Reformed Video Gamer: How Board Games Took Over

in #boardgames7 years ago (edited)

I’m 41 years old. I grew up on Atari and Nintendo. I spent countless hours playing those games again and again.

Flash forward to now. I do still play video games, but unless the game is really really good, it doesn’t hold my interest anymore.

Why?

Because I discovered hobby board games.

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If you are an “aging” gamer, and are looking for something different, I encourage you to read on…

Also, “hobby board games” are amazing in general, but this article is going to look specifically from a solo-player’s perspective. Because many video games are also primarily a solo experience.

First, a little background about what I love about video games. It breaks down into two categories:

Video games that tell a great story, and I’m in the front seat. Games like Uncharted, Zelda, etc., come to mind.
Games that are highly strategic. Examples would include Final Fantasy Tactics, XCOM, etc.

As far as category #1, that’s something I think I’ll only find in video games, and I’ll continue to play that. But in terms of great strategic games? It feels to me like they are harder and harder to find.

So many video games feel to me, like it is more about having twitchy fingers, and not so much about calculated strategy.

Many years ago, I met someone who was “crazy into board games”. At first I was so puzzled. What was fun about Monopoly? That game usually ends up with at least one person super mad. And it takes FOREVER.

I did have a few pretty cool games growing up. Well I thought they were cool anyway. Like this Jabba the Hutt game. I don’t know that I actually ever played it though, just had epic battles into the sarlac ;)

But something pretty crazy has happened in the world of board games. They’ve become incredible.

Now when I use the term “Hobby Board Games”, I’m not talking about the games you can get at Walmart. 50 different versions of Monopoly, or games where you get shot in the face by a toilet (my kids have that… don’t ask!)

I’m talking about this new and exciting world, where there are these beautiful-looking, incredibly designed worlds of adventure that you can step into.

There are games like the new Sword & Sorcery, where you control a group of mighty heroes that go on quests fighting monsters. You can play it with your friends, or by yourself. And check this out, you play AGAINST the game. I play this myself and have a blast.

Look at this stunning adventure in space. You get to explore new worlds, fight space pirates, and try to be the best pilot.

Some games are just about cutting loose and having a fun time, while others feature deep-level strategy.

Here’s one of my all-time favorites, Mage Knight the Board Game. It’s incredibly designed and it REALLY makes you think.

Some games even feature campaigns, like the recent success Gloomhaven. It takes over 100 hours to “finish” this one! (played over a series of adventures)

Reformed Video Gamer

Once I discovered hobby board gaming, I jumped in head first.

At night, after the wife and kids are asleep, I retreat to my little man cave, and whip one of those out. I wanted to share more about why I love them so much:

  • Having something physical in front of you feels GREAT. Seriously, we live in an ever-increasing digital world. It is nice to physically move pieces around on a board. It’s hard to describe until you do it again.

  • I am a visual person, and I love seeing everything right in front of me. I enjoy seeing the limits of each game, and trying to push up against it. It’s just easier for me to think about strategy, when its sitting physically in front of me.

  • The artwork in many board games is INCREDIBLE. Seriously, you should see some of this stuff!

  • I love seeing clever board game design. Especially now, with owning over 100 in my collection, it is so exciting to see something “new” come out. Some of these games get so complex, it just blows my mind.

I’m going to continue this series of articles, and start jumping deeper into some of these amazing games I’ve been experienced.

Stay tuned!

Matt

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Welcome to Steemit! I've never tried any one player board games before. I didn't know it's a possibility to "play against the board". Video games nowadays are becoming more and more immersive. The graphics are beginning to look real. They are fun but for myself, I feel a little foggy or zombie-like after playing too much.

With boardgames, at least they can be social and seem to require a little more brainpower. If you're interested in new boardgames, I'm part of a team that is launching a new game called "Frenemies" within the next months. Most of the updates recently have been via our Facebook page but our main website has a better explanation of how the game is played.

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Check it out if you're curious! I've re-steemed your post and followed you. Looking forward to future posts.

No way! Your game looks really neat. Following you back and joined ya on Facebook. I love the components look of your game and am very curious based on what you have shared.

I love playing board games with others too, I just took the "solo" approach with this article because I don't get a ton of opportunity to play with others, and spend a lot of time playing by myself. Oh I cherish the time playing with others though. So many fun dynamics.

There are many cooperative games, where you can play with a few of your friends, and you all play against the game. My wife enjoys this especially, because we aren't being competitive with each other. Plus, I can play these games myself, by just controlling multiple characters (I compare it to playing a video RPG, where you have multiple people in your party to manage).

Pandemic is a very popular co-op game.

Make sure to create a presence at BoardGameGeek for your game :)

Have you ever been to a boardgame cafe or restaurant? Back home in Canada I went to one in Vancouver and my friend and I actually played Pandemic. It was a great time!

RPGs are my favourite genre of video games so I think I would enjoy these games you mention. Especially fantasy or space themed ones like the two you mention above. What's always stopped me from getting into boardgames is that they are so expensive. But I guess if you think about it, it's the same price as a video game.

Thanks for the advice and thanks for the follow, both on here and on Facebook. :D

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I too enjoyed board games, though somewhat in a different way. I played my own version of Fisher-Price baseball. I took a bunch of "little people" that were just 2"-3" tall and would hold the "batter" in my hand with a crayon as the baseball bat. A small wad of masking tape was the baseball. My building blocks were the outfield fence. All my little people had names and their own statistics cards to measure their performance. My league consisted of 5 teams that played a round-robin schedule. I even sold a "punch card" type of season ticket to a neighbor or two for a quarter a piece so that they could come watch my league and cheer for their favorite players.

I had other games that time won't permit me to share right now.

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