"You Want It? You Got to Earn It."

 

"You Want It? You Got to Earn It."

I can't count the number of times I've seen this movie and I still can't get through it without crying!

As we're now a week into November (!), I've begun thinking about my unplayed list from 2021 and was thinking about what my unplayed list from 2022 might look like. And let me tell ya: it's worrisome. There are still A BUNCH of games on that list I've not played yet and there are games I've bought this year that will only get added to the list! Some of it has been scheduling and I've definitely been playing fewer games since I started working full-time. But some of it is just that I've been taking time to play games I already know and to which I want to return.

So anyway, as I was thinking about this, I decided to prioritize a couple of games that I'd been excited about, but haven't left my shelf. Even if I play them solo, at least I've gotten to them and have even a tenuous grasp on them so I can teach them better when I have the chance. I'd been excited about Golem, by Cranio Creations, for awhile and so I decided to set that up and play against the automa. But I'll be honest, y'all: if I'm going to play this game, I've got to earn it. By that, I mean it just doesn't feel terribly intuitive. I'm still really interested in learning and playing it! I watched the review from Dice Tower, and it's kind of amazing to me that they could level as much criticism at it as they do (for a variety of what seem like completely valid reasons, based on my very limited experience so far), and still rate it as highly as they do! It sounds like it's such a great game, but the bar for entry is set so high! I've read the rulebook a couple of times, watched the review, watched a video on how to play it via Meeple University, the game is set up on my table, and I'm still kind of stressed about it. That's just not a great feeling.

Now, admittedly, there are a number of games out there that can be intimidating. And I absolutely adore some of them. I've even played some of those games enough times that I underestimate how intimidating they are because I can set them up without looking at the rulebook. But a high bar to entry (especially if it need not be quite that high) is still an obstacle to a lot of players. And it looks like if I want to play Golem (as well as rope other people into playing it with me), then I'm going to have to earn it.

I don't know that I exactly have a point as I'm writing this. It might just be me musing more than anything else. But I guess there are two things I'm getting from this moment in time. The first is that it's probably time for me to go through my shelves and ship out some of the games. In reviewing my Unplayed List of 2021, I found that I had already ditched 3 games without having ever played them (Hocus Pocus, Pendulum, and Sentinels of the Multiverse) because I wanted to clear out some room and these were simply never near the top of my list. The reason some of these games are unplayed is because of opportunity. The reason some of these other games are unplayed is because I'm not as interested now as when I first purchased them.  The second is that I either need to step up my willingness to slog through first plays or stop picking up heavier games. I can't control how intuitive games are, right? But heavier games are, by definition, heavier games. Even if they're decently intuitive, they're still going to be heavy. I'm more likely to catch onto the lighter games more quickly if I'm not quite investing the time to learn them. So it might be time to stop using that table in my game room as an excuse to not put things away so that I can regularly have a game set up on it. It's not our dining room table, so leaving games set up is not verboten. I don't even paint at the table; I paint at a desk instead. So I might as well set stuff up and play through it at whatever pace feels comfortable, since I need not finish it all in one sitting.

All of that said, some difficult things are worth earning. Not all, mind you. There's nothing inherently bad about quitting. I've quit on some games before because I won't be able to invest the time or energy needed to play them (or play them well - looking at you, MMORPGs!). I've also quit on them because the rules are simply too frustrating to navigate and the yield is not worth the work. But there are others that are worth the effort. I think Golem will be worth the effort, so I'm going to continue putting in the work. Which might sound a bit silly to people who say, "It's just a hobby." But the truth is that we all enjoy hobbies in different ways. Some of us just turn on a hockey game when it's convenient. Some of us watch one team consistently, but otherwise, we don't bother. Some of us watch or listen to hockey games every single night, following one team, several teams, individual players, or just the sport as impartial observers. There are different levels to the consumption of it, and at those levels of intensified investment, you better believe that there's work being done. We're going out of our way to prioritize hockey games, pick which ones we want to watch based on what's going on in the league, etc. And if the investment doesn't feel worth it, then maybe it's time to scale back the investment and make the hobby more casual. No shame in that! If anyone tries to shame you for that, you don't need that kind of negativity in your life. But if the work and time/energy/money/whatever investment is worth it to you, go for it. Sometimes, when we want it, we got to earn it. In my case, I need to re-evaluate the games on my shelf. But I'm willing to work for Golem, and I'm hopeful I'll have at least a game introduction or a review posted here for you soon!