Once upon a time, card games were trendy and interesting. Poker Tournaments took prime-time spots on ESPN. Blackjack was considered sexy. A new version of Uno came out yearly. Dozens of new card games came out of Europe’s game makers, often to great reviews.
 
 That was then.
 
 Now, a few short years later, poker has been relegated to the late night slots on ESPN3, below eating contests and thumb wrestling. Blackjack is only interesting on GSN, and they had to dress it up with sexy girls and trivia. The American game makers returned to their old standbys, eliminating their alternate versions. The Europeans refuse to design card games, stating design flaws and playability issues.
 
 Are Card Games a Dying Breed? What happened to our culture that brought such a rapid response from the Gaming industry? Will card games ever be developed again?
 
 Card Games have one advantage going for them that other games just can’t match: They handle large groups really, really, well. Most card games can cover at least 8 people, and many can go much higher – 10, 12, even 20. A typical board game maxes out at 4 or 6. This is the lifeline of card games, the only thing keeping them around.
 
 Card Games are, as a rule, inherently imbalanced. The luck of the draw is terribly random, and it tends to benefit one or two players far more than the rest. Over the course of dozens of hands this will eventually even out, but it makes the game frustrating.
 
 Ultimately, will card games last? Yes. They are playable in ways that other games are not, and some will never disappear. However, it seems the market is currently fully saturated with dozens of available games. Just don’t expect to see new designs for a few years.

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