Five years ago, I shared a story in the Bloom Report about somebody who contacted me out of the blue to share that a game I designed a lonnng, long time ago has held an important place in his heart over much of his life. That one email meant a lot to me, and once in a while when I think about it, it makes me smile out loud.
Guess what? It happened again. Recently this email appeared out of thin air (or perhaps from heaven) and landed squarely in my inbox…
Message: Hi! I was wondering if anyone makes King's Court anymore? My brother and I played it all the time as kids and now as adults, we had our childhood set that passed back and forth between our houses to play with our own kids- the box was all taped up and falling apart but we had all the pieces and the board! Unfortunately, it was at his house when it burned down in the Eaton Fire this last week. I'm trying to track down a copy to replace it. Thank you for any information! -Ashley
GULP. No way.
A little context…
The Eaton Fire is one of the ferocious wildfires that devastated a large area of Los Angeles.
King’s Court was the very first game I ever worked on. I sculpted the play pieces out of modeling clay, did their part drawings by hand, and worked with the people at the factory to disable the mixing screw on the supply hopper of the injection molding equipment to make the colors of the play pieces swirly like marble instead of solid colors.
The guys running the press made sure I knew they thought I was a pain in the neck. But the play pieces turned out great and I was so proud that when the game was released, my friends and I took pictures in the aisle at Toys R Us. And that was way before everybody had a camera in their pocket all the time. The store manager thought we were weirdos or spies and kicked us out.
Of course, I dropped everything and responded to the email right away…
Dear Ashley,
I’m so very very sorry about the fire and all your terrible loss.
It touches my heart that you reached out to me. King’s Court was the very first game I worked on right after I graduated college and started my job as a game designer. That was 1988, and I believe that game was only in stores for a couple years, so it’s been out of print and no longer available for nearly 35 years.
When King’s Court hit store shelves, it was a proud moment for me, a validation of having officially made it as a professional. I was so proud of it, I gave a copy to my Mom. I read her your email, and she told me she still has that very copy of King’s Court in safekeeping after all these years… the play pieces are still in the wrappers and the box is in pristine condition (no tape!) We would like to send it to you.
As a game designer, it’s a rare occasion I get to hear from people that play with the things I make. I know they’re out there, but I seldom get to know what they actually mean to people, and how much these playthings become important parts of their family stories. It means the world to me that you’ve shared your story with me, and it’s striking that at this pivotal moment in your brother’s and your lives, a little game I worked on so long ago is important enough that you’re compelled to replace it not a week after it was lost.
Please send me your mailing address, and I’ll ship it to you with a giant smile on my face, along with my all my best wishes that you guys will recover from the fire better than ever, play King’s Court often, and continue to weave it into the fabric of your lives.
Warmest regards,
Peggy Brown
Whoosh! Sent!...
Ping!
Message: Oh my gosh! Are you sure? We would be so so honored. It is honestly our absolute favorite game. We played (and fought) over it so frequently as kids. [My brother’s] son is finally old enough to play it with him. This is going to mean so much to him.
And it will be treasured for the rest of our lives.
May you continue to bless this world with your fantastic talent!
P.S. My brother spent a long day in meetings with FEMA and county officials, so I called him at my parents tonight and read him your email with both of us crying. So thank you for being a bright spot in another rough day and thank you for inventing the game that has brought us so much joy.
Thank you so much!! It will be very cherished! (And it is also now on our emergency "what to grab in an evacuation" list for both of us!)
Ashley & Matt & families
I’m not crying, YOU’re crying! This is such a great story, and the moral is this: the playthings we make can be burned to ashes that fly away on thin air, but our play experiences belong to us forever. Ashley told me, “Seeing the beautiful stories that come out of disaster is one of the best ways to cope.” I absolutely could not agree more.
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