
0.5% |
|
20 |
Cribbage |
0.5% |
|
– |
Never played a board game |
5.8% |
Sample: Poll; 599
Despite the proliferation of brand tie-ins and thematic knock offs, the classic, original edition of Monopoly is the primary version of Monopoly played, by 70.4% of respondents. The most popular tie-ins were Star Wars (mentioned by 2.1%) and Disney (mentioned by 1.1%). Monopoly Electronic Banking was the only specialty edition mentioned by at least 1% of respondents (1.1%). Over 40 editions were mentioned, including opoly games (not licensed from Hasbro).
Monopoly Editions Played
| Back To The Future | Millionaire |
| Beach Body | Monopoly Cards |
| Bible | Monopoly City |
| Buildings | Monopoly Millionaire |
| Christmas | NFL |
| Cleveland | Nintendo |
| Deal | Pokemon |
| Disney | Red Sox |
| Doctor Who | Rolling Stones |
| Dogopoly | Satanism |
| Dr. Who | Simpsons |
| Electronic Banking | Soccer |
| Girl Monopoly | SpongeBob |
| Hard Rock | Star Trek |
| Harry Potter | Star Wars |
| Horses | Steelers |
| Irish | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle |
| Las Vegas | The Nightmare Before Christmas |
| Marvel Comics | Toy Story |
| Michigan | Vegas |
Sample: Poll; 378
This is an excerpt from a free Researchscape ebook, which you can download now: “Boardgame Concepts to Crowdfund: Dynamics of Tabletop Games”.
