🃏 The Blackout Game Night 🎲
The Blackout Game Night is a Los Angeles–based social experience built around play, community, and discovery.
Curated by game creators Kimelia Weathers Smith and Nick Smith, our events introduce audiences to a library of 100+ board and party games created by Black game makers, many of which people encounter for the first time at our events.
Guests move between tables, learn new games, meet new people, and jump into friendly competition — turning a simple game night into a room full of conversation, laughter, and connection.
Our collection includes both popular titles and independent creations such as:
• Culture Tags
• Black Card Revoked
• Hella Awkward
• Phase 10
• Brilliant or BS?
• and dozens more games from innovative Black designers.
Where We Play
The Blackout Game Night takes place in Black-owned venues and community-centered spaces across Los Angeles, including our monthly Third Thursday residency at The Gathering Spot in West Adams.
Past events have also been hosted at spaces such as 1010 Wine & Events in Inglewood, ORA Urban Cafe in Leimert Park, and community celebrations like the Compton Fest at Compton College — bringing people together through play in spaces rooted in culture and community.
In addition to community game nights, The Blackout Game Night has produced private experiences and collaborations for organizations including:
• Google — Black Googlers Network
• Disney — Wakanda @ Disney
• NBCUniversal — BEN@NBCUniversal
Each event is designed to create meaningful interaction through the simple act of playing games together.
Why Games? Why Black-Owned Games?
We created The Blackout Game Night because we believe play can help solve one of the defining challenges of modern life: disconnection.
Despite the ubiquity of smartphones and social media, studies have documented rising levels of loneliness and social isolation that negatively impact mental health and community wellbeing. We believe gathering around games can help reverse that trend.
Our mission centers around three ideas:
Reconnecting Through Play
Games naturally spark conversation, laughter, storytelling, and collaboration. They break the ice and make it easier for strangers to connect.
Celebrating Black Game Creators
Our events spotlight the creativity and ingenuity of Black game designers, introducing their work to new audiences and inspiring future creators in the rapidly growing tabletop gaming industry.
Supporting Third Spaces
Healthy communities need welcoming places outside of work and home where people can gather and engage. By hosting events in Black-owned venues and community spaces, we help strengthen the environments where culture, ideas, and relationships grow.
Meet The Founders
The Blackout Game Night was created by Kimelia Weathers Smith and Nick Smith, founders of the board game publishing company Brilliant or BS?.
Their flagship party game is available nationwide at Barnes & Noble and has been featured in places like Good Housekeeping, Essence, Cosmopolitan, and Oprah Daily.
Beyond publishing games, Kimelia & Nick have helped advance diversity in the tabletop industry as founding members of the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and contributors to the GAMA Horizons Fellowship, an accelerator program supporting emerging board game publishers and retailers from historically underrepresented communities.
Their work sits at the intersection of games, culture, and community building.
Bring The Blackout To Your Community
The Blackout Game Night partners with venues, organizations, and cultural institutions that want to create engaging, memorable experiences built around play and human connection. Our events can be produced for:
• corporate gatherings
• conferences and festivals
• private celebrations
• cultural programming
• community events
• venue activation
