Wingspan: aesthetics and environmentalism
We speak to Stonemaier Games president Jamey Stegmaier about plastic-free components and how the beauty of games is in the eye of the beholder
With Kickstarter deluxe editions enticing gamers with chunky game boxes bursting with plastic and a manufacturing process that sees items shipped in from across the world, board gaming as an industry is having to improve its green credentials.
Games can come with any number of materials that impact the planet, not least the shrink wrap for boxes and cards, as well as those tactile neoprene mats – made from synthetic rubber produced via oil drilling.
With tabletop gaming going through a renaissance, both in the quality of game mechanics and popularity (growing by 20% between 2019–21, largely due to the pandemic limiting entertainment opportunities outside the household), making more with less eco-unfriendly items is a puzzle publishers are trying to get to grips with.
One organisation attempting to improve the transparency of its supply chain and production environmental impact is Stonemaier Games.
Following its manufacturing partner, Panda, becoming Forest Stewardship Council-certified, Stonemaier made its bestseller, the Elizabeth Hargrave-designed Wingspan and its expansions, plastic-free in 2022. It also produced a chart detailing how eco-friendly – or otherwise – each of its games were.
On first glance, that all feels good and fair, particularly for a product so focused on the natural world.
But the changes haven’t pleased everyone. Earlier this month, a thread appeared on the BoardGameGeek Facebook group in which several gamers expressed disappointment that new copies of Wingspan – a game famous for looking so darned beautiful on the tabletop – now looked ‘downgraded’ and ‘flimsy’.
Others were concerned about whether the changes impacted durability and the price tag of a game. On the flipside, others called out the ‘raw consumerism’ in the comments.
In among it all was Jamey Stegmaier (pictured below), game designer and president of Stonemaier, who responded to several critics of the changes.
So, how big a concern is the divide between gamers who seek a sustainable future for their hobby and those who seek out aesthetics, or don’t consider the industry’s impact on the planet that big of a deal? And is there any truth to cost impact on consumers? Are precious game components going to fall apart in a few years time having been put through the sustainability mill?
We spoke to Jamey about these dilemmas for publishers.
For those not in the know, what changes and when were made to Wingspan to make it more eco-friendly?
In April 2022 we made eco-friendly changes to a reprint of Wingspan that would enter circulation around five months later. The changes were:
All wood and cardboard components in Wingspan were from FSC-certified sources (FSC is the Forest Stewardship Council, an organization that examines the management practices of the world’s forests, ensuring that they are harvested in such a way that they grow back)
All eggs, which were previously plastic, became wood (same size and shape).
The card tray and lid, which were previously plastic, were recreated at significant expense using unbleached sugarcane bagasse, which is the dry pulpy fibrous material that remains after crushing sugarcane or sorghum stalks to extract their juice. The material is recyclable and actually more sustainable than pulp from trees.
The two plastic containers, which were previously plastic, were replaced by sugarcane pulp trays (no lids).
Plastic bags were reduced and replaced by biodegradable bags sourced from corn by-products. (Note that we have since stopped using these bags, as they fall apart far too easily and quickly.)
What was behind the decision to be transparent over the eco-friendliness of each of Stonemaier’s games?
Transparency and openly shared information has been our core philosophy since the origins of Stonemaier Games [in 2012], so our eco-friendly shortcomings and steps to improve were no different.
‘I actually don’t think there’s anything environmentally sustainable or carbon neutral in mass-manufacturing games’
How difficult is it to create a game that is sustainable and carbon neutral? Is there anything particularly complex that people may be surprised to learn?
I actually don’t think there’s anything environmentally sustainable or carbon neutral in mass-manufacturing games (or most products). There’s so much energy, machinery, and waste. The best we can do is try to minimise that impact as much as possible by using renewable sources for our components (i.e. more wood/cardboard than plastic).
Here are two things that surprised me when we really dug deep into the eco-friendliness of our games: One, it surprised me to learn that a decent amount of the energy used at Panda’s factory in Shenzhen is solar power. Two, I was surprised to learn that most game and expansion boxes have microplastics in the protective coating – they are not recyclable. I had long assumed that expansion boxes could be recycled just like any other cardboard box after I put the new components in the core game box.
As soon as I learned this, we stopped using that coating for all expansion boxes.
On the Facebook thread discussing the changes made to Wingspan, there were comments criticising the look of the newer version and some people preferring a ‘more beautiful’ game than one that’s ‘cheaper looking’. What would you say to this? How concerning is it, considering that Wingspan is known as being a beautiful game?
I think people are referring specifically to the card tray and lid (the wooden eggs are aesthetically identical and I don’t think anyone is complimenting the beauty of the clear plastic containers or their sugarcane pulp replacements).
