Falling in Love...with a Game
You know how it goes, right? I mean, we've made a TON of movies about how it goes...we're introduced to people who lead incomplete lives, there's some sort of meet cute, there's promise, followed by conflict, followed by resolution and a ride off into the sunset to forever enjoy life together. Sometimes, we're those people. We go through our lives in a haze, uncertain of what is missing in our lives. Seeking, seeking, seeking...what? Whatever it is, we're not finding it. We have these moments where we think we have! But it turns out we're wrong. Familiarity breeds contempt. Or, at least, some boredom. But then, it happens. Maybe it was anticipated, maybe it was a complete surprise! Maybe you found it on your own, maybe you needed a friend to introduce you. You were initially uninterested, or reluctant, or unsure. After all, based on your history, perhaps you just "know better" by now.
But for whatever reason, there's magic. This is what you've sought all this time and just never knew it! And the going might be bumpy. You might feel like giving up on it. But something tells you to keep going, keep trying, keep investing in this thing to make it work. Sure enough, you are grateful for that instinct, because now, you really have found what you sought, even if it's a flawed love! And thus have you fallen in love with a board game. It might not last. But maybe it will! Only time will tell.
So yeah. Games. This shit happens with games on a regular basis for me. Don't know about you, but sometimes I see art, or I read about a mechanic, or something, and I just know THIS is the game for me. I did it with UBoot (still haven't played, but I will!), I fell in love with Eldritch Horror (flaws and all...I just love the narrative aspect of it), I couldn't get enough of Power Grid for a time. After a while, a lot of it wears off for me. There are flaws in nearly every game, and sometimes, they can make or break your relationship with that game. Or maybe I love it, but others don't, and so I never play it. If I couldn't play Eldritch Horror solo, I'm not certain I'd have played the game more than 4 times.
But there are a couple of games that I'm convinced I not only love now, but will love for life. The mechanics work for me, the art makes me happy, I love teaching these games to others, there's depth to these games that has me thinking and talking about it long after I've put it back in its box. Even setup gets me excited for playing these games! These games, of which I will never get weary, are Spirit Island (first and foremost), Everdell, and Eldritch Horror. After anywhere from 2-5 years with these games, I'm certain I'll just never tire of them. There's far too much to explore in each game, even if I were play them each once a week for the next twenty years. The only thing that stops me from regularly getting them to the table (read: every single game night I play) is because there's other stuff I want to try and my time is limited.
Then, there are games where I'm flirting with love, but really need more time with them to know if the relationship is for real. These are the games I want to get back to the table a lot more often with different groups of people or player counts to get a handle on how often I can go back to the well on them without tiring of them. Beyond the Sun is some new hotness for me that I just adore. Root isn't a new game, but I have really fallen for this game in the last month or so. Armada has been one of my primary games for a couple of years now, but I also know that *can't* last. It's so good while it does, but it's only a matter of time before it either ends or they lose me. Conquest: Warhammer 40k is one that I adore and always will, but sort of as a moment in time. With no new expansions coming out, if I were still playing it, I'd tire of it quickly, since the meta can't change at all and some things were left undeveloped.
This has been a real goofy post, and if you stuck with me to the end, thanks! I appreciate you! As goofy as it is, I love this hobby. I love how excited I get about games, I love really digging into the strategy of them with other people, I really love the learning and discovery that come with games...it's just a hobby about which I'm passionate. And while there are some games that don't do it for me, and there are some that likely will until the end of time, there's a lot of stuff in the middle that's worth exploring to see how it turns out.
It's different than love and relationships with people, of course. But you know, for those games I really adore, I make more of an effort to protect them, spend time with them, and introduce them to others. Maybe they're not all that different after all?
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