Going Analog

Where video game industry veterans introduce great board games to video gamers

Podcast #79: The 2021 Games of the Year episode

It's that time of year again...you're going to hear about our games of 2021 whether you want to or not! (Well, I think you're listening to this podcast, so I guess you want to. Thanks!)

Even though we've cautiously emerged from our social bubble, we figured we'd bring back our neighbor-pals and former bubble-ers James Hudson (Senior Director of Tabletop Games at Skybound) and Tom Twedell to discuss/argue about the games we played this year!

  • Party Game of 2021 (2:30)
  • Light Games of 2021 (9:13)
  • Medium Games of 2021 (18:22)
  • Heavy Games of 2021 (32:07)
  • Favorite New-to-Us Games of 2021 (43:08)

What's a medium vs. heavy game anyway? Turns out we obviously don't know! Check out a list of our winners below.

Or listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS Feed.

2021 Game of the Year (Party Game)

  • So Clover! (everyone)

2021 Game of the Year (Light Games)

  • Cascadia (James)
  • The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (Shoe)
  • Canopy (Christina)
  • The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (Tom)

  • Runners up: Dice Throne: Season One ReRolled, Cubitos, Night Cage

2021 Game of the Year (Medium-weight Games)

  • Genotype (James)
  • Genotype (Christina)
  • Sleeping Gods (Shoe)
  • Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Tom)

  • Runners up: Red Rising, Shelfie Stacker, Summoner Wars (Second Edition), Kemet: Blood and Sand, Merchants Cove

2021 Game of the Year (Heavy Games)

  • Sleeping Gods (Christina)
  • Ankh: Gods of Egypt (James)
  • Coffee Traders (Tom)
  • Great Western Trail (Second Edition) (Shoe)

  • Runners up: Grand Austria Hotel: Let's Waltz, Hadrian's Wall, Genotype

2021 New-to-Us Games of the Year

  • Ginkgopolis (Christina)
  • Nemesis (Shoe)
  • Tapple (Shoe)
  • Obsession (Tom)
  • Meeple Land (Tom)
  • The King's Dilemma (James)

Here are all the games covered in this episode:

Party Games:

  • So Clover!
  • The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
  • Gorilla Marketing
  • Telestrations: Upside-Drawn
  • French Toast

Light Game:

  • The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
  • Dice Throne: Season One ReRolled
  • Cubitos
  • Quacks of Quedlinburg
  • Cascadia
  • Calico
  • Canopy
  • Sea of Clouds
  • Night Cage

Medium Games of the Year

  • Genotype
  • Red Rising
  • Shelfie Stacker
  • Sleeping Gods
  • Summoner Wars (Second Edition)
  • Ankh: Gods of Egypt
  • Kemet: Blood and Sand
  • Merchants Cove

Heavy Games of the Year

  • Sleeping Gods
  • Tawantinsuyu
  • 7th Continent
  • Grand Austria Hotel: Let's Waltz
  • Ankh: Gods of Egypt
  • The Gallerist
  • Hadrian's Wall
  • Coffee Traders
  • Genotype
  • Great Western Trail (Second Edition)

New-to-Us Games of the Year

  • Ginkgopolis
  • Nemesis
  • Tapple
  • Obsession
  • Meeple Land
  • The King's Dilemma
  • Shakespeare
  • The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire