I spent the better part of Sunday evening pretending to be a stockbroker.

I was playing the board game Acquire, where players buy and sell stocks in fictional hotel chains, creating mergers and growing companies in an effort to make the most money.

Really, judging by that description, very few people would want to play that game. It sounds a lot more like an MBA lecture than a leisure activity. But it's actually fun. And as I played, I felt pleased that someone had taken a unique concept and turned it into a creative and enjoyable experience.

Would that video games were so daring. This week, Call of Duty: Black Ops will hit stores across the country. It is likely to be the best-selling game of the year. In fact, it will probably the only thing a lot of people play until 2011. And that makes me sad. Because it means that millions will continue to play a similar title in an oversaturated genre, instead of taking a chance on new and different concepts.

Instead, gamers, publishers, and developers should take a look at other examples of successful innovation: the board-game industry and games that highlight unique hardware features. Learn from these, and maybe innovation won't have to succumb to sequelitis.

Learn from the board-game industry

I understand that making a video game costs way more than making a board game. Given the exorbitant resources needed to make a triple-A title, it's not easy for a publisher to take risks on new properties. Not when they can give the green light to a sequel like Black Ops they know will turn a big profit.

Still, I think the comparison is valid. Walk around any board game or hobby store, and you'll see a bevy of unusual and creative ideas. Often the strangest concepts are the best sellers. Who would have thought building trains across the country in Ticket To Ride would make for a fun strategic experience? Or trading commodities in Settlers of Catan? Or connecting cities and roads in Carcassonne? 

Like Acquire, when you try to describe these games, they don't sound terribly fun. They sound odd at best and downright dull at worst. Yet anyone can learn to play them, and most people end up having a great time. In fact, these three are so successful that each has received a console port.

If these kinds of experiences can be popular enough to warrant video game versions, doesn't that indicate a market hungry for more? Yes, the risks are far higher, the dollar amounts at stake are greater. But if board games can do it, consoles can too.

A significant part of the board game, of course, is the multiplayer aspect. But with the prevalence of online connectivity, that doesn't have to be a barrier. The success of titles like Rock Band and Wii Sports proves that gamers still want social experiences. (Yelling racial epithets into a headset while knifing a dude doesn't exactly count as "social.") Learning from board games can help consoles maximize the potential of the medium -- if publishers and developers are brave enough to try. 

Learn from games that highlight hardware features

I recently replayed the SNES classic ActRaiser via my Wii's Virtual Console. Now there's a game with a unique concept. Try describing that one to people. "Um, well, you're God. And, uh, you bring a statue to life, and you fight stuff with a sword. Yeah, uh, and then you're an angel, and you tell people where to build a city. Except sometimes you have to use lightning and burn down their houses. But it's OK, because they keep praying to you anyway."

In practice, though, ActRaiser becomes a singular experience, both in its genre-blending and its thematic elements. And this was an SNES launch title -- one of the first to be featured on the console, frequently used to show off the hardware, graphics, and sound.

In fact, the more unique the concept, the easier it is to show off hardware features. Take NiGHTS into Dreams, for example. Sonic Team took advantage of the Sega Saturn's biggest strengths (and mitigated its weaknesses) by basing a game around the theme of flight, mixing 2D and 3D graphics at blazing speeds. In the process, they created an enduring classic. And the fact that you're playing as an androgynous purple jester makes the game that much more special.

Would today's top publishers even approve such games, let alone promote them? I fear they wouldn't. (Except for a sequel to NiGHTS. Which wasn't as good.)

Meanwhile, independent studios are proving that unique, high-concept titles can be financially successful. And with platforms like PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Steam, it's never been easier to deliver a product to the masses. Thatgamecompany's Flower is a good example. While other attempts to tack on or integrate Sixaxis controls have mostly failed, Flower created an entire experience around them. The gameplay, themes, and story are inextricably tied to the hardware. And the whole package works perfectly.

So maybe I'm being naïve. Maybe it's just too easy to watch the dollars roll in from another sequel or another game about a gun-toting tough guy. But I believe that video games have a tremendous potential for creativity. And I'd hate to see it squandered due to corporate greed.

I mean, I know a thing or two about finance. I'm a stockbroker, after all.