MORGAN CITY - One man in Morgan City is putting his hometown on the gameboard.

Captains of the Gulf is Jason Dinger's first board game. With a second game, Crescent City Cargo, and a third game on the way, Acadians: Life of the Early Cajun Settlers, Dinger's games feature Louisiana. He said he weaves his love for his family into the games as well.

"In all my games, I try to give a nod to members of my family. My grandparents, my dad worked offshore, so my grandparents raised me a good bit," Dinger said. "To me, this game is a nod to my grandfather, who was a World War II Navy veteran and ran shrimp boats in the 1950s after he returned from the war."

In Captains of the Gulf, people play as captains of a fishing boat, trying to catch shrimp, oysters and crabs to sell in the ports of Morgan City, Corpus Christi and Tampa.

"Those rounds encapsulate a fishing season, and the gist is that at the end of the game, the one with the most money is the winner," he said.

In the game, players can upgrade their boats, bring on more crew members and expand storage. There are also cards and mechanisms in the game to make the playthrough more difficult.

"As you fish, the seafood doesn't just come back. There are tokens on the board and a timer for when they go off," Dinger said. "Now, maybe I have to fish further to get what I need, spend more fuel to get what I need, or fish a little closer."

Dinger said the concept for the game came about in February 2016. The game was quickly picked up by Spielworxx, a German game company.

"The first edition of Captains of the Gulf sold out quickly within a day. Then, there was a second edition sold with Crescent City Cargo, and those both sold out," he said.

Game enthusiasts from shore to shore enjoy the game.

"They have a convention in Texas every year. So, when Captains [of the Gulf] came out, I hadn't actually seen a copy of it yet, because my copies were coming from Germany. They had gotten a copy. So, there's a picture of me in tears kneeling down and holding [the game]," he said. "My grandfather passed, not quite two decades ago. I was basically holding his legacy."

To stay updated on Dinger's latest games, you can find the Captains of the Gulf Facebook page here. Acadians: Life of the Early Cajun Settlers is expected to be released in late 2026.