What Do I Like About Games?

 What Do I Like About Games?

There can be a lot to unpack here, so some of it I'd like to keep brief (a novelty, if you know me at all). But there is one bit of background that I need to share in order to qualify why board games are such a good source of balance in my life. Going on 7 years now, I've run a theatre company whose mission is to foster community action through theatre about socially-relevant issues. We address some really heavy subjects, from human trafficking and domestic abuse to racism and implicit bias to mental health and homophobia. I'm proud of the work we do, but I'll be honest: in the face of so much discrimination, pain, suffering, hate, on and on, it never quite feels like enough. There's so much work that needs to be done, and it can be difficult to focus on the small victories. For me, anyway. Additionally, as anyone in the arts knows, an artist can find inspiration anywhere. It means we can be very, VERY hard pressed to stop thinking about work at any given time. My wife knows that my vacation brain can last for maybe 5 or 6 days at most before it turns back to work. I love what I do, and I wouldn't have it any other way! But it can be really difficult to turn my brain off and then keep it off.

Okay, so, why games? Well, for a multitude of reasons! But at the forefront, I think, might be that when I'm playing a game, that's the thing on which I am putting all my focus. This is nearly always true, but it can also correlate with the depth of the game I'm playing. If I'm playing something smaller or shorter with what feel (to me) like lower stakes, like Coup or Clank, I'm focused on it, but I'm not bending all of my mind toward it. But any gaps in thinking about the game are filled with conversation amongst friends. The social aspect of board games is extremely attractive to me. But with a game like Star Wars Armada, Twilight Imperium, or Spirit Island? Forget it. I am so fixated on not just my next move, but my action three moves from now, that my brain doesn't have the capacity to think about other things. Like work. Which is huge for me! The more you know about theatre, the easier it is to see that watching a movie ends up activating the work portion of my brain. Reading the news makes me think about how much more work we need to do to improve our community and our world. A lot of my reading is based on research for work; any study I've completed relating to shows I've produced, directed, or otherwise worked on has been privately accomplished. Not only do I need to research the things about which my theatre company talks and produces, but I need to stay theatrically literate by reading works that are new to me. So reading doesn't offer a refuge for my thoughts either.

All of this to say: games occupy my full attention, and I love them for that. They are one of the few things that can completely distract me from work.

Also, did you know you get a hit of dopamine whenever you solve a puzzle? It feels good to have accomplished something? And the more difficult the feat, the more you enjoy it! So not only am I distracting my brain, but it feels good when I solve a problem in the game, or win the whole thing. Additionally, playing games stimulates brain areas that are responsible for memory formation and complex thought processes. Having spent 6 years working with aging folks with developmental disabilities, I know the importance of regularly engaging our brains, because much like our muscles, "if we don't use it, we lose it" as we get older. Games can teach us problem-solving skills and decision-making. They can elevate how we think. It's really pretty incredible.

I'm also very much an extrovert. Playing games is a great way for me to spend time with friends and family and build relationships, whether we're working together or against one another. The social aspect of board games is what keeps me playing them instead of switching to video games. Honestly, even now, during the pandemic, I have not turned as much to video games as one might think. Because they simply do not replace what board games do for me.

Now! From a perspective specific to board games, what do I like in my games?

• I like games with options. It need not be an asymmetric game, like Root, where each player plays by a different set of rules. But I tend to prefer games wherein the different characters/factions/whatever have at least a couple of differences so that I need to change my style based on whatever I'm playing and whatever other people around the table are playing.
• Honestly, my mood dictates whether I'd prefer to be playing a competitive game or a cooperative game. I enjoy both, but sometimes, I'm just in the mood to play one or the other.
• I like games with prevalent themes, as well as art that matches those themes. There are a couple of exceptions (I still enjoy Puerto Rico, for instance), but overall, I want my game to look like what it is supposed to feel like. I like playing Photosynthesis. I don't think it's a brilliant game or anything, but man, it feels like what I think it *should* feel like, and I really appreciate that. Everdell is such a pretty game that I'm always happy to see it hit the table. One of these days, I'll actually get Uboot to the table! As complicated as it is, man, does it feel and look the way I want it to feel and look.
• I enjoy games that tell a story. Ignacy Trzewiczek talks about this in his books and on his blog, and I like the perspective. We don't always remember the way we won or did well, do we? Sometimes, we remember a spectacular failure. We see this all the time in role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons! One of the things I adore about Black Orchestra is the suspense anytime we attempt a plot and start rolling those dice one at a time.
• In terms of game archetypes, there aren't many I do not enjoy. I'm willing to try just about any game once. I will say that I am far less likely to get into legacy or campaign games these days. I mean, I love them. I went in hard on Descent: Journeys in the Dark for a couple of years, playing in multiple campaigns at once. I still enjoy Imperial Assault and Gloomhaven. But I simply don't have the time for them all. By the time I get back to one, I've forgotten what we were doing. As my son gets older, if it turns out he likes board games, then we'll revisit campaign and legacy games...

There's a lot to like about board games. And many of us enjoy them for different reasons. But as I get older, I value those I love that much more, and this often feels like some of the best quality time I get with them.