We're psyched to announce that Anomia has won the coveted National Parenting Center Award for Spring 2011. 

Here's what the NPC has to say about Anomia:

"Anomia is an absolute blast for families to break out on family game night. You will all be shouting and laughing throughout this high energy game that elicits demands from all to be played over and over. What makes the game a real standout is that the playing field is truly even, meaning that kids can beat parents as easily as the other way around. There is matching, racing, blurting and lots more but one thing testers did not find and that was excessive or complicated rules. They are easy and straightforward, something that everyone pointed out and gave high marks for."

NPC testing involves "a multi-step process conducted over an eight week period." The testing facility is staffed by volunteers who are parents, children and educators. Everyone has a chance to examine the games submitted and, of course, play with them as well.  All testers rate each products level of "desirability, sturdiness, interactive stimulation and other ingredients essential in the make-up of a quality product. Test results are based on both statistical averaging and comments received from the parent/testers."

We're excited that Anomia has joined the ranks with great NPC approved games like Blink, Cranium and Ruckus!

We're extremely excited to announce that Anomia has won the Major Fun Award!

For those of you who don't know ...

"Major Fun is also known as the award-winning designer and educator, Bernie DeKoven. Bernie has been inventing new ways to play since the early 1970s when he developed a curriculum in social skill development through games for the School District of Philadelphia and helped the New Games Foundation develop its international training program in facilitating large scale community play events.

The MAJOR FUN AWARDS go to games and people that bring people fun, and to any organization managing to make the world more fun through its own personal contributions, and through the products it has managed to bring to the market."

Of Anomia, Bernie says:

"The game is very easy to learn, and after only a few minutes of play you’ll be completely, and intensely engaged. In a few minutes more, you’ll understand why you need to be even more focused on whose card has what symbol. And, in a few more minutes, you’ll probably have your first moment of anomia. ...Anomia is unexpectedly fun. It comes in a small, mild mannered box – exactly large enough to hold 200 cards and a rule sheet. There are no enticing graphics. No clever cartoons. Designed by Andrew Innes, it is the only game to be produced by Anomia Press. But the fun, my friends, the fun is Major!"

Some other great games that recently have been awarded the Major Fun seal are Zip-It (the newest title from the folks who brought you Bananagrams), Rat-a-Tat-Cat (Gamewright), and Rory's Story Cubes.

Thanks Bernie!

Woooo Hoooo!

I am SO EXCITED to announce that Anomia is one of the final five!  No, not THOSE  final 5, THESE final 5!

Each year a few hundred Mensa members gather for the Mensa MindGames event.  They play a whole slew of new games which have come to market in the last year.  I believe there were 49 games in competition this year.  Games are judged on.." originality (structure, concept, creativity), game play (enjoyment, excitement, challenge), play value (repeatability, longevity, price), aesthetics (look, feel, style) and instructions (brevity, clarity, completeness)."

As a Mensa Select winner, Anomia joins the ranks of such well-heeled games as Set, Scattergories, Trivial Pursuit, and Apples to Apples.

If you don't know, the Mensa Select award is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards in the toy industry!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Thank you to everyone who helped me bring Anomia to life.  Anomia would have never seen the light of day were it not for all the people who

- Graciously accepted me into their homes for play test parties
- Pre-purchased games to help subsidize the first printing
- Listened to me prattle on endlessly about any and all aspects of refining and manufacturing a game.

Extra special thanks to my wife Jody, who has been at my side through all this, suffered through more earfuls than anyone else, AND has been an extremely effective and supportive sounding board, helping me to work through all the problems/details/processes of this adventure.

Mensa has yet to make the official announcement, but here are a couple of posts around the web about the winners of this year’s competition. Wired (GeekDad blog), Board Game Geek

Congratulations to the other 4 winners!  They are: Dizios (MindWare), Forbidden Island (Gamewright), Yikerz! (Wiggles 3D Inc.),  Word on the Street (Out of the Box Publishing) 

l will update this post with the official Mensa announcement when it's online.

Update 4/21/10: Here's the official press release from American Mensa.

Thanks!!
Andrew