Hasbro: Family Game Night

Board Games Grow in Popularity as "Family Time" Becomes Important Time at Home

East Longmeadow, Mass. (February 16, 2003) Over the past few years a "cocooning" trend has emerged. More and more families are foregoing the extracurriculars and spending time together at home. In fact, according to a survey from American Demographics/NFO WorldGroup in 2002, 84% of parents with children under the age of 18 say their family is more of a priority for them and 35% say that they've set aside more "family time" each week.

"From soccer practice, to extra math lessons, to music lessons, kids today rush from activity to activity -- which means their parents spend a large part of the day acting as chauffeurs," said Alvin Rosenfeld, M.D., author of The Over-Scheduled Child and head of National Family Night. "We feel so much pressure as a society to make sure our kids have it all. The problem is that we're robbing our children of their childhood and ourselves of the time we need to enjoy satisfying relationships with our spouses and kids."

In 1998, Hasbro Games introduced the Family Game Night campaign to encourage families to set aside one night each week to play together as a family.

"In 2003, parents are making a concerted effort to find time to spend with their children as a family," said John Chandler, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Hasbro Games. "Our message with Family Game Night reminds parents that board games offer a great way to connect with your kids. It's more than who wins and who loses. When you play together as a family, you open the lines of communication, talk, laugh and share. It starts out as a game night, but turns into so much more."

The over-scheduling of children's time has grown to the point where the community of Ridgewood, New Jersey, last year decided to take the night off from homework and after-school activities to spend the evening together as a family. A committee of parents and community leaders, organized by Family Counseling Service, created Family Night -- Ready, Set, Relax! The initiative encouraged families in the community to agree to halt extracurricular activities and spend the evening together.

"So many of us in Ridgewood have fallen prey to the cycle of trekking our kids from soccer practice to piano lessons back to homework that I wanted to do something in my community to raise awareness about over-scheduling and its impact on families," said Marcia Marra, manager of community initiatives for Family Counseling Service and founder of the Ready, Set, Relax! organization. "Family Night was so well-received that I'm happy to say we've planned another night for March 26th of this year."

Post-event research revealed that 91% of families in the community took part in the event, 86% enjoyed it, and 89% hoped to have another Family Night in 2003. In addition, data showed that more than half of the participating families chose playing board games as their primary activity for the evening.

Hasbro's Family Game Night campaign brings together some of the best-known family games, including the MONOPOLY game, SCRABBLE Brand Crossword Game, THE GAME OF LIFE, CLUE, SORRY, YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, PAYDAY, TRIVIAL PURSUIT JR., PICTIONARY JR., and OUTBURST JR.

Hasbro Games manufactures and markets games and puzzles under the brand names Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers. Included in its product line are some of the world's best-known games and puzzles including: CANDY LAND, the MONOPOLY Game, SCRABBLE Brand Crossword Game, YAHTZEE, TWISTER, THE GAME OF LIFE, TRIVIAL PURSUIT, and BIG BEN Puzzles. The company also markets its games in three focused initiatives: MY FIRST GAMES (pre-school games), FAMILY GAME NIGHT (family games) and GET TOGETHER GAMES (adult games).

Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, SUPER SOAKER, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.

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