For What Am I Grateful in 2022?

 For What Am I Grateful in 2022?

I forgot that I was going to make this a tradition, so this sort-of Thanksgiving post is just a bit late this year. I'd beg your forgivenesss, but I doubt anyone cares about the timing of it, so I'll say this - just like last year, I plan on keeping this game-centered. But I would be remiss if I didn't say the following:

• I am grateful for those friends and family in my life who anchor me with their love and support. As I write this, I am specifically grateful for my wife and son. It's been a difficult 2+ months in which we all just keep getting each other sick. But when one of us is down, the other two offer sympathy, support, love, and whatever else we need. I am better for having my family.
• I often say that I'd rather be lucky than good while playing games, but honestly, that goes for life too. I'm grateful for the fact that, in life, I'm so frequently lucky, even when I'm not good.
• Speaking of luck, I'm grateful that I've chosen a path for my career moving forward and that the path has welcomed me. I was accepted into a Masters of Social Work program shortly after landing a job as a Crisis Advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. It's hard work, but it's where I want to contribute. The support I've received from my colleagues and friends in both of these endeavors have been nothing short of incredible. I am so excited for my professional journey to continue in 2023!

Okay! Games! For what am I grateful? Imma keep it to game stuff for which I'm grateful in 2022. I think it could be interesting to see how my list does or does not change over the course of years, but we'll see whether or not it's a notion worth continuing year to year.

• The Cons. I *only* got to attend two of them, but honestly, they both made my year so much better and as soon as they were over, I was ready for more next year! CabinCon 2022 was an absolute blast this year and we broke out a number of games I've wanted to get to for quite some time, including Rising Sun and Nemesis. Without CabinCon, I'm not sure either of those games get crossed off my list this year. And I had an excellent time at my first Adepticon! I didn't fly nearly as well in the Armada tournament as I wanted, but I had a lot of fun meeting new folks, playing a lot of X-Wing, and just experiencing the event. Again: can't wait to go back next year!
• The Yellow & Yangtze app! Seriously, Dire Wolf Digital did an insanely good job of putting this game on our electronic devices. I've gotten to play so much more of Y&Y with the app than I ever would have without it. I'd still obviously play it in person with friends, but much like the Root app - being able to play the game online at my leisure and have the program ensure I can only make legal moves (as well as highlight my illegal moves in red) really helps me learn the game so that I can teach it to other people. I now feel so much more comfortable teaching Y&Y now so I'm not just re-reading the rules to new players, you know?
• All of the multitudinous resources out there for neophyte game designers! I cannot sing the praises of Cardboard Edison enough. I'm a slow designer, but that's okay - I'm in no rush. But the wellspring of resources out there for folks like me (and maybe you!) is basically limitless and so generously shared by people who are further along the path of game design and are welcoming us to join them on that path.
• I'm honestly not sure that I'm more grateful for one game this year than any other! But I will say that this year in particular, I'm grateful for any game designed by Vital Lacerda. I really liked The Gallerist when I played it a number of years ago, but hadn't really touched anything else he had designed until this year when my co-designer Chad taught me how to play Kanban EV. After that, it was Escape Plan. I recently received my copy of Weather Machine. And honestly, I'd really just like to play an entire day of Lacerda games!

I'm also still grateful for my usual staples of Spirit Island and Star Wars Armada, but those already get enough of the spotlight from me (Armada especially!). Gratitude can be like getting out of bed: there are some days when it comes very easily, and then there are other days when it seems the most difficult thing in the world. Afford yourself some grace on the days when it's harder to do than you'd like. But it's worth it when you can manage it; I promise you. I hope you've got more to be grateful for this year than last year, and may the next year bring even more for which to be grateful.