Leslie Scott (game designer)
Leslie Scott (born 18 December 1955) is a British board game designer and author,[1] best known as the inventor of the game Jenga, which she launched at the London Toy Fair 1983.
Leslie Scott | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 December 1955 |
| Occupation(s) | Game designer, author |
| Known for | Jenga |
| Spouse | Fritz Vollrath |
| Children | Frederica & Digby |
Early life and education
Born in Tanzania, Scott was raised in East and West Africa, and educated in Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Taunton, England.[2]
Career
Scott is the inventor of the game Jenga, which she launched at the London Toy Fair 1983. She founded Oxford Games Ltd in 1991.[3]
She is a Senior Associate of Pembroke College, Oxford and a founder trustee of The Smithsonian UK Charitable Trust.[4]
Honours
She is the recipient of the 2010 Wonder Women of Toys Inventor/Designer Award,[5] and the 2012 Tagie award for Excellence in Game Design.[6]
Private life
Scott is married to the Oxford zoologist Professor Fritz Vollrath. They have two children, Frederica and Digby.
Works
Games
- Jenga
- Ex Libris, the game of first lines and last words
- The Great Western Railway Game
- Anagrams, the game of juggling words
- Tabula, the Roman game
- Bookworm, the game of reading and remembering
Books
- About Jenga, the remarkable business of creating a game that became a household name [7]
References
- "Radio 4 Woman's Hour – The woman who created a game that became a household name". BBC. Archived from the original on 20 November 2009.
- Stevens, Interview by Jenny (30 March 2015). "How we made Jenga" – via The Guardian.
- Wolfe, Lahle. "Leslie Scott, Inventor of Jenga and Co-Founder of Oxford Games". The Balance Careers.
- Smithsonian UK Charitable Trust
- "Women Of Distinction". Playthings Magazine
- The Toy & Game Inventor Awards
- Wall Street Journal