MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Aging Untold)— In a world where screens dominate entertainment, a group of brothers and their friends are determined to bring back face-to-face fun through their growing board game company, Buddy Pal Games.
Kenny Smith prioritizes playtime these days with his brothers, friends and a growing group of board game enthusiasts who gather regularly to test new creations and enjoy old favorites.
“Camaraderie, I think, is the number one thing,” Kenny Smith said. “Setting aside your differences, some friendly banter, right? Some friendly competition. But, it’s just … let’s leave the world problems behind for a while. That’s what we wanna do.”
Childhood friends turn passion into business
Kenny, along with his brothers Keith and Kirk Smith, grew up playing games in Horn Lake with lifelong friend Jay Malinoski, who lived next door starting in the early 1980s.
The Smiths said their dad taught them chess and other games.
“I grew up next door to them and that was in 1982 or 81 and we just became friends and played out in the cove and played games all our lives together,” Malinoski said.
About 30 years ago, the group decided to transform their shared passion into actual products, eventually forming Buddy Pal Games as their creative collective.
Company name honors family tradition
The “Buddy Pal” name pays tribute to the Smith brothers’ father, who had a habit of calling his sons “Buddy” throughout their childhood.
They said their father called them Buddy a lot.
Simple games, lasting impact
The team focuses on creating accessible entertainment that appeals to different skill levels and interests.
“Real quick, easy, fun games. So, we try to come up with different kinds, whether it’s really deep-thinking strategy games or quick easy fun math-building games,” Kirk Smith said.
Their ultimate goal extends beyond just creating successful products.
More importantly, they hope their games will encourage people to disconnect from digital devices and reconnect with each other.
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