Mind Games® Take Over Albany

ARLINGTON, TEXAS April 15th, 2011 — One of the biggest board game events in the U.S. will be taking place in the state capitol of New York, and where there are games, hundreds of Mensa members will follow.

Albany is this year’s host city for the 22nd annual Mind Games®, hosted by Mensa of Northeastern New York. The event will be held April 15-17 at the Best Western Sovereign Hotel.

The annual Mind Games event allows manufacturers to put their new-to-market games to the test as the most avid game players around—Mensa members— play and rate each title. For 40 straight hours, members of the high IQ society play innovative games, judging them on aesthetics, instructions, originality, play appeal, and play value, and then cast their ballots for their favorite board or card game. On the final day of the event, votes are tallied, and five games receive the honor of bearing the Mensa Select® seal. 2010 Mensa Select winners were “Anomia”, “Word on the Street”, “Yikerz!”, “Forbidden Island”, and “Dizios”.

“If you’re purchasing a Mensa Select game, prepare for some smart fun,” said Greg Webster, Chief Judge for the 2011 Mind Games.  “If consumers purchase a game with a Mensa Select® seal, they are not only getting a product that brings great entertainment, but it will provide a challenge for the mind as well.” For more information about Mind Games, log onto www.mensamindgames.com.

After the event, the challenge continues for Mensa potentials. A Mensa Admission Test session will be held Sunday, April 17, at noon for interested persons 14 and older. The Admissions Test will be supervised by a certified Mensa proctor, and those who are between the ages of 14 and 17 will need to be accompanied by a parent. The testing fee is $40 and test takers will be required to show a photo ID. For more information about testing or membership, log onto www.us.mensa.org/join.

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American Mensa is an organization open to anyone who scores in the top 2 percent on an accepted standardized intelligence test. Mensa has more than 50,000 members in the United States and more than 130,000 members globally. For more information about American Mensa, visit americanmensa.org or call (817) 607-0060.