A Change in Perspective
On this weekend before last, I had the opportunity to play a few games with some people after a fellowship dinner at church. I started off playing a few hands of Uno with a youth and some other adults, then progressed to a few games of Diamant, a couple of 10 Days in the USA, and finally a 3-player game of Winner's Circle. We had a good time, but everybody was pretty tired from the day and all our preparations for the dinner, so we didn't play all that long or anything.
I had planned to write a little blog entry about the games and how they went, but the more I thought about it, another topic seemed to surface about the whole experience. You see, for most of my life I've had a ravenous hunger for playing games but had to survive on scraps of sparse gaming here and there. Since college, I've bounced from one collectible game to another (and back again, in the case of Magic), searching for a regular community of gamers that I could count on. For the most part I was unsuccessful, either due to the distance I had to travel, my own schedule, the death of the game involved (oh sweet Babylon 5 CCG, how I loved you!) or the disintegration of the group itself. So for the most part, my hunger was pretty unsated, and whenever I had the chance to play I went after it like a monkey on a cupcake*. Then I discovered the full breadth and depth of modern boardgames, and I helped form the Hypermind BoardGamers. Very quickly, I was getting regular "meals" of gaming, and this had a couple of effects. My appetite actually grew and I became more discerning in what I played. I was no longer content to survive on scraps of crappy, traditional games when others would suggest them. While I still liked party games, they just didn't satisfy me like these cool board games did, so I tended to ignore them as well.
And then, after another little while, somthing else happened. Since I've been heavy into the boardgaming scene for over a year now, I finally feel, perhaps for the first time ever, secure and satisfied with my gaming life. This has actually freed me up to better appreciate games of all kinds. I can play the heaviest eurogame with a serious group of gamers, or a children's game with a group of kids, or even a mindless traditional game with a bunch of nongamers, and still I can feel satisfied with whatever experience I have.
It's really a cool place to be. I hope you can find your way here too!
*Everbody Loves Raymond reference
Probably a good time in your life for you to come to that realization, no?
Also, good to see you still alive after Tuesday night. Denise relayed what happened after you left. O_O
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Uh oh....that sounds ominous.
I hope all is well Chris.
I wont be able to join you this week as planned. A nasty little surprise, called the flu bug, has hit me hard. I am better but in no shape for 2 hours of driving. Sorry.
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Yeah, I had an accident Tuesday night (hydroplaned on all the standing water on the interstate). I talk more about it on the geeklist, but I'm completely fine and my car had only moderate damage.
I'm not going to be there tonight either, by the way, because Gwen and I are taking a tour of the hospital where the baby is going to be born. But some of us will hopefully get together on Thursday evening for an impromptu gaming experience if you (or anyone else) feel better and are free.
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Chris,
Im glad to hear that you are okay.
I will see if I can make it on Thursday.
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I'm glad to hear that you weren't injured in the incident. Although, "Games You Can Play While in the Hospital" sounds like a pretty good idea for a geeklist.
I'm in pretty much the same place in my gaming life. One frustration I've discovered is that not everyone else in my group has the same attitude. For the most part, I'm more focused on recruiting and developing newer players than on making sure I get to play everything that interests me most. Even so, I still have tons of opportunities to play my favorites. The truth is that these days, I get more of a thrill out of picking just the right game for a group of less experienced folks, and seeing them have a great time than I do from playing, or even winning a game myself. I'm really happy for the folks who game with us regularly. However, I'll really be pleased when I start to see signs of this same attitude in them. I'd love to be able to invite first-time gamers to our group without having to worry about 'protecting' them from some of the other folks all night long.
"I know you've been dying to reveal your perfect strategy for victory in Kingsburg, but is it worth making this new gamer sit through an hour and a half of misery while you grind out your greatest victory yet?"
By the way, have you had a chance to play Race for the Galaxy. It is easily my most played game of 2008 to this point. With your CCG experience, it sounds like something you'd enjoy. Finally, any chance you can make it to BGG.CON this year?
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By the way, have you had a chance to play Race for the Galaxy.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Yeah... you could say that.
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Like Chris said, we play quite a bit of Race for the Galaxy, and it's one of my most-played games for 2008 so far as well (along with Pandemic).
As far as BGG.CON goes, I'd absolutely love to go, but with my new baby it (along with any other "far off" cons) is probably out of the question.
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