Thesis: The coloration in board games plays a role in developing a game that

subconsciously affects the mood of players, establishes a theme, and sets the
tone during gameplay.

I. The colors in board games establish a theme
A. Party games and children games typically have bold colors
with fun fonts and designs
B. Strategy games and war games typically have dark, muted
tones with detailed artwork.
C. Reef Encounter Example
1. One design of the game features bright colors like yellow
and green
2. Another design takes a much more intense approach
through a dark, ominous color scheme
3. Different colors suggest different moods, audience, and
game mechanics

II. Clue is a great example of how dark coloration is appropriately used on
the box and within the game
A. Dark colors are naturally corresponded with board games that have
a dark theme
B. Dark colors typically elicit negative feelings
C. The audience for Clue is ideally an audience that can
understand the heavy undertones of the game

III. Candy Land is a great example of how bright coloration is appropriately
used on the box and within the game
A. Why bright colors were used in Candy Land
1. Children are nearly always drawn to bright colors
2. Children have positive reactions to bright colors
B. The colors fit the candy theme of the game as well
1. A mental association with bright colors is already made
when thinking about candy

IV. Colors play and important role in establishing a theme for the game
A. The importance of colors regarding the theme
1. Colors are there to simply enhance the artworks
impression on a player
2. Adjusting the tone of the colors and the images can
mean the difference between a success and a failure
3. A poorly colored game can take away from the overall
experience
4. A poorly colored game can fail at providing the
framework for the theme
B. The importance of choosing correct colors to correlate with
the theme
1. Correct colors for a specific era
2. Correct colors for a country
3. Correct colors for a desert-themed game
C. Personal Anecdote
1. Red and blue does not make sense when portraying a
jungle
2. Color scheme should produce a recognizable theme