Settlers of Catan has gone viral in Silicon Valley, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal, with CEOs and venture capitalists playing the game as a way of networking, relaxing, and bonding.  The article quotes Guido Teuber, designer Klaus Teuber’s son, as saying that the game hit a tipping point in 2008, as distribution expanded to Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

 

Over 15 million copies have been sold worldwide since the game was published, Teuber said.  Mayfair Games publishes the Settlers of Catan family of products in the U.S. 

 

Our favorite quote in the lengthy article, a virtual paean to the top dog in the hobby board game category, was from Mark Pincus, CEO of Zynga Game Network Inc., a social gaming start-up.  “It’s like our kind of golf game – none of us have time to play 18 holes of golf, but we can handle a pizza and a board game.”