Like a harbinger of the approaching Christmas, the traditional guide Games and toys from the magazine Protect yourself hits newsstands this Friday. On the menu, 120 gift ideas including 76 products that have obtained a rating of four and five stars.
Posted at 5:27 p.m.
For Danielle Charbonneau, responsible for the selection and evaluation of toys since 1998 (the tests were then conducted by the Association des consommateurs du Québec), this is an “excellent year”. “In the 0-8 years old section, we tested 42 products and 36 obtained 4 or 5 stars,” she notes. And none got a rating below three stars.
It must be said that for several years, Protect yourself has reviewed the way it conducts its annual tests. A pre-selection is first made by Danielle Charbonneau and her colleague Sylvain A. Trottier, board game testing coordinator, from the best sellers of different publishers. “A product that is not very good will probably not be in the best sellers, underlines Mme Charbonneau. It is certain that by taking this bias, there are products that do not even reach me. »
This year’s results should therefore not necessarily be seen as a general improvement in the quality of toys and board games. “It’s scary for the environment, but I’m sure there are still shoddy toys that end up on the shelves,” she says.
The eco-responsibility of games is also addressed in an article in this issue by Sylvain A. Trottier. One hundred and fifty “passionate consumers” of board games (who spend more than $1,200 on this hobby on average) were surveyed on social networks. Only 2% chose the environment as one of the top three reasons for buying a game. [qui offrent ce type de jeux], observes Danielle Charbonneau. There is Bio Viva, a French company, which offers games without plastic wrap, made with recycled and recyclable cardboard and soy ink. And in Quebec, The Masked Scorpion, which is committed to planting trees. »
Cooperative games are popular
While there is a great variety in the types of toys and games tested (construction games, association games, manipulation games, investigation games, strategy games), there is a noticeable trend towards cooperative games. “It’s cyclical, every 12-15 years, it comes back, notes Danielle Charbonneau. In recent years, there have been many in the 8-10-12 games. These are games where there is no winner. All players lose or all players win. Maybe it’s more fun for the parents because there’s no bickering! »
Guide Games and toys of this year also offers classics, all in all fairly recent, but to be rediscovered (Pirate Boom, Défis Nature, Baobab, Decrypto, Dead of Winter) as well as a selection of 36 children’s books established in collaboration with the Communication- Youth.
The ease of use, the solidity of the materials, the safety as well as the educational interest of the products are among the criteria evaluated by the testers of Protect yourself and the 500 families who answered the magazine’s call. Since the first lockdown in 2020, Protect yourself has changed its testing procedure by asking families who already have the pre-selected games. They are then invited to share their assessment through the SOM survey platform.
Eight games that stand out this year
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PHOTO FROM RANDOLPH WEBSITE
Le Petit Linkto is a cooperative association game on the theme of fruits and vegetables or means of transport which has four levels of difficulty. “It’s also a game with which we can do many things: ask the child to tell us a story or make him work on his vocabulary”, notes Danielle Charbonneau. Le Petit Linkto, Randolph, 2 to 8 years old, $19
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PHOTO FROM THE MÖBI WEBSITE
ZipPee is a silicone manipulative toy, featuring six rods of various colors, textures and shapes. The testers liked its originality, its ease of use and its solidity. ZipPee, Möbi, from 1 ½ years to 3 years, $30
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PHOTO FROM SPACE COW WEBSITE
Catch Monsters is a cooperative board game in which players must defend the castle against an attack… of monsters. Parents appreciated the solidity of the materials and the fact that the children could play without their help. Monster Catcher, Space Cow, ages 4-8, $30
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PHOTO FROM GLADIUS WEBSITE
Invent Me a Story is an updated version of an existing game. Players must invent a story inspired by illustrated pellets. “Everyone is going to have fun, even the parents! says Danielle Charbonneau. All it takes is imagination. » Invent me a story, Gladius, from 4 years old, $30
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PHOTO FROM THE TIKI EDITIONS WEBSITE
Very fast! is a counter-current course game where the goal is to arrive last! Along the way, we collect objects to clean up the forest. It helps to develop logical reasoning and strategic skills. Super Pace!, TiKids, ages 6 and up, $37
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PHOTO FROM THE PLACOTE WEBSITE PHOTO FROM THE WEBSITE OF
The Social Code is a cooperative game, made in Quebec, in which players must help the chief scientist to reach the secret warehouse before the hacker. The testers liked that it was an easy to understand game that was both educational and entertaining. The Social Code, Placote, 6 to 10 years old, $45
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PHOTO FROM WEBSITE PHOTO FROM AMAZON WEBSITE
Crawling! Junior is a dynamic knowledge game where players must answer general culture questions as quickly as possible. Its format, its simple and varied questions and its resistant material were appreciated. Crawling! Junior, The Mocking Weasel, 10 years and up, $30
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PHOTO FROM WEBSITE
Ole! Guacamolé is a simple vocabulary game of finding words that are missing certain letters. Games without downtime, fast and efficient, which often lead to comical situations, according to the testers. Ole! Guacamolé, The Masked Scorpion, 10 years and over, $18
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Guide Games and toys of Protect yourself is available now, at a price of $8.95, in print and digital versions. It will also be available on newsstands starting October 28.