Is Settlers of Catan poised to be the next Monopoly?

photo by ginnerobot

The Atlantic has a funny article about how nearly two decades after its creation the board game Settlers of Catan is about to become a mainstream hit. They, of course, credit nerds with being early adopters paving the way for the game’s success (and I’m sure our lunchtime gamers would totally agree):

“Settlers is taking a similar path [ala Green Lantern and X-Men] to popularity. Not long after its inception 16 years ago, Settlers found a welcome home among gamers. “The nerds recognized it first” argues Charlie Cromer, a nerd culture enthusiast who’s been attending gaming conventions for the past decade. “They were the ones willing to take a chance on an obscure foreign board game.” In the case of Settlers, nerds were the early adopters that Malcolm Gladwell discussed in his book The Tipping Point, a necessary component for a product to take off.”