One Funny Mother, Dena Blizzard, created the game as a spin-off of Pokemon Go.
After her video “Chardonnay Go” went viral with 23 million views, Moorestown resident and “One Funny Mother” Dena Blizzard has turned her idea into a board game. She brought this game to the Moorestown Community House for 73 like-minded women to enjoy on the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 28.
“The best way to describe the night was loud,” Blizzard said. “There were 10 games going on at the same time, and I knew it was a success when I couldn’t hear myself talking.”
The idea for Blizzard’s game, designed for “wine lovers, moms and other shameless people,” first came about after she created her video, a parody of the Pokemon Go craze. In her video, instead of heading out in search of Pokemon, Blizzard suggests a new application that will allow players to take to the community looking for wine.
Making it easier for people to play her game by eliminating the necessary travel and use of technology, Blizzard turned her idea into a move-by-move board game in which participants are represented by wine barrel playing pieces. With each turn, players have the opportunity to advance their wine barrel across the “vineyard” in the hopes of being the first one to reach the “elusive tasting room” at the end.
In making her game a reality, Blizzard had 15 prototypes made and mailed them across the country for what she called a “big drunk beta test.” More than 300 people reviewed the product and provided her with feedback, concluding the beta testing on Sunday, Feb. 26.
“The results from the testing led us to making the board 35 percent larger,” Blizzard said. “Overall, we got a lot of great feedback, and people were comparing the game to a mix between Candyland and Cards Against Humanity, or drunk Charades.”
Having shown success, elements of her game include landing on a “time out” square, which means the player has to physically turn their chair around at the table, facing the opposite direction until their next turn. Other landing spots call for a designated player to pour everyone at the table’s wine, show off their best karate moves and other humorous actions.
Included with each Chardonnay Go game is an instruction sheet, one game board, a die, six colored barrel playing pieces, 70 Chardonnay cards and 70 Go cards.
Blizzard says her game was originally designed for women, and explains that’s what makes it even more fun to play with men. Additionally, it can be played with as little as four participants, but is ideal for six to eight players. The mother and entrepreneur said it would take 10 players a long time to conclude a game.
“The game came about because women love wine and they love laughing,” Blizzard said. “I wanted to give them a reason to sit down with each other with the sole purpose of connecting.”
To allow others to enjoy her game, Blizzard is seeking $28,000 in funding to make 5,000 units. To fulfill her Kickstarter rewards and leave extra games to sell, she has until Saturday, March 11 to achieve her goal or her project will not be funded.
To help back the Chardonnay Go project, click here.
“I hope we reach this goal because I have every intention of placing an order,” Blizzard said. “It’s the perfect game for women who are tired and want a night out to laugh their faces off, and honestly men love the game as well.”
In hopes she will indeed reach her goal, Blizzard has established rewards for her “backers” that include either one board game, a Skype call with her, or for a $10,000 backing, she says she will fly to that person’s local Chipotle and play the game with them in-person.
Note: Drinking alcohol while playing Chardonnay Go is not required … but Blizzard highly suggests it.
