#Interview

3 September 2026 Panorama

Reiner Knizia: “Expect publishers to make beautiful games out of what I have created”

One author, three awards: Reiner Knizia is the first person to have won the Spiel, Kennerspiel and Kinderspiel des Jahres. In a triple interview, he reveals that he steals cutlery from planes, reads joke books to fall asleep and gets annoyed by unprofessional publishers.

8 August 2026 Panorama

Ten years of Exit: puzzling with a system

What began in 2016 with three games is now one of the most successful board game brands in the world. Behind the success of Exit – Das Spiel are the author duo Inka and Markus Brand. In the interview, the two talk about good puzzles, the secret of their success and parcel centres that influence their work.

18 May 2026 updated on 19 May 2026 Media

Spiel des Jahres: How independent is the jury?

Is the “Spiel des Jahres” jury really as independent as it claims? We asked the chair, Harald Schrapers. In the interview, he talks about licensing revenue, promotional events and a dispute within the jury.

6 May 2025 Panorama

30 years of Catan: “We’re waiting for the right moment”

For thirty years, Catan has been captivating people all over the world. To mark the anniversary, we asked Benjamin Teuber thirty questions – about pirated copies, the film based on the game, and his father, the creator of Catan.

22 September 2024 Media

Handbook Board Games: “Glory over Wealth”

In the “Handbuch Brettspiele”, experts explain how games are developed, produced and marketed. In an interview, editors Jürgen Karla and Christoph Post talk about their labour of love, the cultural asset of board games, and a company that took offence.

22 December 2023 updated on 22 December 2023 Timeless classics

Bernward Thole: “Game as an expression and medium of culture”

Bernward Thole is a founding member of Spiel des Jahres as well as the founder and former head of the Deutschen Spiele-Archivs. In the interview, he talks about the early days of the archive, the dispute with the jury and his playful life.

15 September 2023 Economy

SPIEL Essen: Carol Rapp on rising costs, planned cooperations and sociable trade fair days

Since January, Carol Rapp has been responsible for Spiel in Essen. We spoke to the managing director of Friedhelm Merz Verlag – about rising admission prices, tensions with Nostheide-Verlag and the requirements of the Spielwarenmesse.

30 August 2023 Economy

Stefan Brück on alea, his resignation and working with his successor

Stefan Brück was the face and driving force behind the Ravensburger brand alea. In summer 2020, he left the publisher. Since then, he had not spoken publicly until now. We spoke to Brück – about the reasons behind his resignation, his current work and Stefan Feld.

28 July 2023 Politics & Society

Game designer Tobias Thulke: “Voices in my head are a burden and a nuisance”

Game designer Tobias Thulke has been in psychiatric treatment several times. We spoke to him – about voices in his head, his games in the magazine of the Bundesverband Psychiatrie-Erfahrener and board games about mental health.

3 July 2023 Science

Jens Junge: “We ludologists are constantly fighting against prejudices”

Playing isn’t just about switching off and having fun; it also teaches us many other important things in life – including not taking things so seriously. Games researcher Jens Junge explains how this can be achieved. In his view, playing is a luxury, but also indispensable in dealing with the world’s crises.

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