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Disney Gamer's Highlights
Brent's Favorite Things Week:
The Magic Kingdom Board Game
Those that know
Mr. Brent Dodge know that he is
all about the unexpected,
surprising and out of left
field. So it comes to no
surprise that his favorite game
is not an app you can buy for
your mobile device, a video game
released on a console or
handheld or even a virtual
experience at any of the parks.
Instead, his favorite game takes
us way back to the days before
the internet, mobile devices and
computers ruled entertainment:
board games. Today's Gamer
Tuesday marks a first as we talk
about a board game: The Magic
Kingdom Board Game!

Released in 2004
and published by the Parker
Brothers, The Magic Kingdom game
takes place at Disneyland, the
main objective is to visit all
the lands in the park before the
other players. At the start of
the game, each player is given
five random attraction cards.
Players must keep this fact a
secret from the other
competitors. They will know what
attraction these players had
when they successfully have
visited the attraction. The
first player to visit all of
his/her attractions and make it
back to the entrance of the park
wins the game!

As you can see
from the main objective, the
Magic Kingdom game is a very
simple one. For bigger board
game enthusiasts, the game will
lack the strategy and challenge
other board games like Monopoly
offer. But this is designed to
appeal mostly towards family
audiences, with simple goals and
easy to understand instructions.
With its design allowing up to
five players, everyone can
participate without feeling left
out by the game's
technicalities. That doesn't
mean there are not tricks you
can pull off that can distract a
player while on his or her goal
towards park completion. Much
like in a real park visit, event
cards represent distractions
that may keep a player away from
their goal. Some of these cards
feature amusing events, such as
hunger (send a player to a
restaurant location), being lost
or itching to meet a character!
This is a very clever way to
present an obstacle towards the
player while still keeping the
theme of Disneyland intact.
Normally, this
is where I would be talking
about the game's graphics and
visual design, but this is a
board game, so instead I will
talk about how it uses Disney's
various assets. Provided that
this is based on the happiest
place on Earth, the Magic
Kingdom game is very colorful,
from the box to the overall
board design. The game pieces
are, in my opinion, the best
part of the game. Each feature a
different icon of the park/land,
such as Sleeping Beauty Castle,
Town Hall in Toontown, and even
the Haunted Mansion! As small of
a detail this may be, it gives a
lot of character to the game.
And speaking of characters, each
player piece is represented by a
different character from the
Mickey and friends troupe. There
are also pieces that represent
the average park guest. They are
presented in shadow form, and
feature balloons, mouse hats and
more.

Sometimes the
best games are usually the
simplest, and the Magic Kingdom
game may be the simplest there
is. However, much like a park
experience, the fun lies in the
people you play with, and how
you play it. The design of the
game invites anyone of any age
and skill to participate and
reminisce about the happiest
place on Earth. The colorful
aesthetics, the easy to learn
gameplay and attention to detail
that celebrates the culture of
the Disney theme park experience
makes it one worth checking out
if you want revisit the days
before electronic stimulation
ruled the day.