3 Board Games Every Entrepreneur Should Check Out

Yes, you can learn some business-related skills while having fun with your friends! There are so many board game themes out there that literally every game brings something different to the table. We asked Vince Siu from Press Start Hong Kong to help us put together the top 3 board games that every entrepreneur should try.

Power Grid 

Supply and demand, market economy, auction - all of these well-known mechanisms form the backbone of this modern classic. This game revolves around building an energy grid and supplying power to the most cities, while bidding for newer, more advanced power plant technologies and having to navigate the natural resources market. Do you build cheap oil and gas power plants but compete for a limited supply of resources, or do you use that money on renewable technologies? Luck plays no role in this game, and you need your brainpower to strategize and outwit your opponents.

Brew Crafters

This game is exactly what it sounds like - you're in charge of building up and running a microbrewery. You try to build the best reputation in the market by being the first to brew new recipes, trying to balance innovation with making enough money to keep operations running; shopping for resources (like yeast, hops, malt); recruiting workers and adding equipment to your brewery to increase capacity. In a game that has a finite number of turns, how do you prioritize, choose your strategy and stick to it without getting distracted by the decisions your opponents are making?

Hanabi

A cooperative game in which players work together to set off the most majestic set of fireworks. Instead of a traditional card game where each player has their cards to themselves, you hold your cards outwards so you're the only one out of your group who doesn't know what you have. Then it's about giving the right clues to each other so you can combine your wits and get the highest total score possible. Hanabi is all about communication. Some players play aggressively, some conservatively - it's all about figuring out communication styles, working off cues and ultimately, trusting each other.

Press Start Hong Kong: Putting games at the heart of a social experience

Press Start puts a strong emphasis on the social experience of playing board games, and Vince thinks board games are the perfect vehicle through which customers share and interact.

Vince and Wes started Press Start out of a love for games. It began with Wes bringing his collection of board games with him when he moved back to Hong Kong a few years ago. They held their first Board Game Social to find friends to play games together with. With a growing number of people asking them to host game-centric experiences, they saw an opportunity to turn their interests into a business, which has grown into Press Start Hong Kong.

Vince is in charge of the overall strategy, business development and marketing at Press Start. “I prioritize potential opportunities and collaborations to help Press Start grow while delivering a memorable experience to our partners, clients, and community,” Vince says. “Having a long to-do list is quite overwhelming sometimes, but all the hard work is vindicated when we see customers enjoying themselves and having lots of fun.”

Welcoming Hong Kong to a world of games.

Looking to the future, Vince wants to invite Hong Kong to look at new topics and stories through a gaming lens. “There's so much untapped potential when it comes to games - when you open a box and play, you're experiencing how the designer has interpreted a particular theme and distilled it into a board game (or cards) with playable logic and rules.” He adds. "What we want to do is welcome Hong Kong into our world of games, and to make happen unique experiences that are made accessible through this world."

#StartupPassion

“Finding and navigating a path through the challenges and opportunities can get overwhelming if you don't approach it with the right mindset - but if you stay positive and excited, it's the most rewarding and fruitful experience.” - Vince Siu, Press Start Hong Kong