Why game? Deb has asked me to do a blog post (and if nobody kills me after this one, one every month) on my thoughts on gaming. In particular, what do people want to achieve by taking a several hour block and finding enjoyment. Chess players are out to crush and destroy the ego of their opponents, poker players are out to win large amounts of fame and money- but mostly money but how about everyone else? The answer is that we do it for entertainment.
Even that falls into subcategories but the basic elements are always the same, gaming is for having fun, socializing, and possibly beating your opponents in a variety of ways. (I have also used it to totally irritate my wife, but that was just an extra bonus). Let me explain. Many of you can remember the days before arcade games, computer games in all their variations, and on-line games . Games consisted of a group of people getting together for a game of Monopoly, Clue, Sorry, or similar. You played these same games over and over. Your parents played these same games over and over. Your grandparents played these same games…. You get the picture. It was an opportunity to eat snacks, gab, and irritate your little brother while taking part in a fairly easily learned system that was ruled by dice. Of course some people livened it up by using intimidation, double dealings, and backstabbing but such activities were frowned upon by most players . Especially families who had gotten together for a nice quiet evening not expecting World War III to erupt. Unless you were playing Risk of course but that is getting off topic.
The key point I am attempting to make is that games had not changed that much. There were some oddball games that popped up on the scene like Trivial Pursuit but after one person in the group memorized all the cards, it became more of a bookend or a thing to help level a table. The company tried to keep it fresh and modern with various additional decks but the same problem of your precocious son memorizing all the cards would pop up. And it was not something that you could really play as a family. Dad and Mom would have to help the younger kids who did not know who Babe Ruth was or even cared. After a while it became boring unless all of the crowd was at the same level of knowing, well, Trivia.
And of course there were the games like “the Price is Right” , “Jeopardy”, “Wheel of Fortune”, and “Family Feud” which were derived from television shows. Just like Trivial Pursuit once you ran through all the cards or pictures the whole thing would become boring. And you did not have the big electric powered board or the witty MC or the neat prizes. Although, come to think of it, what would a 10 year old do with a new car?
The less said about “Mystery Date”, the better.
Then came the Renaissance and new games started popping up right and left. Our first exposure to the new games was Settlers of Cataan. The first of the building games where you had to add a certain amount of skill, negotiation, and down-right intimidation which were all within the framework of the game. You interacted with people and your decisions could make or break their carefully constructed play.
About 10 years ago we joined a gaming group that met in town and had our first experience at Zombicide. Totally different, a game where people worked together for a common goal and those who ignored the other people soon realized that if they did not work with everyone else, they would be zombie food. Cooperation was critical and you had to think in term of giving equipment to others might possibly save your neck at some time in the future. This was a totally different game mechanic and one which we enjoy.
Soon we were playing deck builder games where you start with basic cards and with a combination of skill and planning create a winning playable hand of cards. My first exposure to these games was Magic the Gathering. I despise Magic the Gathering. There was a certain amount of luck in buying the cards and building your deck. Everyone was on a level playing field. But some “geniuses” destroyed all the fun others were having by offering money for the cards they wanted. Only one pack in a thousand might have a “cosmic storm” card but if you really wanted it, there would be someone willing to sell it to you. You could buy your way to an ultra-powerful deck. Someone playing with a basic deck would have no chance against someone who might pay a significant sum for a single card. Imagine a baseball team that could buy the contracts of the best players and become almost unbeatable. Wait, a poor example, that has happened with the Yankees.
Magic spawned many other card based games including ones based on Marvel or DC superheroes. Each card, i.e. superhero, has slightly different powers which when combined with other cards for abilities would generate ever evolving and improving deck. Lots of variations of this theme are out there.
Games like Monopoly and Clue still exist but many of them are far more involved with far more options. And to make these games more challenging, you only have a limited number of things you could do on your turn so you would have to decide between option A and option B and worry if someone else might take the action you want to do before you got a chance to do it. Two of our favorites in the worker placement category are Lords of Waterdeep and Rajas of the Ganges.
Next we have the games that evolved from the ideas of Sorry. What if you had a full arsenal of ways to complicate things for the other players? “Who Killed Doctor Lucky?” is just that sort of game. Best described as a reverse “Clue”, you don’t get to sole the murder, you get to do it. Only problem is that Doctor Lucky moves around the board in a definite pattern, you have to be in the same room as the doctor, and no one else can be in the line of sight of what you are going to try to do. You are playng against others but the real fun of the game is in foiling the plots of the other players.
Which brings me up to my original question, “why game?” With the scope and variety of today’s games, you have a full spectrum of options. You can build, you can destroy, you can block, you can form partnerships, you can function as a group with a mission or you can betray everyone. And you can do all of these things within the framework of the game. Some are easy to teach to others, some are extremely complex. Some are ideal for little kids and some are multigenerational where people of all skill levels have a chance.
Gaming is for socializing in a way you can’t with computer games. You are all together in one place and you can stop the action to talk, go for snacks, or take a break without getting into a very non-advantageous situation. You can modify the rules as the group sees fit. In short games are fun and there are limitless options.
