So, I was going to write a long spiel about why I think I am growing to like board gaming more than video games as I grow older.
It was going to talk about things like the physicality of the pieces, the malleability of written versus the rigidness of programmed ones, and the wider variety of design, like having more variety of play beyond combat all the time.
But, really, the important part is this: people.
I work remotely, and the time spent face-to-face with people is becoming more and more valuable to me as time goes on.
Sure, I can play multiplayer games online now in all manner of platforms, using all kinds of great voice chat options. Hell, I played tons of these games when I was a teenager, spending far more time than I'd like to admit in MMOs like Asheron's Call and World of Warcraft. And sure, I could even play some tabletop games through plugins to something like Skype or Google Hangout.
But, I talk to my computer and images of people under a back-lit glass screen all day. A change of pace helps a ton, both in terms of technology fatigue and combating the onset of loneliness. I don't have to 'push to talk,' or focus on a window, or deal with crazy static, or someone who forgets to mute.
Technology is great, and I really appreciate the tools that allow me to work from pretty much wherever. Yet, there's still that need for human contact to keep me grounded. And board games often provide that common ground for friends and I to spend some time bonding.
I just came across a new talk by Quintin Smith of Shut Up & Sit Down fame. It's a closing statement for a conference which I didn't go to, nor did I watch any of the talks mentioned, but I think he makes some great points regardless.
The whole premise is that game designers should be exploring concepts of play beyond their current format. He presents three different formats - video games, board games, and live action roleplaying. According to Quinns, it may be possible to make gaming's "atom bomb" by combining the greatest designers from all of these formats and seeing what they make.
I like where he's going with it. Board game rules run inside of human's heads - that means they have an execution environment that is potentially much more powerful than any of our modern computers. Maybe any computers if you factor in the games like Apocalypse World or Gloom that center around story and narrative.
That's super exciting to me.