Pinstripe Publishing pushes board gaming envelope

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

It's not often someone makes the jump from venture capital to board games, but it's the path Steve Jaqua took to create Pinstripe Publishing and Poplin Press.

Jaqua used to be a vice president at Ardesta, going from university to university to find technology that could be commercialized. He realized lots of researchers and professors were former gamers. So he decided to harness that innovative spirit to create the next generation of board games.

"These guys are usually saving the world or destroying it," Jaqua says. "They're just having some fun with it here."

Two-year-old Pinstripe Publishing's first product is a board game called Blasphemy that revolves around posing alternative narratives to the normal religious indoctrination. The company's children's game counterpart, Poplin Press, is coming out with two more products right now.

"It's all about pushing the envelope and challenging people's belief system and how they think," Jaqua says.

Pinstripe Publishing is working on a new board game that goes beyond the normal piece of cardboard, flashcards and figures. It's developing a game that includes affordable touch screens and miniatures. That way players still get the live experience but can harness the latest technology.

The downtown Ann Arbor-based firms employ just Jaqua right now, but also gives out work to 8-10 independent contractors. Think artists, designers and proofreaders. It is working on a deal that could spur some considerable growth by this spring.

Source: Steve Jaqua, president of Pinstripe Publishing and Poplin Press
Writer: Jon Zemke