The name may be slightly misleading: this iPad accessory isn't a game changer, but it does provide a digitally enhanced gaming experience that my family has found engaging and fun.
GameChanger is an iPad accessory that will set you back about $80. That is the starter kit which includes two game boards, and there is the promise of more - so as an investment for a board gaming family that doesn't actually seem too bad. In fact, that is where GameChanger wins out. The fact that it isn't a one game accessory, but could provide a number of templates that are placed on top of the device and numerous apps to download and play with, makes it more open and accessible than if it was only one game.
Essentially what you get is a game board and pieces which the iPad can attach to. This creates a much larger board space, which is the one thing that makes the iPad not as attractive for tabletop gaming. My boys and I have played a few games, and really Scrabble is the only board game on the iPad that we have found really fits with the family comfort zone of sitting around a table and having a chat and playing a game - and that is because our iPhones and iPod Touch devices are the tile racks. GameChanger gives more space which creates a larger area for the family to sit around, easier access to different parts of the board and you don't feel like everyone's hands are getting in the way.
You need to download the free apps that accompany each "game skin." The device we received came with a Magic School Bus game and Animal Mania. It is in those apps that the enhancement of gaming takes place. The individual pieces engage with the iPad screen when they land on game spaces that are on the screen, prompting the iPad to know whose turn it is and to ask questions and become part of the game. The board is digital too, and because the GameChanger and iPad are connected, the whole game is tracked and the digital aspect of game play is incorporated the whole way through. This was a surprise — I assumed we'd just get the occasional animation on the screen, but the whole set up feels very much integrated when you play. The iPad does just become part of the game board.
In the promotional materials, the folks at GameChanger claim:
I'm not sure it is revolutionary. But, what the game did do - especially the Magic School Bus game skin - was turn the iPad into a device that felt like it was meant to be for gaming. It provided more space, it used the digital environment in a way that made the interactivity feel appropriate and not tokenistic. There is lots of fun to be had in GameChanger, and depending on how much future skins cost the $80 does not seem like an unreasonable outlay.
What we should hope for is that the system finds one or two terrific game designers who can create something truly unique and engaging which would really take this piece of technology into realms that begin to match the revolutionary talk in their PR materials. If you are a board gaming family who has an iPad then this is worth a look.
Note: GeekDad received a review copy of the GameChanger Made for iPad Accessory.
