Why I play board games …

I play a lot of board games. It’s been about four years since I got my first eurogame Ticket to Ride and learned about this whole other world of strategy board games. And it’s been about two years since I’ve joined meetup.com and met other board gamers in the Phoenix area. Let me tell you … it’s been pretty awesome.

First off, I’ve met so many cool, down-to-earth people who share my obsession. Inevitably you become close friends with folks you meet with weekly or twice-weekly. You share the same joy upon opening a new game (that sweet, sweet cardboard smell) as well as learning the rules for a new hot game you’ve finally been able to get a copy of. You are giddy with excitement when an amazon package arrives with games and enjoy playing a game for the first time. You discuss strategy over text messages the day after a really heavy game kicks your butt. You get high-fives when you tell them you’ve been selected for Team Geek at this year’s BGG Con. Also, when you have a core group of gaming friends, you learn not to buy the same games but instead share games with each other. This is more economical, financially and space-wise. Instantly your game collection is doubled! Also, double win for me as my condo isn’t too big, and already I’ve run out of shelving to hold my games.

As you can see, I love the social aspect of board gaming. I have gone through lots of personal changes in the last few months, and board gaming has kept me sane. Transitioning from a 9-5 desk job to being self-employed with variable hours, I take comfort in meeting with my gaming group every week. I no longer have co-workers, and it’s nice to be able to get out of your home and meet with folks. People from my gaming groups come from all walks of life, and I’ve been able to bounce ideas off of them, get advice and learn from their experiences in various fields of employment. And I’m not sure how it is for other people’s gaming groups, but a fair number of gamers I know are self-employed. It seems people enjoy having that work freedom so that they can spend more time doing what they love, e.g. board gaming. I feel so fortunate to have fallen into a good group of gamers.

The other thing that board gaming has helped me with is being social. I joined board-gaming groups totally on my own, not knowing anybody, and the group leaders have welcomed me with open arms. Like I said, everybody has been so nice and cool. I now have a soft spot for newcomers at our meetup group, as I remember that was once me. I think coming out of my shell and learning to approach strangers was one of the reasons that helped me decide to leave my old job (among other reasons, but that’s for an entirely different blog). Ask me five years ago, and I wouldn’t have ever imagined traveling by myself, much less to attend a board-gaming convention. But I did it last year for BGG Con, and it was amazing!

Lastly, playing games keeps your mind active! I particularly love playing heavy, crunchy 2 to 3-hour-plus strategy games, where you can actually see all the gears in our head pounding away. You’ve got to manage your resources and play strategically, while looking at what your opponents are doing to try to deprive them of maximizing their turn. I would never turn down a good brain-burn of a game! Plus, the more you play games, the easier it becomes to learn new ones, as the mechanics are often just a slight variation of a previous game you already are familiar with.

Anyway, this is totally a sentimental post but I wanted to share what I’ve experienced with finding kindred spirits in this hobby I totally can’t get enough of!