The Day of Games – Leagues, Gear, Awesome times.

Here at the Day of Games we play for fun, so although there are professional bocce teams, bocce balls, and leagues… we want you to play bocce so you can hang out with friends and have a good time.  Try and pick a bocce ball set that is the correct weight and size for you, not what the pros use.  Here is a great image that should help you decide which bocce ball size is right for you.  We currently offer 73mm, 90mm, 100mm, and 107mm.  The bigger the ball, the more they weigh.  We recommend the 100mm set for beginners, or the 73mm Petanque Bocce set.  The 107mm sets are quite large and heavy, but great if you enjoy playing with adult buddies at the beach or park.  If you’d like to see other bocce options, drop us an email!

The Day of Games Bocce Ball Sizes

We are proud to announce that The Day of Games and Brent Wagner were featured in the USA Today Fall Special Edition of Your Life: Guide to Men’s Health. The Magazine is on newstands now. Go get one!

The article is entitled Outdoor Games and was written by Larry Weisman of USA Today. Here is what he had to say:
Quoted from article featuring The Day of Games foldable cornhole boards:

“Cornhole: Eight bean bags and two boards with holes in them make up the equipment. The object: Toss your bean bag (from a distance) through the hole in the board, then your opponent tries to do the same. Or knock your opponents’ bean bags off the board. Kind of like shuffleboard. Or horseshoes without the clanging.”

Additionally, there was some commentary from Brent:

“Brent Wagner: Founder of The Day of Games, a casual game manufacturer headquartered in Los Angeles

- “This all started in 2006 with eight of us who lived in or around Marina Del Rey, Calif. One weekend we would get up at 9a.m., stay up until midnight, party, and play every game. We called it The Day of Games. That whole concept spun into this brand.”
- “All the games are gaining in popularity. They give people a chance to get off the couch and be social, going out and hanging out and meeting new friends instead of watching TV after work with a bowl of cereal.”
- “Our target is the 20- to 30- something tailgaters and the college guys who are playing games. We feel people like playing games with one hand while having a cold beverage in the other.”"

Check out the magazine:

YOU CAN PURCHASE THE CORNHOLE SET FEATURED IN THE USA TODAY MAGAZINE HERE:
The Day of Games – Portable and Foldable Cornhole Game

We also sell professional sized cornhole boards and a variety of other tailgate games, leisure sports, and backyard games.  Take 30 seconds to shop through our website!

Possibly the best schools to visit for some high quality tailgating?
USC
Auburn
Colorado
UCLA
LSU
Ole Miss
Penn State
University of Washington
UNLV
University of Texas

Who did we miss?

Here is a series of content that About.com requested to see in order to complete their application process to become an About.com Guide.  This was for the Darts and Bar Sports Category.

I didn’t listen to my own advice… and applied for the gig anyways.

Why was this stupid? I wasted a bunch of time that I should have spent on this existing company, and not monkeying around generating content at a low wage for a Google hoarding site.  I disclosed my company affiliation in the first sentence of my application.  Then I created solid content (many articles and blog submissions) and moved on the second round of the application process… which was a ridiculously time consuming task of creating websites utilizing their archaic system.  No drag and drop in there, just an old school HTML mess and a horribly formatted backend which was impossible to learn and use.  I finally perfected the site.  OK, lets get the show on the road.

3 weeks into the process I was asked if my writing was going to be biased based on The Day of Games background.  About.com… are you guys paying any attention whatsoever?  I disclosed that Day 1! Eventually they decided that the conflict of interest was too great.  I have no problem with that, but I have a huge problem with the timing.   Thanks for wasting my time About.com

I would suggest anyone considering applying for an About.com position to run the other way.  The recruiters are unprofessional and the pay is undermarket for the value you are generating from your postings.  Now I’m off to play some bocce ball.

The About.com work put in; for no pay whatsoever:

1 – How to Play Darts – Rules for 501

2 – How to Play Darts: Rules for Cricket

3 – How to Play Foosball

4 – Top 10 Must-Haves for Your Game Room

5- Big Sky, Montana – Game Room

6- Beach Golf – The Greatest Game in the World

7 – Foosball Strategy Tips

8 – Simple… Yet Addicting: The Game of Washer

9 – How to Write for About.com — Don’t.

10 – If this Blog covered it all…

PART VI of the series… “Should I Apply to Become an About.com Guide? No.”

