Zoltan Aczel
Game developer, advisor
Co-founder of Purple Meeple Games
I’ve been playing board games since 1967. I founded Gémklub in 1986 as a board game club and I’ve started numerous other clubs ever since. We were the first ones to import foreign board games to Hungary and made them available to Hungarian players during open events. My first games appeared in 1997 and I’ve published 19 games so far. Five of my games have been published by German publishers, two by Gémklub on an international level with a German and American partner, but I have also created games for commissions; for example, for Coca Cola.
In 2001, I founded Gémklub Kft. which represents numerous international publishers in Hungary (Asmodee, Blue Orange, Czech Games, Gigamic, Portal Games, Rebel, Rio Grande, Thinkfun, stb.) Gémklub was the first in Hungary to publish its own games and the Hungarian version of foreign games.
In 2008, I organised the first countrywide board game championship and board gave event which by now has become the Hungarian board game event attracting the most visitors under the name of Boardgame Festival. As the head of the board game-pedagogy program of the Nebuló XXI. Foundation I’ve organised founding for schools since 2009.