The end of the world — as we’ve gradually realized amid the slow, painful apocalypse that is 2020 — is pretty boring. What do you do when you’re bored and homebound? You play board games. This was true during the rainy Saturday afternoons of childhood, and it’s also true during the less serene but equally monotonous days of a viral pandemic.
This has been great news for Hasbro, maker of classic board games like Monopoly. The company recently reported a 21-percent increase in gaming sales, which has been attributed to the rise in homebound families seeking entertainment to get through the past several months of the pandemic.
According to CNN, Hasbro’s latest earnings release revealed “strong revenue growth,” suggesting the company is rebounding from setbacks in July, when factories faced temporary shutdowns.
“Building off this quarter’s growth in toys, games and digital we are positioned to deliver a good holiday season,” said CEO Brian Goldner. “Live-action entertainment production is returning, and we are set to improve deliveries in the fourth quarter with some moving into 2021.”
Overall, the pandemic is a surprisingly good time to be a toy maker. “The toy industry, as a whole, grew significantly and continues to demonstrate its resilience in challenging economic times,” said Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz, whose company reported a significant sales increase as well.
In trying times like these, it’s nice to know there are still some constants. The world as we know it may be on the brink of collapse, but at least families can still come together — and probably fall apart — over a lengthy, unnecessarily contentious game of Monopoly.
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