The great thing about living in Southern California again is the wonderful weather that can be enjoyed all year round. This makes for a perfect excuse to head to the beach for a little round of Beach Golf. This morning I woke up to some sunshine, clear skies, 72 degrees, all thrown in with a little Carmaggedon scare. The shutdown of the 405 Freeway has thankfully kept many people away from the beach this weekend. With nobody on the sand, a few friends decided it was an excellent morning for 9 “holes” of Beach Golf.

Beach Golf is really a simple game. Grab a 6-iron and a tennis ball then decide which item on the beach will act as the “hole.” Proceed to play golf just as if you were hitting out a sandtrap on every swing. Sometimes the hole can be a trashcan, other times it will be the post of a volleyball net, or the lifeguard tower, or a sandal, or just about anything!

This morning I was able to play with two friends who live down in Marina del Rey, CA. We were all off to a very strong start and remained competitive throughout the first 6 holes of play. There were shots in between the volleyball nets, around trashcans and electrical poles, and even a shot that needed to hit the thinnest of targets in between a drainage area. One player had his score drop off tremendously after we elected to use the elevated side of a lifeguard tower as a hole.  Two of us notched 7’s, while the third player in our game was less fortunate; he got stuck with a score of 20.

The round of Beach Golf finished off with a rather lengthy par 5 around a target off in the distance, then back toward a signpost. I was down two strokes to start of the hole and had some catching up to do.  My ball landed in a leftover footprint (the largest detriment to a solid round of play), and scored a seven. The closest competitor would really need to fall apart in order for me to finish on top; and that is exactly what happened. He started off spectacular but ended up burying his ball in a few footprints, then laying next to a fence, then finally finished one stroke behind me.  Victorious at Beach Golf again, what an amazing morning.

PART IV of the series… “Should I Apply to Become an About.com Guide? No.”

Assembling the perfect game room is no easy task.  There are many games to find, layouts to figure out, color schemes to decide upon, and budgeting to deal with. A great game room should incorporate your own personal style and your favorite games, but make sure you include things that everyone will enjoy. Here is a list of the top 10 must-haves for your game room.  But first, a few assumptions:

• Expect to spend at least $5,000 – $10,000. You must have a reasonable budget to truly deck the place out.  Can you create a game room for under $5,000? Of course, but if you want all the good stuff from this Top 10 list, you need to open up that wallet.

• The dedicated game room is no smaller than a standard 2-car garage.  If you have a random pool table at your house that sits in next to the living room, that is not a game room.  If you have a dart board that hangs in your garage in between posters and storage boxes, that is not a game room.  A game room should be an entire space that is focused entirely on the elements listed below.

• This is a Game Room and not a Man Cave.  What’s the difference?  While there is definite overlap between the two concepts, a Man Cave is considered to be an escape from the rest of the house.  A Man Cave is most likely filled with many essentials of a Game Room, but it can also have items that have nothing to do with games, such as a theater seating, collectibles, and computers.  The Game Room for your house shouldn’t just be an escape for men; it should be enjoyed by men, women, and kids.

Now your budget is in order, you have an adequate space, and you understand the definition of a game room.

Here is your Top 10 List:

1) Pool table

A pool table is the centerpiece to any well laid out game room.  Without a pool table you’ll be hanging out in the minor leagues.  Everyone loves pool and it can even double as a base for a ping pong tabletop. Don’t forget to include a rack for your pool cues. Don’t be cheap with your pool table selection. It should be a few notches above bar-quality.

2) Dart board

Stick with the quality bristle sets that come with steel tipped darts.  The best bet for a game room is to grab a set that comes with chalkboards along the sides. The dart board needs to be placed in an area away from the any reasonable walking area.  The normal black, red, and green color scheme always looks classy. A nice touch is to include a list of all the possible dart games and their rules.

3) Shuffleboard

One of the most underrated of the game room options.  A well made shuffleboard table can cause a group of people to lose track of time. The game is addicting and nestles itself nicely along your game room wall. There are a few manufacturers that sell shuffleboard tables and the prices can vary from $500 to well over $2,500.

4) Arcade Games

Pick your favorite childhood game or a more recent favorite.  You can never go wrong with the original Ms. Pac-Man game.  That little yellow lady just never gets old.  Big Buck Hunter is another popular game.  Even large groups of people can get involved. There are also some obscure options like Tron or Off Road. If you buy an arcade game that requires quarters, make sure to leave a huge cup of change on top of the game.  Don’t charge your guests!

5) Bar or Kegorator

An area to keep snacks and cold beverages is key.  Who wants to leave the game room once you’re in there?  Keep your guests’ glasses full, along with their stomachs. A kegorator can be constructed out of an old fridge, or you can just buy a fully completed version online. Constructing a full bar is a much larger undertaking but if you have the space a little bar area is a spectacular addition to a game room.

