Elizabeth Hargraves' Wingspan [Amazon] is a boardgame where you attract rare birds to your aviary, each of the hundreds of species building out (or contracting) the habitat's appeal to others. It's a breakout hit, writes Dan Kois, that's transforming an industry that orbits around" medieval villages, or trains, or trading economies".
My family discovered Wingspan, with its beautiful, hand-painted cards and gentle, strategic gameplay, last year, and soon we were playing it every weekend. Wingspan has transformed the way I think about games, about competition, and even about art. And I'm not alone. Wingspan has sent people flocking not only to gaming but to game design. However the board game industry transforms in the next few years, it'll be Wingspan that causes it.