“The Evolution Game has been more than 24 years in the developing and it has been an absorbing and unbroken thread running through my life as I have tried to do justice to teaching jobs at Helsinki University and the Sibelius Academy, bring up two kids, and occasionally squeeze in time for a bit of composition.

“I once read a newspaper article in which the inventor of 'Scrabble' suggested that a good game cannot be developed with less than ten years of extensive testing and, very interestingly, that its creation requires a similar process to that of composing a symphony. Although I don't claim to have ever produced a symphony (as such), I feel that the comparison is very apt. For me, the processes of composition and game invention bear many parallels. Both involve the balancing and adjustment of complex and even contradictory elements. Both aim to create a fluent and dramatic whole with a convincing and unrelenting sense of momentum. Both can build to an exciting final climax. All of these processes have figured strongly in the creation of the Evolution Game.

“My objective, from very early on, was to develop a game that would be unlikely to stagnate and which would allow every player to feel fully involved from the very start to the very end. I wanted to avoid the possibility of one of the players being knocked out before the end and having to sit passively watching the others continue for another half hour or more till the end of the game. Beyond that, I wanted every player to feel themselves in with a chance of winning until the very last moment. After much trial and error, I believe that these objectives have been largely achieved and, even after all these years of playing it, the game continues to throw up fascinating situations that we have never seen before.

“In developing the Evolution Game, I have been blessed with a circle of enthusiastic friends ever ready to gather for another session and test out some new ideas or adjustments. They have also made many valuable contributions to the process (not least, Phill Lewis's design of the circular update of the game board based on my much 'clunkier' original lozenge shape); either by offering constructive feedback or by actually contributing new suggestions of their own. Over the last five years, it has been possible to play at least once a week and it has been immensely gratifying to me that my co-developers have willingly turned up week after week for yet another game. These sessions have been valuable for the game development, but have also been great fun in their own right. Evenings filled with friendly backchat and laughter (the game concept seems to generate humour quite naturally and spontaneously). That is the environment in which the game has been developed, and that's what I hope it will achieve for every other group of people, anywhere in the world and at any time in the future, who sit down together to play it.”

If you have any thoughts on the Evolution Game that you would like to share, please e-mail me so that I can add them to this list: simon  <<at>> sevensymphonies <dot> com.

Simon Boswell / Helsinki, Finland.

Testimonials

“The first time I came across the Evolution Game was in the mid '80s, which also happened to be the first time I met Simon. I played it once and was immediately hooked; so hooked, I decided to make my own copy of the game. For quite a time there were only those two copies in existence, but it has come a long way since then. Many new ideas have been tried out over the years. Some have survived and some have proved unsatisfactory, but the game has steadily improved and during the last year or so, it has stabilised into a form which all of us who play it regularly are extremely satisfied with. A contribution which I have been able to make myself was the concept and design of a circular game board to replace Simon's original 'diamond-shaped' one. It took a lot of tweaking and polishing, but everybody seems very happy with the result. I certainly am!

“We now have a game which is full of action from the beginning to the end. One aspect I particularly like is that, although it's not as complicated as chess, you still generally have a choice of moves when it's your turn. The result is relaxing but also intriguing. New unexpected situations are still cropping up which we've never had to deal with before, even after years of playing. This ability of the game to keep recreating itself, I find absolutely fascinating. I'm so addicted to the Evolution Game these days that if a week goes by without a chance to play it I feel thoroughly let down!”

Phill Lewis / Helsinki, Finland.

“From the moment I opened the box I knew this was going to be something special. The equipment looked good enough to eat. And when we started playing I wasn't disappointed!”

Dick Thomas / Exeter, England.

“This is a real 'social' game. Everybody's watching everybody else and giving each other advice, especially if you're using the advanced rules. There's usually more than one alternative move a player can make and you have to think about how to stop the leaders getting too far ahead. When the game gets near the end advice is flying around the table like shrapnel.”

Bob Matthews / Bristol, UK.

“It takes a little time to get the hang of things when you play your first game. There's quite a lot of stuff going on at the same time and different places to be looking. But I found I'd got the main ideas by the end of the first session. After two or three games it got to be second nature. A great game.”

J. Sutton / Cardiff, Wales.

“I love the whole concept. Its appearance is unique and so is the way it's played. Thanks for a truly original game.”

Colin Reynolds / Burton-on-Trent, England.

“What I like best is how the game gives everyone a chance. It's not very often that someone gets left completely behind and there's always the paleospecies gambit if that happens. Usually you can't be sure who's going to win until the very last nail-biting moment.”

Paul Andrews / Basingstoke, UK.

“I've played The Evolution Game a lot with the children. It is one of our favourites.”

Leena Rinne / Inkoo, Finland.

“It's got just the right level for a board game. Not so demanding that you can't enjoy the company (like I think chess is) but interesting anyway. If you're using the more advanced rules like inter-player exchanges there's definitely plenty to think about. Much fun to play.”

Leif Nordgren / Stockholm, Sweden.

“Good luck with your game! Me and the guys think it's amazing. We reckon it's going to catch on in a big way.”

Andy, Ed, Jake & Simon / Hastings, England.

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