6) Television Area

The TV might be the centerpiece of a man cave, but it’s only a secondary aspect to a game room.  There should be some comfy chairs and a screen that is large enough to watch an NBA game from the other side of the room. Black leather is a fairly standard option for the game room. If the chairs recline then your guests will never want to leave. Throw in some cupholders onto the chairs and your guests will be begging to come back for the big game.

7) Unique Game

Find something that nobody else on the block has. Think Skeeball, a vintage pinball machine, or any arcade game that was around before 1970. This game will be the least played, but the most memorable.  Bonus points for anything that costs a nickel. Old vintage games can be found on the internet and there are tons of options to fit your favorite sport. Say you are a baseball lover, you can find an old baseball game from the 1940’s that has a little swinging bat.

8 ) Mini Basketball Hoop

If you have room for a large popashot style game, that is the way to go. Otherwise, a small hoop over a trashcan or a hoop that hangs over a door will also work.  Background basketball games will get people in the mood for practicing their fade away three-pointers. If you are really on a budget, you can always just place a little cup in the corner, crumple up some paper, and then aim for the cup.

9) Gaming Games

A cabinet full of gambling games is a requirement for all game rooms. Multiple decks of cards, poker chips, dice, and a backgammon set should be readily available to be pulled out at all times.  A game room is incomplete without a little wagering. A poker table is a great addition if you have the space. If no space is available, you can always play poker on the pool table. Pool tables make for great poker tables but be careful where you place your beer. Beverages should never be placed around the edges of your pool table.

10) Putter and Golf Balls

There is something about a putter leaning against the wall that calls out, “grab me” “putt with me!” An office style artificial turf game is not necessary; all you need is the putter and a few random gold balls.  A game can be created by targeting anything on the ground, or simply laying down an empty glass. You might even want to include four to five putters so that everyone can have their own personal putter when coming up with different challenges.

Fathers Day weekend brought amazing weather to San Francisco, so it was time to head to Lafayette Park for a little Soccer Bocce photo shoot. There was just enough time to watch the end of the US Open golf tournament and watch Rory McIlroy crush the field. Then straight to the park to take some pictures. Now I am not a professional photographer, and Hayneedle offered to take some pics of our gear, but they wouldn’t allow us to use the pics on The Day of Games website, so why not just take the pics in-house! They turned out pretty nice. Pretty legit! Tailgating season is around the corner.

The Day of Games has pretty much covered the games that people play while Tailgating.  What next?  The next logical step is to move into the game room and try and get some new products that are affordable for everyone, fun to play, and familiar to all.  Here are some of our favorites that we are thinking about selling:

Shuffleboard tables
Dartboards
Backgammon sets
Foosball tables
Pool tables

We think we’ve covered most of the Game Room Games that you want inside your Man Cave.  Anything missing?  What’s the best game you’ve ever played in a Game Room? What’s in your ManCave?

These next generation of products are all for indoor play.  But we haven’t forgotten about the outdoors!  As for new products to be played outside…  we are thinking about:

Washers
Paddleball Sets
& some new games that we are inventing!

Stay tuned!

Hoping for a new trend here at The Day of Games, annual retreats.  First stop – Costa Rica! Loving it.  Can you ever get too many rivers to drive through, or beaches to relax on, or monkeys to stare at? I think the monkeys here would dominate all forms of leisure sports. Retreats have catchy names though, that’s what’s missing. How about the…  “Amazing Week Each Spring Of Manufacturing Enjoyment” … also known as… The AWESOME.  Sounds like a winner.  I guess the only problem is that this first annual AWESOME took place at the end of winter.  Details… details…

Time for scuba.  Pura Vida!  Still waiting to get my first game of Bocce Ball on!

When we heard there was going to be a huge Bocce tournament on the beach in Santa Monica, complete with a beer garden and music… we HAD to be a part of it! The Day of Games is happy to announce that we will be a sponsor for the ‘Bocce Blitzkrieg Bocce for Books Charity Tournament’. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Room to Read. The tournament is October 2nd and is located just North of the pier. This is going to be an AWESOME day. We will also be providing some prizes so you could win one of our Bocce Ball Sets!

Sign up now before it sells out!

October 2nd
Santa Monica Pier (north parking lot and on the sand)
Beer Garden, Bocce on the sand, Music, Prizes, Awesomeness
3 Divisions
$70 per team … for CHARITY!