What is the Spiel Des Jahres?

Written by Charlie Pettit

A Brief History of Spiel des Jahres

The first Spiel Des Jahres, which translates literally to Game of the Year, was awarded in 1979. The award was created to celebrate board games in the German language, which had followed a mostly consistent trend of non-aggressive games, a reaction many scholars refer to as in response to the years of war that had impacted the country, but which led to Eurogames as a genre. Germany itself was still split, and its ability and willingness to obtain the likes of arcade games was low, leading to a rise in the popularity of board games. The Spiel Des Jahres was formed, by a community of gamers (which it remains, jurors are not paid for their contributions), and the award was embraced by gamers, leading to its badge becoming a huge mark of prestige. It expanded over the years, including the Sonderpries (Kinderspiel) in 1989, which. became the Kinderspiel in 2001 and the Kennerspiel in 2011. 

What is the Spiel des Jahres?

The Spiel Des Jahres is an award for family-focused German language board games.

It's considered hugely prestigious, and is somewhat responsible for the influx of board games overseas, as publishers, unfamiliar with board games, saw the award as a mark that the game would be popular in a new market. That's perhaps why so many non-gamers have still played, or heard of winners like Catan, which won the award in 1995. As the awards expanded to include two more categories each year (see below), Spiel Des Jahres became a catch-all term for the three awards, as much as it is for the award itself. 

Kinderspiel des Jahres

In 1989 the Sonderpries Kinderspiel joined the annual announcement, which was the Special Prize for Best Children's Game. At the time, it was somewhat of a recognition award, but in 2001 it was formalised into the Kinderspiel Des Jahres, an award in its own right. Although the Kinderspiel wasn't technically awarded to those between 1989-2000, as the intention of the award is the same, winners at this time are often considered Kinderspiel winners. Games qualify for this by being suitable for children usually starting at the age of 4-6 up to around 8. Over the years we've seen the award go to family favourites like Dragomino, Mysterium Kids, and Ice Cool. 

Kennerspiel des Jahres

The newest of the awards is the Kennerspiel Des Jahres, which is translated as either the connoisseur or expert game of the year. These awards are for games that suit a more experienced audience, those who have played the regular games and are looking for something a little more – and if you like those, you should also check out the Tabletop Gaming magazine! – which will come with slightly more complex rules, and tend to have less of a family focus. We've seen the likes of 7 Wonders, Wingspan, and Daybreak win over the years. 

How are Spiel Des Jahres winners decided?

Eligible games are released in Germany between 1st April and 31st March of the following year. The games are played by jurors, before a meeting in May to discuss the nominations from a list each have created. Martina Fuchs, one of the Jurors, said of it: 

“We each have a list of around ten games that we put forward, to create a list of usually 30-40 different games. Each game is given an equal chance of nomination, with any jurors who put it forward (even if it was only one) still provided the opportunity to say why they feel it’s important. We then take a vote and if at least half the jurors agree, it is kept in consideration.

“We have recalls and revotes, slowly shrinking down the list to those three nominations for each category. What makes it easier is that we all share that love of games; getting to discuss with fellow critics is an interesting and enjoyable experience. It’s still hard when the game you love doesn’t get enough votes to qualify, which happens every year for each of us at least once!”

The outcome is three games for each award nominated, and a number of recommended titles accompany them. 

Related article: Read the full interview with Spiel Des Jahres Juror Martina Fuchs

Once the nominations have been confirmed, the jurors play the nine titles until the final vote, which takes place on the same day as the announcement of the winners. They do so through a secret ballot, which means jurors don't know who has won until the ceremony where it's announced to the world. Then, the cycle begins again!

Related article: Check out the winners of the 2024 Spiel Des Jahres