- Publisher : Pixie Games
- Designer(s) : Patrick Matheus, André Luiz Silva Negrão
- Artist(s) : Rodrigo Camilo Alves De Almeida, Natalia Bacetti, Marcelo Bastos
- Players : 2–4
- Playing time : 50 - 90 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.86
What's this?
Video Game Champion is a competitive board game for 2 to 5 players, lasting approximately 90 minutes, which takes you back to the 90s with humor and nostalgia. You play as a child obsessed with 16-bit video games, ready to do anything to gain playing time: promises to parents, strategic visits to grandparents, reading specialized magazines… The goal? Become the king (or queen) of the playground by accumulating the most victory points after five action-packed weeks. A clever mix of management, combos and collection, with a delicious retro touch.
How do you play?
🕹 Weekly Progress (One Round)
Each week consists of 4 phases:
- Reset: Update rental games, new releases in the store, magazines, etc.
- 3 Action Rounds: Each player chooses a Controller tile from the grid, triggers a related action, and then manages their resources.
- Turn Order: You can change the turn order for the following week.
- Weekend: Rent up to 3 video games (if you have enough money and not too many promises).
🛠 Available Actions
Plan your gaming sessions: Draw 2 Controller tiles.
Beg your parents for money: Receive $2 and 1 promise.
Receive a game as a gift: Obtain 3 promises and a Video Game card.
Study and do your homework: Discard up to 2 promises.
Visit your grandparents: Receive $1 and discard 1 promise.
Rent video games: Pay to place a meeple on a rental card.
Go to the newsstand: Buy a magazine with a bonus.
Wake up at dawn: Swap a tile and improve your turn order.
🎮 Play video games (and beat them!)
You can:
- Play a game: By making a small combination of Controller tiles,
- Beat a game: By making the required large combination.
Wildcards (magazines, experiments, adrenaline tiles) make challenges more accessible. Each success earns you victory points and potentially crystals, which unlock bonuses on your Password board.
🏆 End of Game
After five weeks, points are tallied:
- games beaten,
- Reputation cards,
- row or column completed on the Password board,
- bonus for the most games played or crystals.
The player with the most points is crowned… Video Game Champion!
Is it good?
Video Game Champion plays the nostalgia card for gamers from the 16-bit generation of the 90s—and it’s quite successful. The visual universe and atmosphere are full of cultural references that will immediately resonate with those in their thirties and forties.
The game mechanics are accessible yet solid. They seamlessly blend planning, combos, resource management, and timing.
The interaction is indirect, but the race to achieve objectives creates real tension. You’ll often face dilemmas: wait to form a large controller combo (and maximize your points), or quickly string together small combos to avoid getting overtaken.
The game offers great replayability thanks to the numerous objectives that change with each game. Beware: the first game can be a bit dense, with many tiles, zones, and concepts to assimilate.
Minor criticisms include the space it takes up on the table, a degree of randomness in the drawing of Controller tiles, and actions that could have been a little more readable or embodied with a main board—despite the very cool idea of simulating a game store, a magazine kiosk, or even a visit to Grandma’s house.
Video Game Champion is ultimately a very good game for those nostalgic for 90s video games. With its strong visual theme, it manages to be fun, strategic, deep, and accessible all at once.
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Review Video Game Champion
Positives
- Original theme
- Visual atmosphere rich in cultural references
- Strategic (management, combos, timing)
- Interesting tactical dilemmas
Negatives
- Takes up a lot of space on the table
- Some randomness in drawing the tiles
- Some actions are not visually clear
- Everything remains very abstract
