When does it get old?

[Solomon]

What is it about this game that keeps people playing for years and years and just not getting old? I'm getting close to having played this game for 8 years, and though over the past 3 years or so I haven't had much time to play it, I've never once found the game to be going stale or getting boring. And to be honest, I'm not sure why. I don't think it has to do with me still having a lot to learn. For instance, I played Starcraft II for a little over a year before it got stale for me, despite there being much room for improvement for me. Same for many other games I started and stopped playing. I don't think it has to do with the community either. Sometimes I'm pretty active in the community, getting involved with the Seattle Go Center or going on a China trip to learn more Go, but sometimes I go through years where I just play online and don't get involved with both the online/KGS and the real-life community. Either way, I never once found the game to get dull.

Now lately I've lost my drive for improvement, but I don't think it has to do with a lower interest in the game. Rather, it's just accepting the fact that I don't have the luxury of free time that I did when I was in high school. But I still find much enjoyment in Go and while the passion for improvement has dulled, the passion to play has always been there. The game still feels fresh to me, and it's bewildering - that's why I think Go is such a special game.

[Mivo]

I think it's the simplicity. Kind of like water vs. soda pop. Or perhaps it's the organic, natural aspect of it that just "clicks" with something inside us. I can't really describe what it is, but I think many of us who stick with the game for years know "that feeling".

[hailthorn011]

What is it about this game that keeps people playing for years and years and just not getting old? I'm getting close to having played this game for 8 years, and though over the past 3 years or so I haven't had much time to play it, I've never once found the game to be going stale or getting boring. And to be honest, I'm not sure why. I don't think it has to do with me still having a lot to learn. For instance, I played Starcraft II for a little over a year before it got stale for me, despite there being much room for improvement for me. Same for many other games I started and stopped playing. I don't think it has to do with the community either. Sometimes I'm pretty active in the community, getting involved with the Seattle Go Center or going on a China trip to learn more Go, but sometimes I go through years where I just play online and don't get involved with both the online/KGS and the real-life community. Either way, I never once found the game to get dull.

Now lately I've lost my drive for improvement, but I don't think it has to do with a lower interest in the game. Rather, it's just accepting the fact that I don't have the luxury of free time that I did when I was in high school. But I still find much enjoyment in Go and while the passion for improvement has dulled, the passion to play has always been there. The game still feels fresh to me, and it's bewildering - that's why I think Go is such a special game.

Games like Starcraft come and go, but Go has longevity that will surpass any computer game. You don't need expansions. You don't need to remember overly complex setups. All you need is a board, stones, and an opponent, and I think that makes it hard for the game to get old.

Although this is a funny topic since I recently got rather hooked on Starcraft: Brood War and 2.

[Fedya]

Now lately I've lost my drive for improvement,

Then can you give me a few stones' worth of your strength?

For me, there still is a lot to try to master, which I suppose keeps the game from getting old.

(It's also nice that it's a game you can play on a crappy old computer and don't need the latest greatest video card to play aginst people from all over the world. But that's a different topic.)

[Joaz Banbeck]

It is a glimpse of immortality. It is the only game that does not age as fast as we do.

[Loons]

I would say it's because go doesn't seem very gimmicky.

[Exologist]

I think it does get old for us individually after so many decades of studying and endless struggle to get better. Eventually you'd rather retire from such difficult study. You may still play, but not nearly as much.

As far as the entire human race goes, this game will only get old when we become God.

[Kirby]

I'll probably be reviled for admitting it, but I think that go does get old for me from time to time. My interest ebbs and flows, depending on the amount of time that I spend with the game. However, I will say that whenever I resume playing after a hiatus, my interest in the game returns, just as strong... Maybe that's what you meant to begin with in this post.

In short, I feel like I get busy with life sometimes, and don't have a strong interest in playing go. But that interest always seems to come back... Perhaps the reason my interest in the game lacks at times is that, when I devote a lot of time to the game, I feel a little guilty for not improving myself in other areas of life.

Like I said, I'll probably be criticized for admitting this on a go forum, but I think it's an accurate reflection of how I feel...

[LocoRon]

I think that go does get old for me from time to time. My interest ebbs and flows, depending on the amount of time that I spend with the game. However, I will say that whenever I resume playing after a hiatus, my interest in the game returns, just as strong...

You and me both.


Furthermore, I can't count the number of times I'd become depressed over how lousy my game is, and swear I'd never play again... just to come back a few months later.

[palapiku]

It does get old but it's not like there's anything better to do.

[kitanifan]

I think that go does get old for me from time to time. My interest ebbs and flows, depending on the amount of time that I spend with the game. However, I will say that whenever I resume playing after a hiatus, my interest in the game returns, just as strong...

You and me both.


Furthermore, I can't count the number of times I'd become depressed over how lousy my game is, and swear I'd never play again... just to come back a few months later.

In my case; just to come back a few days later.

[Mivo]

As far as the entire human race goes, this game will only get old when we become God.

Or when computers beat the best pros!

[Suji]

As far as the entire human race goes, this game will only get old when we become God.

Or when computers beat the best pros!

Not necessarily. Chess programs easily beat the best humans, yet chess is still interesting to some people.

[MagicMagor]

Go doesn't get old, because each game is different from the last.

Let me give you an example. I have played Civ4 (Video Game) quite often and i would say it has one of the highes replayability of every video game i played.
But still a game of Civ4 gets boring after a while. The reason? Because every game gets to a stage where every game plays out the same. Empires are settled, land is improved. And there is one "optimal" strategic path i tend to take to victory. Thats the point where i stop playing, because its boring.

In a game of Go the similarities between two games end after the fuseki. And thanks to joseki and the like, i play the fuseki out pretty fast. After that, there is no prediction of how the game is going to develop. While i formulate a plan for the middle game, there is no guarantee the game will play out that way. There is my opponenent who is not only resisting my plan, but also having a plan of his own. And there are of course the mistake we both make, which can fundamentally change the situation.

I think this high flexibility and the fact you are playing against human opponents is what makes strategic board games so appealing and long lasting. The simplicity makes the game truly timeless and allows the game to have only few restrictions (something more complex board games usually have).