The gaming audience caught me by surprise

When I first starting working on Mecca to Medina, I envisioned that the game would be played by high school / college players. I would say that about 90% of all the people who play tested the game and enjoyed it were between the ages 18 to 33. Actually, most of the people we play with are in the twenties. So when Mecca to Medina was introduced for the first time at a local conference, we were shocked that the majority of our audience were between the ages of 8 to 15! Although the game can be played by the younger audience, I never thought that so many younger kids would like the game so much.

I have learned that the younger players simplify the game themselves and don't use much strategy while the older players (18 & above) play with all the options (specialty cards, max card limit, etc…).