Advertising agency OMG-Kazakhstan and the Shymkent tourism department presented a new board game called ShymShyk, where players take on the role of tourists visiting various attractions in Shymkent, QazMonitor reports citing the agency’s press service.
The launch of the game marks OMG-Kazakhstan’s debut in educational entertainment with the aim of accentuating the beauty and unique charm of the city with over two thousand years of history.
Shymshyk uses a simple ruleset found in most board games with an additional tourist guide aspect that introduces Shymkent’s key sites through famous legends and historical events. The players - or in this case, ‘tourists’ - start in a hotel with the goal of visiting all major sites in the city.
The game’s endpoint, a restaurant, pays homage to Shymkent’s reputation as the cultural center for grand and opulent festivities (toi).
The rules were made to be simple so that ShymShyk could be played by people of all ages and for an average playtime of 40 minutes. It is also available in multiple languages, including Kazakh, Russian, and English.
For now, the agency has released a pilot version of the tabletop game with the goal of acquiring funds to print their first batch. OMG-Kazakhstan also revealed their future plans in a phone interview to sell the game in bookstores and tourist facilities as well as create new editions with other cities in Kazakhstan.
