Editing Ticket to Ride (board game) (section)

== Concept ==

=== Inception ===

The game was created by [[Alan R. Moon]]. The inspiration for the game was ocean waves, which Moon had viewed on a walk while reflecting on an unsuccessful session of a complex war game.<ref name="20th-celebrations_dow_2024">{{cite web|title=Press Release: Ticket to Ride Celebrates 20 Years!|website=[[Asmodee]] (www.asmodee.net)|publisher=[[Days of Wonder]] (www.daysofwonder.com)|date=11 June 2024|language=en|url=https://cdn.svc.asmodee.net/production-daysofwonder/uploads/2024/06/EN_20Y_Press-ttr.pdf|access-date=4 July 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240704044606/https://cdn.svc.asmodee.net/production-daysofwonder/uploads/2024/06/EN_20Y_Press-ttr.pdf|archive-date=4 July 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Gateway game ===

The introductory nature of the ''Ticket to Ride'' has been noted. Alan R. Moon, wrote "The rules are simple enough to write on a train ticket – each turn you either draw more cards, claim a route or get more destination tickets".<ref name="original-release_dow_2004"/> Days of Wonder wrote in its promotion that ''Ticket to Ride'''s elegantly simple game play can be learned in less than five minutes."<ref name="sales_dow_2004"/> Giving the game a 4.7 out of 5, "Board Game Review" wrote, "Those in the board game community call games like these ‘Entry Level’. ''Ticket To Ride'' epitomises this term and is one of the best entry level games."<ref name="original_review_current(2024)">{{cite web|title=Ticket To Ride Review|website=Board Game Review (www.boardgamereview.co.uk)|date=January 2020|language=en|url=https://boardgamereview.co.uk/game-reviews/ticket-to-ride|access-date=29 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129092710/https://boardgamereview.co.uk/game-reviews/ticket-to-ride|archive-date=29 January 2024|url-status=live|df=dmy}}</ref> In 2006, Eric Hautemont (Days of Wonder CEO) wrote "''Ticket to Ride'' has universal appeal ... Moon's simple, yet elegant design delivers a great gaming experience, whether you're a first-time player or a dedicated gamer. It's the perfect gateway into the new world of boardgaming."<ref name="sales_dow_2006"/>

Board Game Quest wrote that it is "one of the greatest gateway games ever made",<ref name="europe-reviews_board-game-quest_2013"/> Chris Heindenriecht (''Gameology''), when listing notable [[Eurogame|gateway games]], "those games striking a balance between simplicity and depth, making them perfect for beginners and seasoned gamers alike", argued that "''Ticket to Ride'' is a classic gateway game that combines strategy, route-building, and a touch of luck".<ref name="gateway-game_gameology_2023">{{cite web|title=5 Gateway Board Games!|website=Gameology (www.gameology.com.au)|date=15 November 2023|first=Chris|last=Heidenreich|language=en|url=https://www.gameology.com.au/blogs/news/top-5-gateway-board-games-that-is-absolutely-not-monopoly|access-date=19 March 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240319084134/https://www.gameology.com.au/blogs/news/top-5-gateway-board-games-that-is-absolutely-not-monopoly|archive-date=19 March 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> With respect to the game's ability to get new players into [[Board game|board gaming]], ''Ticket to Ride'' scored second in a 2019 Meeple Mountain survey of over 800 people, in the critical ability of bringing new people into the market and by capturing more spending of existing gamers.<ref name="gateway-game_meeple-mountain_2019">{{cite web|title=Who's at the Table?|website=Meeple Mountain (www.meeplemountain.com)|date=27 August 2019|first=Paul|last=Booth|language=en|url=https://www.meeplemountain.com/articles/whos-at-the-table-board-game-players-and-communities|access-date=19 March 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221014044905/https://www.meeplemountain.com/articles/whos-at-the-table-board-game-players-and-communities|archive-date=14 October 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="sales_ito-action_current(2024)">{{cite web|title=13 Popular New Product Examples in the $12+ Billon Board Games Market|website=ITO Action (www.itoaction.com)|first=Michal|last=Clements|date=6 June 2023 |language=en|url=https://itoaction.com/13-popular-new-product-examples-in-the-12-billon-board-games-market|access-date=19 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924044748/https://itoaction.com/13-popular-new-product-examples-in-the-12-billon-board-games-market|archive-date=24 September 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Game Board Renaissance===

Ticket to Ride has been regarded as one of the most significant parts of the "[[Board game#Renaissance Era|Board Game Renaissance]]", an early 2000s shift away from the 20th-century domination by well-established standby games like [[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]] and [[The Game of Life|Life]].<ref name="15-anniversary-review_ign_2024"/><ref name="sales_guardian_2014"/>