On Games as a Medium

To anyone who knew me during my wacky college years (I am still the exact same nerdy weirdo, don't worry), my life involved a LOT of games. Humans Vs. Zombies, Smash Brothers tournaments, weekly board/card game nights, and the like.

The people who know me perhaps a bit more intimately may be aware that, by the end of college, I had developed two games of my own as well. Yes, gaming is important in my life, and I thought I'd take the opportunity this week to remind my readers (I think I have readers at any rate) of the amazing and marvelous directions that games are headed in.

To start on the topic of games that even non-nerds play (we can't have all the fun), Humans Vs. Zombies is a game that went viral in the 2010s, largely due to its popularity across college campuses everywhere taking it up in force. It's basically Tag, except that the person who's "it" recruits the other players to their team by tagging them. They are the lone zombie infecting all the living humans. There are a few more crucial differences- for example, in HvZ, the game lasts for days at a time (or longer) and is often played during normally scheduled activities such that your commute to classes becomes a terrifying life-or-death sprint through campus, followed by an hour of being paranoid about leaving the room. The other main difference is that human players can defend themselves from zombie attacks with approved projectiles (socks and nerf guns typically).

Why am I saying all this? Because it's important to recognize that so much popularity and fun can be derived from a game using a very simple set of rules and very minimal investment (socks are pretty cheap from thrift stores). Not only is it a blast to play for a few days, but you get a heightened sense of adrenaline for basically the whole week along with some great exercise, bonding experience, and an overall sense of accomplishment. I must stress this: This game requires so few props and is so easy to set up, yet provides so much entertainment. It's emergent gameplay at its finest.

I'm also excited about traditional game platforms (board games and video games) though. Not to downplay the fun that some people have with purely luck-based games, but I'm incredibly delighted that stores like Barnes & Noble and Target have begun picking up Euro Games. This is a class of game that you can learn more about here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-style_board_game

Euro Games employ more strategy and downplay the importance of luck. They almost always don't eliminate players before the game's end either.

When people find out I'm a board gamer, if they're not familiar with the type of game I play, they often envision Risk or Monopoly and they're justifiably wary. I've noticed that most people who "aren't gamers" are often people who are just jaded with the simplicity and boring nature of American games. These are people who:

1. Get bored doing the same thing over and over again without thinking about it (rolling dice in Monopoly and buying every property you can).

2. Get bored with games with player elimination (Being the first to lose in Risk and sitting out for another two hours).

3. Get frustrated with games that rely on the throw of the dice instead of the person's individual intellect (Plenty of games).

These are common annoyances that are often addressed by Euro Games. However, a valid complaint is that sometimes the Euro Games swing too far to the opposite side. Some are overly complicated with far too many rules and intricate setups. Discerning between the good and the bad games takes some time, but I haven't introduced many people to these games without having them come back for more.

Our final topic of the evening: video games.

While the size of games is still increasing at a steady pace and our collective computers and consoles are suffering, the tradeoff has been games with truly staggering scopes. Your Baldur's Gate 3s and Tears of the Kingdoms. Games have such an unbelievable amount of content in them these days. While the technology's been out a while now and it hasn't revolutionized the hobby, virtual reality still looms with the promise of increasing player engagement and interactivity- and somehow, I still believe the hype. Every couple years, the technology gets better and we get another few add-ons that increase a player's sense of presence when playing a game in VR. It's an expensive dip into a niche hobby, but someday, I'll own a 3D treadmill with a top-of-the-line VR headset.

Anyway, games are impressive, and even if you're not a gamer, you should consider dipping your feet into the territory. Loads of fun.