Trends Update: Giant Games are BIG!

By John Rainey

f you haven’t heard, giant “We’re asking them to step up, step “We see the increase in giant games as I(oversized) games are turning out and invite the community to play,” one of the ways cities are being creative up in parks and plazas all across Oelrich said. So far, more than 86,000 about cost-effective ways to activate the country. people have played the games. and enliven plazas,” said Erin Lonoff, a director at the real estate and econom- On a windy Wednesday at Spokane’s According to Nicole Javorsky in an ic development consulting firm HR&A Farmers Market, two giant Connect Four article on citylab.com, these scenes Advisors, which has worked on major boards were among a variety of games illustrate a trend in urban public spaces public spaces like Brooklyn Bridge Park available during the Spokane Sidewalk in the United States: life-size games. A and CityCenter in D.C. Games at Kendall Yards. Other games in- giant Jenga tower entertains two wom- clude giant versions of checkers, chess, en during the Bryant Park picnic pro- Giant chess, giant Jenga, cornhole, chutes and ladders and Jenga. gram in New York City. From super-sized bocce and shuffleboard are just a few chess and checkers in Buffalo or giant of the free outdoor games now avail- Founder Ryan Oelrich said it’s a du- Scrabble at The Wharf in Washington, able at Play in the Park at Acacia Park al-purpose venture to promote com- D.C., the games appeal to children and in Colorado Springs, CO. To kick off a munity and public interactions while young adults who have flooded into summer of games in the park, Mayor employing homeless and formerly cities in recent years. “They’re part of a John Suthers and Boyd Williams, CEO homeless young people. The games are larger push for ‘playable’ cities, and for of the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region, left in public places during designated urban public spaces to be active rather scheduled a battle of cornhole. “LeBron hours with young people on hand to that contemplative,” the article notes. James is truly a gifted athlete,” said help clean up, explain rules and invite Suthers. “But I would challenge him people to participate. any day to a game of cornhole. That’s a

From the — Fall 2018 Email: [email protected]

© 2018 GreenPlay LLC. All rights reserved. game where I can compete with the fin- playing the game a larger-than-life Parks and recreation departments est athletes in the world.” Unfortunate- game experience. The game located in along with developers and Business ly, LeBron wasn’t available to take on Discovery Meadow has attracted a va- Improvement Districts (BIDs) involved the challenge, so Williams stepped up riety groups including wedding parties, in managing public spaces seem to to the plate. “I’ve heard rumor of the school groups, family outings and cor- have contributed to the rise of giant Mayor’s skill at cornhole” said Williams. porations for team-building activities. games, which are easily movable—and, He continued, “But I’m not intimidated, of course, highly “Instagram-friendly.” I have a strong strategy in place. I feel More game-players means more people confident in my ability to win.” who will shop or eat (or potentially live) in the neighborhood. In San Jose, CA, a park friendly foun- dation called Friends of San Jose built In Arlington, VA, the Rosslyn Busi- Monopoly in the Park, a giant, granite ness Improvement District (BID) hosts Monopoly board, which is the only offi- movie screenings in Gateway Park, and cially licensed Monopoly game board of recently decided to lay out giant games its kind in the world. In addition to the beforehand. “It just encourages [peo- board itself, the wearable game tokens ple] to put down their phones and meet (car, thimble, boot, etc), the scale repli- their neighbors or colleagues,” Mary- cas of houses and hotels, and the scale Claire Burick, the BID’s president, said. 3’x3’x3’ game dice combine to make

From the — Fall 2018 Email: [email protected]

2 Property owner JBG Smith installed life-sized games, includ- SOURCES: ing Jenga and chess, in Crystal City, another part of Arling- ton, earlier this year. These are available for 24/7 play. Kara https://www.monopolyinthepark.com Milkovich Alter, a JBG Smith Vice President, said they haven’t had any trouble leaving the games unattended: “People are “What’s the Deal With Giant Games in Parks and Plazas?” taking great care of the games.” By Nicole Javorsky, Aug. 10, 2018 https://www.citylab.com/life/2018/08/giant-games-in-city- But it turns out that it takes a little work to get people to plazas/566447/ play—it’s not as simple as plunking games down on a lawn. “Patience is an important aspect. It takes the public a while “Roll out the giant chess set: Spokane Sidewalk Games back to learn how to trust the space,” said Maureen Devenny, for the third year.” By Rachel Alexander, The Spokesman-Re- deputy director of operations at Bryant Park. “Sometimes it view, June 14, 2018 takes a couple of years [for park staff] to figure out how to http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jun/14/roll-out- execute it better, how to get people aware of it and build it the-giant-chess-set-spokane-sidewalk-game/ into their routines.” “Play in the Park: Giant chess, giant Jenga, cornhole, bocce There are, also, “human” variations of games like human and more summer games at Acacia Park” By: Alexa Mae foosball, human bowling, human pool table, human shuffle Asperin, Fox21 News board, to name a few. From New York City to Jackson Hole, https://www.fox21news.com/news/play-in-the-park-giant- WY, to Eugene, OR, communities are building or buying giant chess-giant…ga-cornhole-bocce-and-more-summer-games- table-top games. In Brownton, MN, community organizers at-acacia-park/837448395 built their own human foosball table. It involves a side of seven players each: one goalie, three defenders, and three Human Foosball video: https://youtu.be/KdacMmtvAs4/ attackers. The players all stand in a small enclosure, holding Other links on human foosball: http://humanfoosball. onto a series of rotatable poles while they try to shoot a com/#_about/ soccer ball through a goal. It’s a fun sport which is gaining https://tetonvalleyfoundation.org/event/wydaho-hu- popularity around the country for family outings, building man-foosball-classic/ teamwork, or just kicking back with friends and neighbors. https://fringepursuits.com/human-foosball/ It can be pretty competitive, too, with organized teams and tournaments.

From the — Fall 2018 Email: [email protected]

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