Settlers of Catan Conquers Silicon Valley Social Set

I wrote about the learning elements embedded in one of the world’s best boardgames, Settlers of Catan, back in April. This morning, The Wall Street Journal has a front page article describing how the game has taken Silicon Valley’s social set by storm. CEOs of Internet startups play it, new employees are introduced to it in social gatherings, and competitions are common.

Although a boardgame, many new users find the online version or the Apple iPhone app useful for learning the basics, and good practice for RL matches. This is something of a switch from what we’ve seen with popular videogames that can be leveraged for learning, where players go offline to pick up tips and strategies, such as the studying of history books by avid Civilization fans.

Speculation regarding its popularity in Silicon Valley centers on the game’s similarity to starting a business. Here’s the key paragraph:

LinkedIn’s Mr. Hoffman, who estimates he has inducted nearly 40 Silicon Valley executives into the game, says tech entrepreneurs are drawn to Settlers because it “most closely approximates entrepreneurial strategy.” The title pushes players to collaborate and swap resources to get points, while the random rolls of the dice force people to constantly revamp their strategies for winning. That’s much like running a start-up, Mr. Hoffman says.

Very interesting. The game is available on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble. Might make a good gift for the budding entrepreneur on your list.

References:
Tam, P. (2009, December 17). An old-school board game goes viral among Silicon Valley’s techie crowd. The Wall Street Journal, A1. [Online.] Retrieved December 17, 2009 from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126092289275692825.htm


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categories Board Games, Game Discussion, WSJ | John Rice | datetime December 17, 2009 6:14 am

4 Comments

  • By Eliane Alhadeff, January 1, 2010 @ 5:21 am

    Happy New Year, John!

    Congrats for the move :D

    Warmly,
    E.

  • By John Rice, January 1, 2010 @ 10:58 am

    Thanks, Elaine! Happy New Year to you too.

    JR

  • By John577, January 2, 2010 @ 11:05 am

    Very nice site!

Other Links to this Post

  1. Unternehmensstrategie mit Hilfe der Siedler von Catan | Educational Gaming — December 17, 2010 @ 7:28 am

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