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Enjoyed playing a few games of dominoes this week, with some
friends in Anegada. I love to relax by playing, usually with sport whether it
is tennis or kitesurfing, but sometimes with more leisurely pastimes like this.
As well as enjoying the odd game of dominoes, I’ve written
before about my love of chess, which I think is the best game in the world.
Lots of entrepreneurs enjoy chess because of its combination of calculated
risk, strategy and bravery. There are several boards dotted around Necker
Island, and you can often find yours truly perched over one of them.
Personally, I love chess because I can have a cup of tea and a good think while
playing.
However, these games did get me thinking about another game
that most people know and love. It also happens to be one of the biggest
business ideas that got away from me.
I got a call one day in the early 80s from a friend in
Canada, who had become obsessed with a new board game and told me it was going
to be the next big thing. I took a look and could see it was going to catch on.
The developers invited us to travel to Quebec and seal a deal to distribute the
game globally - I readily agreed.
However, we were incredibly busy with Virgin Records at the
time, and due to work commitments I ended up having to postpone the trip. By
the time I got there, they had sold the game to another company.
It has gone on to sell hundreds of millions of copies. The
name of the game? Trivial Pursuit.
While we missed out on that one, I’ve never really dwelled
on it. As I have often said, opportunities are like buses, there’s always
another one coming.
What’s more, I appreciate the way the idea for Trivial
Pursuit was formed. Apparently, the creators Chris Haney and Scott Abbot were
intending to play a game of Scrabble, but found there were some pieces missing.
Rather than get annoyed about the faulty game, they decided to create their own
– the result was Trivial Pursuit. The best ideas often come out of frustration.
What’s your favourite game? Make some time to play and relax
this week, you won’t regret it.
Sir Richard Branson is the CEO of the Virgin Group.
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