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I tend to agree with them; the colourful plastic card tray and lid were more aesthetically pleasing than the unbleached sugarcane pulp replacement.
I’d also say that, for years, we heard from people who were shocked by the amount of plastic present in a game with an ecological theme. For them, the game was less beautiful because of what appeared to be a callous disregard for the environment. I’d also say that the oceans of this planet are stunningly beautiful… unless you’re looking at huge portions of them clogged by plastic waste.
It’s important to us that our games provide an incredible, joyous experience on the tabletop. Perception matters and, with a game like Wingspan, there are lots of different perceptions and perspectives for us to consider.
‘Plastic is cheap and easy. Eco-friendly components are used far less and thus they are far more expensive’
There were also some complaints that the price of the game is still the same despite the perception of ‘cheaper’ components. Does creating a plastic-free version have a cost regarding manufacturing?
Plastic is cheap and easy. Eco-friendly components are used far less and thus they are far more expensive.
Even just the cost to make a new mould specifically for the sugarcane pulp tray and lid was close to $10,000, and the ongoing production cost for the sugarcane pulp components is more than double their plastic equivalents. So we significantly increased our production costs, yet we did not increase the end-consumer price Wingspan.
One comment stated that consumers still demand ‘tactile’ and ‘vibrant’ components, adding that if changes with the environment in mind limited these factions, then it would increase the demand for a secondary market for additional plastic blinged-up that would eventually head for landfill, regardless. What are your thoughts on whether there is any truth to this?
I think there’s always a market in the board game space for third-party components. For example, Tapestry comes with a detailed plastic insert, yet people sometimes still buy third-party inserts for it instead. There was a huge market for third-party Wingspan inserts well before we switched to sugarcane pulp.
The way I see it, there is a type of gamer who prefers to bling out their game, and they’re going to toss some of the original components regardless of their composition. I’d rather those tossed components be made of materials that won’t burden our planet for hundreds of years.
What would you say to any gamers concerned about the durability of sustainable playing or storage pieces?
I agree that durability is important, and we always try to make durable components, including the sugarcane trays and containers in Wingspan. There are far more instances of cracked plastic containers in Wingspan than broken sugarcane pulp trays.
The one eco-friendly component that hasn’t measured up to the original in terms of durability are the corn-based biodegradable bags and we’ve stopped using them.
What do you feel you could still do better in terms of creating more environmentally friendly products?
I loathe shrink wrap and I want to stop using it. We’ve made positive steps towards removing it from the inside of games – in fact, I just recently got word from Panda that they can now automate the wrapping of decks of cards in thin paper instead of plastic. Again, there’s a slight cost increase for us, but as soon as I heard that, I authorised Panda to make that change for all of our games.
Exterior shrink wrap is more difficult, as shrink wrap actually does a good job of protecting games for a long time (not just from scratches, but also moisture). Some publishers have switched to stickers, but consumers don’t seem to like that, as most stickers aren’t removed cleanly.
There’s also the option to paper-wrap games instead of shrink wrap, but most manufacturers haven’t invested in a machine that automates this process – if you see paper-wrapped game, most likely a person has wrapped it by hand.
Is the plan to make all existing Stonemaier games that get re-issued plastic-free like Wingspan has?
No. The plan is to continually try to provide the best user experience while minimising our long-term impact on this amazing planet. We’re always juggling both of those goals, whether it’s for a new game or a reprint of an existing game.
Sometimes plastic components (miniatures and detailed inserts) are critical to the user experience; sometimes they’re not.
For gamers who are concerned about net zero’s impact on aesthetics, are there any technological or design developments you see on the horizon that could help in this regard?
One thing I’d love to see is more opportunities for recycled plastic to be used to make components like miniatures and plastic inserts.
It seems easy, but it’s not – plastic holds and releases a lot of toxic chemicals when you try to reprocess it.
Can the board game industry ever be truly sustainable? How far away is it currently, in your view, and what are the biggest factors in preventing it?
Truly sustainable? No. More sustainable? Yes.
Renewable inputs and biodegradable outputs are the key. I think the biggest factor in preventing this is that plastic is far more pliable and customisable than wood, and gamers love their miniatures!
Are there other publishers out there who you think do a good job in terms of sustainability? What have you learned from their products?
HABA, Earthborne Games, Weird City Games and CMYK come to mind as companies that are boldly going where others have not in terms of their focus on sustainably sourced (and recycled) wood and cardboard, and removal of shrink wrap. Though they’re far from alone.
Also, kudos to any company who tries to minimise their box sizes – smaller components equals less materials used.
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