Watch Out Wall Street, Toy Fair Gets A Bailout: 'BAILOUT! THE GAME'

Game's Goal: Collect Most Debt, Win a Bailout

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., February 10, 2010 -- Bailout! The Game causes dictionaries everywhere to redefine 'winning'. In most board games, collecting wealth is the key to winning. However, when it comes to Bailout! The Game, the player who collects the most debt wins.

Directly affected by the recession as credit for architecture projects was slowing down, Jordy Sopourn, an architect, and his wife Shari, a homeschool mom, decided to Bailout themselves. Bailout! The Game was inspired by the couple's daughters, Brianna (12) and Lauren (10) during a dinner conversation about the government bailout (TARP). "What started out as an educational game transformed into the hilarious parody of the government bailout, where debt is king, and when you lose, you win," said Shari Sopourn.

Following the conversation, the Sopourn family began working on Bailout! The Game (www.bailoutthegame.com) in September 2008 as a homeschool project. They conducted their game research by using print, television, social media and the internet. In 2009, the Sopourn's founded Liberty Street Games and self published Bailout! The Game ($29.99 retail).

Players compete as rival banks (ex. No Cashvia, Liquidation Brothers) that make risky investments to undermine the competition and get a bailout. Along the money trail, players run into Frantic May, Frivolous Mac, plummeting dollar values, hostile takeovers, global warming rallies, pork barbeques in Washington and negative media coverage. "All the fun, none of the responsibility, and best of all, this bailout doesn't add to the national debt," said Jordy Sopourn.

Bailout! The Game has received accolades from toy industry reviewers: Mr. Dad (www.mrdad.com), Family Review Center (www.familyreviewcenter.com) and The Toy Man (www.thetoyman.com). Additionally, Shari recently received a nomination for the Wonder Women in Toys award (www.womenintoys.com), to be awarded during Toy Fair in NY, February 14-17.

Liberty Street Games is a game design company that publishes American made games. The company provides relevant content about the government bailout via twitter feed @bailoutthegame. They are launching a mentoring program for other game designers on their blog. The blog's content: The Do's and Don'ts of self-publishing, social media, PR, press, and conventions.