Coming in November

Just got this in the email. I will TRY to get off my butt and do something this year, though the calendar is very tight this Fall

The web site is ready, the sponsors set, and we here at National Games Week (NGW) headquarters are looking forward to a huge celebration this year. It is time to start thinking of hosting event at your home, school, store, or anywhere else. Let's beat last year's total of 4,437 events and 119,000 players! National Games Week is for each and every country- no matter where you are you are welcome to join and participate. A dozen countries participated last year.

The NGW Web Site: www.NationalGamesWeek.net

We have a new look, as we cannot resist making things fresh each year. But this is a big upgrade, with a clean, easy to use navigation. On the site you will find: 2006 sponsors list & company profiles; resources to read, copy, download; a store locator; and other fun features. We are pleased to announce the NEW addition of a game club locator. As members return to the site, they will have the option of listing their game club for all to find and participate.

Members can begin ordering materials and promotional game packs- some are up now more to come in the next weeks. Shipping starts Sept 25th for NGW materials. In the past two years we printed in advance, guessed high to be sure we could serve everyone, and had lots of leftovers. This year we'll gauge the quantities and print more accurately, and save a few trees.

Special Members

Custom information and home pages for educators, retailers, game clubs, faith communities, and international participants is nearly ready. For these please check the site in a week.

About National Games Week

NGW takes place the fourth week of November each year. NGW started in 2004, when over 2,600 events took place. In 2005 the celebration grew worldwide, with at least 4,437 events taking place. This year more and more retailers, game enthusiasts and schools are getting involved. The first district-wide NGW celebration is being prepared by the Tucson, Arizona schools. The organizers expect over 6,000 events to occur.

NGW's founder is Mark Simmons, publisher of Games Quarterly and longtime advocate of games as positive, social entertainment. Stated Mr. Simmons, "Games are a great entertainment alternative. In today's busy world, where people have less face to face interaction than they used to, games play their small but important part in regaining our sociability while challenging us to think."

National Games Week has become an international celebration of games- the social kind, that you play with family and friends, including board, card, party, family, educational, traditional, miniatures, and many more. Major sponsors for 2006 include: Wizards of the Coast (a division of Hasbro); ; FanPro / Fantasy Productions USA; Mayfair Games; Playroom Entertainment; Pokemon USA; Rio Grande Games; Bandai America; Cactus Game Design; Edge Games; Gen Con LLC; HL Games; Privateer Press; Reaper Miniatures/Hobby-Que; Testor Corporation; TriKing Games; Wizkids; Face 2 Face Games; Fundex Games; Million Minute Family Challenge; Osprey Publishing; Patch Products; Face 2 Face Games; and over a hundred more sponsors, supporters and affiliates.

Media Partners include KIDZ Magazine, Home School Parenting Magazine, and the leading games magazine, Games Quarterly. NGW 2006's official spokespeople are: toy and game expert Stevanne Auerbach, PhD aka Dr. Toy (www.drtoy.com); K-12 educator David Niecikowski MAED/CI; and NGW founder Mark Simmons.

This year NGW kicks off at the official game convention of NGW, Gen Con So Cal, located at the Anaheim convention center in California, with an expected attendance of over 8,000. Many of NGW's 120+ participating game publishers will attend and showcase their games at Gen Con. Gen Con So Cal has a Schools Field Trip program- contact them for more info, via www.gencon.com or email megan@gencon.com, subject line "Gen Con So Cal Schools Field Trip Program."

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Chris Fossum, 303-469-3277, support@nationalgamesweek.net