BOSTON — When Darren Kisgen decided to make a game, his only goal was to entertain his family. But over the past few months, the finance professor at Boston College has seen his game selling thousands of copies and winning a prize from Mensa.
Called Dragonwood, the game borrows ideas from poker and rummy but blends them into a fantasy world of dragons and goblins. By drawing a strong hand, players can boost their chances of “capturing” mythical creatures in a fictional forest, which helps them win the game. It’s advertised for anyone 8 years old and up.
The idea struck Kisgen two years ago after he found that most fantasy games were too complicated or violent for his two children, who were 5 and 7 at the time. “I felt like I was missing a game that I would want to play with them, so I decided to try to come up with that game myself,” he said.
