Dividends - The Stock Market Game...

Now this is a game that provides a true challenge and causes the players to exercise their use of their "thinking caps". Rather than being care free and reticent in your play, Dividends causes you to take your game seriously and think things through. The key to your success in this game lies within a player's ability to make the most money from each stock purchase while at the same time taking into consideration the effects of supply and demand on stock prices.


A Challenge Worth Undertaking

If you or your children are analytical or just plain have interst in stocks and how the market works, "Dividends" is a stock market game that will provide a genuine challenge. Dividends provides a challenge worth undertaking. Unlike most games, it can be played by up to 12 players. Based upon my evaluation of the game play so far, having larger groups of players, (five or more), the completion of the game will take much longer to be realized.


A Productive Game Well Worth Playing

Educational value of a game is a primary concern to parents and Dividends provides a strong level of challenge that contributes to strong developmental awareness in a child. Dividends is a productive game, well worth playing. It has a unique design thay stimulates a player to make full use of their intelelctual skills and guarantees a challenging experience. The Dividends comes with a plastic rack which holds all of the stocks, playing money, metal pegs, (which represent dividends), and a generous amount of cards and counters to play the game. This is a product which clearly proves it's value and positive end for the players. Strong educational value and Dividends are synonymous.


Simplicity and Quality in Design

The game can is so well designed in structure, that it can literally be played "out of the box" by just reading the rules and start playing the game, but do not be fooled, as I stated before, this game provides a serious challenge. Although the creators of this game are a relatively new company, do not be decieved by that factor. They have produced a high quality product with ingenious design that steps into boundaries that other companies are not willing to explore. This provides a uniqueness unto itself for this game that cannot be found elsewhere.


Actual Game Play Defined In A Short Summary

The actual game play is defined in a short summation here. With Dividends, each player gets a specific amount of money, (depending upon the number of players) and tries to multiply it through trades at the stock exchange.

Five companies are designated, with an equal number of shares assined for each. At the beginning of the game, as well as later, dividends are randomly determined through a simple roll of the dice. The dividends can either be in the high,medium, or low range. The price of the stocks is determined by the number of sold certificates. The first one always costs $1000, the next one $1200, and so on. The balance are designated in price proportionately. Players start buying the certificates from the bottom up, and if they sell them they are put in the next free slot from the top.

The game provides and educational venue via the challenging diversity of ways it can be played with multiple potential outcomes. With each play of the game, you discover a whole new approach to the playing of the game because of your becoming more familiar with developing strategies which you didn't realize the first time you played.

The design quality, (although lacking in some avenues of simplicity as you get further into the game), strong visual appeal, and generous fun factore make this game a product which will be difficult to be rivaled. Due to the target age group of 12 and older, it is NOT a ChildSafe product for children younger than age 12, primarily due to the metal pegs which are used. It is a family oriented game.


Effort Has It's Own Rewards

"Effort" is designing quality toy and gaming products and has it's own rewards when you combine the key elements of patience and innovation. Fun Factory Games has started 2006 with the delivery of "Dividends" for our evaluation and been inducted to our product guide for 2006. Our utmost respect is extended to the folks at Fun Factory Games for their creation of "DIVIDENDS". These awards below are our recognition of your product for induction to our 2006 product guide.

- Rev. James G.W. Fisher - The Toy Man