The 2019 AGPI convention held in Denver, CO is history. Here's a recap of some of the events held during the convention.
Some attendees arrived a few days early to visit some nearby attractions in Colorado. This included trips to the Contential Divide, Georgetown Loop railroad, and mountain wildlife.
The convention started on Thursday with a bus trip to the Red Rocks Park, Buffalo Bill Cody's Grave & Museum, Coors Brewery, and the Colorado Railroad Museum.
Friday tour included visits to Liberty Puzzles, The Talking Board Museum of Robert Murch, and Kagen Sound's puzzle box workshop.
On Saturday morning, we enjoyed a presentation by the design team of Joyful Nook puzzles from Durango, Colorado. Denver game designer, Mike Fitzgerald, spoke about his experiences designing card and table games.
Saturday evening, we watched a team of puzzlers (John Cabot, Penny Melling, Joe Seymour) lose to a team of gamers (Rick Tucker, Helen Andrews, Steve Stanchina) in the "Game of Phones". The puzzlers led most of the game. However, the final Double value puzzle was solved by Helen Andrews. The final score was Gamers 37 Puzzlers 36.
The highlight of Saturday evening was the presentation of the Outstanding Achievement Award to John Ellerbe. This event started with a slide show of John from the last 20 years. The surprise of the evening was when John started "dancing" near the end of the slide show! Next, Debby Krim sent a video message to AGPI members and John. A Skype call to Bruce Whitehill provided some laughs. This was followed with an 19 minute video interview with John at his game musuem in South Carolina.
Sunday morning the convention had a roundtable discussion about Kickstarter and the games industry. Jacqueline Hess discuss her failed Kickstarter project and the lessons learned from the project. Keith Meyers, a game designer and owner of the Board Game Republic cafe, talked about his experiences in the game industry. Phil Orbanes gave a update on the current status of the game industry.
Thanks to all for making this a successfull convention. See you next year in the Washington D.C. area for the next AGPI convention.
This video is the powerpoint presentation of Joyful Nook Gallery. Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 10 minutes
This video is the "Game of Phones" that was played on Saturday night at the convention. Play along an see if you can beat the total score of 73. Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 17 minutes
This video is slide show of John Ellerbe convention attendance during the last 20 years. Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 10 minutes
This video is a message from Debby Krim to John Ellerbe and the AGPI members at the convention. Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 2 minutes
This video is a Skype phone call to Bruce Whitehill in Germany. Bruce congratulates John on his perfect record of convention attendance for the last 35 years. Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 4 minutes
This video is an interview with John Ellerbe at his game museum in South Carolina in January 2019. Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode. 19 minutes
A complete onlilne photo shoot of the convention will be available soon from Rick Tucker.
Great News! AGPI announces free public access to over 130 AGPI publications
The AGPI has released its 30+ years of publications to the public on their website. This includes the Quarterly, On the Table newsletter, Game and Puzzle Collectors Quarterly, Game Researchers' Notes, and Game Times. Over 130 publication are now available in Flip Book format. The AGPI publications are devoted to the collection and preservation of games, jigsaw puzzles, and mechanical puzzles, and to the research on the people and companies that invented, designed, manufactured, and/or distributed them.
The 10 most recent issues of the AGPI Quarterly magazine are only available to AGPI members. Become an AGPI member today and get access to the entire archive.
Click here to view the publicly available AGPI publications.
Welcome to the AGPI
The Association for Games & Puzzles International (AGPI), founded in 1985 by Bruce Whitehill, is the world’s foremost organization dedicated to the collection and preservation of games and puzzles.
As an international, nonprofit association, the AGPI is chartered to conduct research and explore the history of games and puzzles from ancient times up to the present, and to disseminate information about games and puzzles to the broadest audience possible, including the general public, the media, libraries, museums, scholars, and others. Games and puzzles offer a remarkable view of our cultural past and future!
AGPI members’ interests encompass all types of games, jigsaw puzzles, and mechanical puzzles, from all eras and from all around the world. Some of our members specialize in other pastimes and collect related playthings, from toys to tops, and from marbles to architectural blocks. Our membership includes a broad spectrum of individuals and expertise, from interested enthusiasts to novice collectors to some of the world’s most renowned historians, authors, and designers of game & puzzles. Many companies and institutions hold membership in the organization.
Originally known as the American Game Collectors Association (AGCA), the organization’s name was changed to the Association of Game & Puzzle Collectors in 1999 to reflect the broadened scope of its mission and its international nature.
Our New Name!
Our members have voted to change the name of our organization to the Association for Games & Puzzles International.
Our international membership now includes collectors, game players, puzzle enthusiasts, game and puzzle makers, inventors and designers, historians, authors, researchers, and people interested in related playthings and popular culture.
Watch this video to gain an understanding of the features and membership profiles available to AGPI members. Click on the YouTube logo to view the video in full screen mode.
Click here to access an Index of AGPI Publcations.