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As someone with over 500 games (and way more expansions), I think your friends put you in over your head. It's akin to any other hobby. If you put strong-tastin

As someone with over 500 games (and way more expansions), I think your friends put you in over your head. It's akin to any other hobby. If you put strong-tasting craft beers into the hands of an in-experienced beer drinker, they'll have a similar experience. There are hundreds of "gateway" games and thousands of fantastic middle-weight games with elegant minimalistic rules which are still thinky and satisfying. Otherwise, there's millions of lighter games, which just act as a prop to get together and socialise without being the center of the night. And as someone who made and launched a game "by myself" (with a friend) that sold ~1000-1500 copies, why would anyone make anything? Why make a JS library that only 1000 people will use when FAANG can have a team do it? Pure creation, the enjoyment?

vmception 5y ago
Perhaps, but I think thats too reductive, I was able to learn the mechanics and compete and win sometimes on my first exposures. I would say this group of friends was the right level of competiveness for me, as I would go to other gamenights with different people and sweep the floor with the players such that it wasn't even fun for anyone else. I think I'm just not into it. Although maybe you have more experience with the likelihood of getting people into things with a more gradual approach even if they weren't challenged? I recall seeing something similar during a "sudoku" craze 15 years ago or so. I never played, and the people I worked with never played, but when they did they would solve it so fast and wonder what the craze was about. I was shocked and asked them if they knew that people coveted that level of skill with championships and cash prizes. They just weren't into it, and it always made me think about unsolved problems or records or genius, if problems weren't even interesting to the people with the cognitive abilities to solve them. But yes, even when I was writing my post I could see how the same could said for any other hobby. Not so different than video games. I just wasn't aware board games had gone that elaborate direction.

vmception 5y ago

Perhaps, but I think thats too reductive, I was able to learn the mechanics and compete and win sometimes on my first exposures. I would say this group of friends was the right level of competiveness for me, as I would go to other gamenights with different people and sweep the floor with the players such that it wasn't even fun for anyone else. I think I'm just not into it. Although maybe you have more experience with the likelihood of getting people into things with a more gradual approach even if they weren't challenged? I recall seeing something similar during a "sudoku" craze 15 years ago or so. I never played, and the people I worked with never played, but when they did they would solve it so fast and wonder what the craze was about. I was shocked and asked them if they knew that people coveted that level of skill with championships and cash prizes. They just weren't into it, and it always made me think about unsolved problems or records or genius, if problems weren't even interesting to the people with the cognitive abilities to solve them. But yes, even when I was writing my post I could see how the same could said for any other hobby. Not so different than video games. I just wasn't aware board games had gone that elaborate direction.