8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 9-15, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 Bruce Sterten has many television and board games to his name—Jumping to Conclusions, Rapid Recall and 25 Words or Less, just to name a few, with the latter now in its seventh season as a televised game show. Yet, the Carmel Valley inventor doesn’t play board games that much. He’d rather be making them. “I was never really a board game fanatic, nor am I today,” Sterten says. “I enjoy creating.” He loves puzzles, and uses that same mindset when it comes to developing his games. First, the idea must not have been done before, or rather, it should be a unique variation on something based in the familiar. Sterten notes, “It’s hard to create something totally new.” He’ll sketch out an idea on a legal pad (one of which came to him in his sleep one night), and then test the concept with neighbors and friends around the living room table. Once he incorporates feedback, and feels that he has a “pretty solid game,” then he’ll reach out to the marketplace and pitch the game to major distributors such as Hasbro or Mattel. If a company does pick it up, it will run its own tests and determine if the game is ready for prime time. Then, the market will decide. “Once they hit the market, some sell well, some don’t,” Sterten says. For Sterten, all of his games must have one thing in common: a communal aspect. “I like games where you can sit around the table and laugh and joke and be interactive with each other,” he says. In 25 Words or Less, two players on different teams must get their teammates to guess five words by using clues. Yet the clues are limited to 25 words or less, hence the title. (Sterten notes he developed the game by creating the title first.) In the television show, hosted by Meredith Vieira, two celebrities face off with their teams of two contestants, betting on how few words they will need. On a recent episode, for example, American Ninja Warrior host Matt Iseman’s team guessed four out of the five answers using only 10 words. Sterten says he discovered his penchant for creating games while working in the television industry. He first worked for ABC’s Wide World of Sports in 1968, and later landed a job with Chuck Barris’ television game show company, learning about what it takes to develop TV games. In the early ’80s, he created the original game of Taboo as a TV game show. That version of Taboo never made it to air. It was later licensed to a board game developer who later sold it to Milton Bradley (Hasbro). Sterten, who moved his young family to Carmel Valley in 1989, eventually retired as the vice president of development at Dick Clark Productions— although he never fully retired, as he’s still active in game development and television today. With the advent of the internet and smartphones, people can play games from the palm of their hand, wherever they may be, without having to worry about losing all the small pieces that may come with a board game. As a result, the industry has changed, Sterten says, adding that while he has thought about developing a digital game, he never pursued it. “The market for board games, although still large, is more of a struggle to get product out there,” he says. “There’s all that competition for people’s time.” Sterten says he decided early on that he didn’t want to be a manufacturer of board games, and inherit the headaches and financial pressures that come with it. It’s among the advice he gives to inventors: focus on creating. “Make sure your idea is original,” he says. “Go into stores and look at what’s on the shelves, what’s been done before and what hasn’t been done before.” Game companies are always looking for new ideas, Sterten notes, advising to start small. And the ideas are there— it’s difficult to come up with something unique, yet “every year a game comes out that seems to be original. Whether it takes off, you just don’t know.” Sterten pauses when he’s asked if any of the games he’s developed stand out as his favorite. “At the time I’m developing a game, they’re my favorite kid,” he says. Word Games A Carmel Valley game inventor brings people together with his creations. By Erik Chalhoub “I like games where you sit around the table and laugh.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE COURTESY OF BRUCE STERTEN Bruce Sterten stands with some of the board games that he’s developed over the years. Although retired, the Carmel Valley resident remains active in the television and game industries. CLAIM YOUR BOOTH! EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION NOW OPEN Connecting businesses throughout Monterey County THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2025 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM DEL MONTE SHOPPING CENTER EXPO BUSINESS monterey bay 2025 PRESENTED BY REGISTER NOW AT MONTEREYCHAMBER.COM
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