ito

The Game

Ito is a party game from Japan and supports up to 10 players. It's a huge success in Japan, having sold more than 350,000 copies. I decided to buy it and give it a try when I saw this number on the box. 

This is a pure card game. It has cards numbered 1 to 100, and also many topic cards. I'll describe how the game works beginning with this topic card below. 

Every round every player draws a number card. This is a cooperative game. Your common goal is to arrange your number cards in ascending order. You cannot tell what number you have or show your card. You must rely on the topic to convey how big or small your number is. Using the topic card above as an example, if your number is a small one, you want to say an imaginary world which you don't want to visit. If you get a big number, you want to say a world you are keen to visit. So the 1 to 100 is a measure between two extremes related to the topic. After everyone states an imaginary world, you arrange your cards face-down in a row, from small to large. You then reveal the cards to see whether you have made a correct arrangement. 

In a four-player game this is what the row of cards looks like. The coloured cards tucked below are just to indicate who has contributed which card. If you reveal the cards and they are in the correct order, you win. Otherwise, you lose. The rulebook doesn't say how many rounds you need to play. You can even play just one round. You play for as long as you wish. 

Failure

Success

The Play

The four-player game feels a little easy. I think the game will be more interesting and challenging with more players. The difficulty is also determined by the kind of cards you get. Even with four players, if one player gets 55 and another 56, it's going to be very hard to get these two right. You need a bit of luck. 

There are many topics to talk about. You need to think about not just any item. It has to be an item which reflects the number you have. This is not always easy to do. The game generates conversation on a wide range of topics. It's a good ice-breaker. I can use this for my training work. It lets you understand how your friends think. When you lose a round, there can be even more discussion because it means people value and see things differently. You find both similarities and differences among your friends.   

The Thoughts

This feels more like a group activity than a competitive game. Yes you can call it a cooperative game. It feels more like a group problem solving exercise. It is simple and easy for non gamers to get into. Perhaps it is not that important whether you want to call this a boardgame or a group activity. What's important is the group enjoys it.