Thomas Wong: Let the World Appreciate

When board games see an upsurge of interest in recent years, the design takes a lot of learning. As the father of two daughters, the founder of People on Board, Thomas Wong, aims to create quality time for Hong Kong families through excellent board game designs.

Needs of Hong Kong Families

For the enjoyment in playing, the board games must be customized for local families. Thomas takes the Monopoly as an example, “The game will not end until you spend three to four hours playing. It is not suitable for the fast-paced city,” explained Thomas. His board games take much shorter playing time within which a lot of interactions are taking place.

His first ever board game, “The Legend of Cheung Po Tsai”, is about the folklore of Cheung Po Tsai Cave in Cheung Chau. Local color is strong in the board games of People on Board.

“Ding Ding. HK Tramways Board Game” uses trams, the symbolic Hong Kong transportation, as the main theme, with the board designed according to the geographical characteristics of Hong Kong Island, and traditional customs being painted on the game cards. Quickly within 20 minutes, Hong Kong geography and customs are learnt by children, while adults are swept over with the wave of nostalgia.

Showcase Hong Kong Design

Early at its design stage, the prototype of the game had been brought to Germany where Thomas played it with participants of a delegation. He hopes that local designs can be introduced overseas, “to let the world appreciate our design, so that people know the excellence of Hong Kong designers," said Thomas.

Thomas Wong

Founder, People on Board

Before founding People on Board, Thomas Wong was a social worker. His first board game “The Legend of Cheung Po Tsai '' is designed to have fun and enjoy family time with his daughter. He then realized the existence of gaps and isolation between parents and their children, and the lack of platform or media as a bridge of communication and interactions. Seeing that and being inspired by his two daughters, Thomas decided to promote board game as a helping tool for parents and children.