DeKoven and The Games Preserve

My dear friend and mentor Bernie DeKoven was a noted writer, designer, and philosopher of play and game studies. His work and understanding of play as an essential expression of our humanity paved the way for the game-filled world we enjoy today.

In the 1970s, Bernie and his wife Rocky bought a farm in Pennsylvania and opened the Games Perserve. This was, for lack of a better term, a board game commune – a playful retreat. There was a barn filled with games and room to play and wander outdoors. He led seminars with folks from all walks of life. The goal was give people the time and space to rediscover how to play, to give themselves permission to play… to show how play can be a powerful and positive force in our lives.

The playful path of Bernie’s life and philosophy inspires me to this day.

We want the DeKoven Center for Play to rekindle the playful spirit of the Games Preserve and pass it on for generations to come.

The DeKoven Center for Play

The DeKoven Center for Play will be The Spiel Foundation’s permanent home in Indianapolis! 

The Foundation intends to buy or lease a building to serve its mission in many different capacities.

Game Library

The foundation has a library of several thousand games. The building will become a permanent home to this collection. The library will be cataloged and categorized and expanded over time.

Games in the library will be useable on site and there will be a circulating collection of games for individuals to check out.

Game / Play Seminars

There will be space to host scheduled seminars on different ways games and play can be used as a positive force in many walks of life (for instance, seminars for teachers, showing how games can be used in the classroom). The library will serve as a valuable resource for these seminars.

Play Events & Game Conventions

There will be large space dedicated for play events and game conventions. Events may be small scale – like regular community play days or open game designer play test sessions. Conventions will be larger in scale, spanning several days of gaming.

Exhibitions

The space will include an area dedicated to small exhibits related to the history, culture, and community of games

Media Studio

The building will also include space for a small video and audio studio to facilitate our media network and also to broadcast seminars and events held at the center to people around the world.

Warehouse

The building will provide The Spiel Foundation with storage space for large quantities of games collected for our bundle donations.

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Supporting the Foundation will make the Center for Play a reality soon! Your donations help fund this bold vision!