tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527840491496268397.post7908568766871456953..comments2024-03-08T11:20:30.095-07:00Comments on Credit Bubble Stocks: Early December LinksUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527840491496268397.post-3969015667062375152017-12-04T10:28:54.657-07:002017-12-04T10:28:54.657-07:00Re: board game revival, I learned this world exist...Re: board game revival, I learned this world existed a funny way about 7 years ago. I was doing an overnight medical study and the technician who was working with me turned out to be a huge nerd. Somehow we got on the topic of what board games he liked and he mentioned Carcassone, Dominion and Settlers amongst a few others. But he said Settlers was the game to start with if you were "new" to the old world of board gaming. I picked it up later that week and have since introduced at least 40 different people to it. I seem to have been right on the edge of the trend popularizing because I now have learned there are many college student gamer groups and even "cool" kids think it's okay to have a board game night so it's growing in social acceptance.<br /><br />The article mentioned several games I had never heard of so that was helpful for further research. I agree with the articles argument that board games provide a good excuse to socialize with people in a way that seems to be largely missing in the modern world. I have used board games as a set piece to connect with both family and friends-- once people learn the game few have been able to resist the fun combined with the opportunity to just spend time with others.<br /><br />One game that has a long legacy and isn't mentioned is Magic: The Gathering. It's really a card game and is really for 2 players, which is maybe why it doesn't "fit" in the board gaming social culture. But it is similar to what makes these other games great in that it is "simple to learn, difficult to master" with almost infinite complexity and expandability. It can also get really expensive to play over time if you want to keep growing your card collection!<br /><br />An interesting case study in disruptive innovation is the way Wizards of the Coast (publishers of MTG) missed the opportunity to create an outstanding online digital version of their game. There were several products and attempts over the last two decades, including the CD-based MTG Encyclopedia product (no real game-play capability, just card collection management) and more recently MTG Online, but both were pretty weak offerings in multiple ways. It took an outsider competitor, Blizzard Entertainment, with their World of Warcraft-themed online card game, Hearthstone, to create what MTG Online should've been.<br /><br />Hearthstone is also not a board game, but it definitely fits into the "board game cafe" culture, so much so that the theme of the game is a couple players sitting in a "tavern" playing the card game together. It has the easy to pick up and learn, difficult to master gameplay greatness of its inspiration, MTG, similar to all other "outstanding games", and the art, sound and technology are top notch. It is easily the best game out there right now in the board game geek-type genre aside from some of these actual board game classics mentioned in the article.<br /><br />The West needs a new "pub" culture and I am happy to see board game cafes take up the task.The Lionhttp://www.ahouserises.comnoreply@blogger.com