GameChanger Turns the iPad Into an Interactive Board Game

With the ever booming app market and the infiltration of tablets in many households, there’s a new category of what I call “hybrid apps” coming to market. This is essentially a new world of play that mixes the physical with the virtual, and the iPad has become the primary medium for providing the electronic aspect to gaming. 

I previously wrote about a cool game called Yoomi Duo that uses the iPad as a playing surface with the additional game accessories. Another new game on the market from Identity Games is GameChanger, an electronic board game that employs the iPad as its centerpiece. 

The GameChanger board unfolds to reveal a cradle that the iPad slides into. There are two games that are included in the box, Animal Mania and The Magic School Bus (Scholastic) that provide “game skins” that are placed on top of the board. In addition, the game comes with four cute game pieces that move along the board from start to finish. 

The game must be accompanied by the free GameChanger app that can be downloaded directly from iTunes. The app then provides the entire backdrop for both games with everything from a spinning wheel to video clips with fun facts. The app also comes with two additional action games named Kaboom and DuckDuck Goose that don’t need the skins. 

The game is recommended for two to four players of kids aged six and up, but younger kids will still enjoy tapping and spinning on the iPad. If you’re a techie family, GameChanger is a fun way to bring family board game night back into play. A much more modern family game night, clearly. 

Here’s a quick video explaining how the game works:

GameChanger costs $79.99 and is available at retailers including Toys ‘R Us, Amazon and Best Buy. For a full list of retailers, click here.