FYI, http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainmen ... _page=true

Am I missing something? There is no reference in the article to go.

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Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).

It is in "Off Topic"...

Interesting article and sounds like a really fun way to spend and afternoon. I could see this as a perfect place to get people interested in Go though. Its got the right atmosphere.

I been to Spielweise in Berlin last year when I was on vacation.
I never seen so many people play Dominion and Pandemic but it was intresting to meet some random stranges and get a game of Smash-Up in.

(In general I like to find some gaming in when I travel somewhere and meet locals, and at that time I had not started loseing Go games yet)

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And yes in general it is a nice idea to have thoose cafes with a boardgame focus. Also this quote is a bit strange, espacally with the text around it (beeing a attack on chess)

Hi virre, which emphasis were you trying to accomplish with the q ?

Are you familiar with the Spiel des Jahres ?

I am way to used to BoardGameGeeks BBCode dialect where Q is quote.

(And yes I know of Spiel Des Jahres, it is almost always a sign of a game I will dislike)

May I ask why ?

I'd like to know as well, I haven't played too many of em, but IMO there are a lot of great games among them(Dominion, Carcassone, Settlers of Catan, Cafe International, Scotland Yard)

My experience is my experience, that said I mostly like trivia games, magic, Go, some Co-operative and wargames. And some exceptions so I like a few euro/designer type games but most not and few abstracts outside of Go, although the Duke was intresting.

But mostly I do not believe there is any such thing as a good game for everyone, games are individual likes just as other cultural expressions.

(And as a follow up to that people that others ratings of game to high, Boardgamegeek ranking or prices do not say if you will like it)


(Also yes if somebody says they like Monopoly, then Monopoly is a good game for them)

Oh also that lists hold a lot of games that lost the replay value after a few 100 games, espcally Settlers of Catan (although selling it and not playing it at much I enjoy it more now). And if you like them good for you.

Hi virre,

Is it because, for those games, you reached a "master"/pro level after a few hundred games ?

By "selling," does it mean you are now in the business of selling these games ?

Er no, I certanly do not play multiplayer games for that, I play thoose games for social interactions.




Nah the ones I had I sold.

Attacking chess for its black and white pieces and on the grounds of not being an appropriate model of modern warfare is the dumbest thing I read today. Quite sure, Mary Flanagan doesn't like Go, either.

I wonder what she'll think (or what she actually thinks) of Diplomacy. Never had a chance to play in real life, but it's "quite tough" on the nerves. And makes you see people... differently.

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Geek of all trades, master of none: the motto for my blog mostlymaths.net

A general interest in boardgames is how I discovered go, so in that sense it's good to see them getting mainstream press as a way to spend time with family and friends. The author takes a weird tone throughout her article, though, as if she had fun but felt slightly guilty about it. She also seemed keen to reinforce a number of the stereotypes about gamers while making an effort to separate herself from them. Her article may have been shaped by the content of her interviews, though. I found the comment about games providing a safe social structure for those who were immersed in an online world particularly odd. I suppose there are some for whom that is true, but I don't play games because I'm socially incompetent or need a stepping stone to more "adult" activities. I play games because they're fun, engage my mind, and are NOT socially isolating.

Of course, I have to remember that I'm looking at this topic from the perspective of someone who has been playing modern boardgames for a number of years. Perhaps acknowledging existing stereotypes and providing a contrasting image of a new gamer is an approach that will help some people overcome hurdle that is keeping them from trying board games. I hope a few people have their interest piqued enough to seek out a board game cafe and find they enjoy it. Gaming is not for everyone, but it can be a rewarding hobby.

Playing Diplomacy is a great way to tell if you have a group that gets together to play games, or a group that gets together to socialize over games. The latter will likely not survive with all social relationships intact.