Most of the games I play, they fall into at least one of the following categories:
Cooperative - where everyone playing either wins or loses together;
Historically or culturally significant - with ties to the values of a particular time or place;
Aesthetically beautiful - with visuals that could be described as art;
Relevance - where the trappings add to the cultural conversation of modern life;
Mind altering play dynamics - where we are forced to think in new ways.
Based on your previous BGG blog, I realize that we have quite a different way of viewing games. I rely entirely on your: "Mind altering play dynamics."
ReplyDelete"Historically or culturally significant" would be somewhat considered if you are referring to integration of theme and mechanics. If you are referring to the actual game itself being significant, I care very little.
I look for intriguing gameplay that allows for creative destruction and smooth flow. Clunky mechanics and high levels of randomness are things I tend to shy away from.
As someone who is very interested in cultures other than my own, I find it fascinating to see what games other cultures have invented. I think games are, to some extent, reflections of the culture that creates them.
DeleteSo if I take a look at a game like Dudo, invented by the Incans, it causes me to wonder what is it about that culture that lead to the creation of a multi-player game that revolves around probabilities and bluffing.
Essentially, I am interested in the intersectionality between culture and games, and this is one of the facets.
Interesting. That outlook is so very different from mine. I am interested in how a game may have been created or developed, but the anthropological association never occurred to me. I understand it is there, yet it never moves past background noise.
DeleteNow that you have pointed it out, I might see more of it in my thought process.