How We Rate Games?

There is list after list after list of games and their rankings.  “This game is 5 stars!” “This is a good strategy game.” Always the list supports a specific view of games.  My friend, Mr. Lester, has tasked me to create a system where any game can be scored.  The scores would, in essence, create a ranking system, but based on what I believe are the important qualities of a good board, card, or, really any game.  I also endeavor to keep the system simple as complexity creates its own difficulties and then stops being an effective ranking tool. 

Categories to be scored are: Game Playability, Game Design, Box Design, Instructions and Learnability, GGG membership.

A.       Game Playability- Is it dull to play, fun once, or enjoyable every time you play? 

·         Enjoyable every time: 5pts

·         Fun for multiple times: 4pts

·         Fun the first and second time you play: 3pts

·         Could be fun, was just a tad slow: 2pts

·         Boring!: 1pt

B.      Game Design- The design of the game enhances the playing experience.

·         Art! Beautiful design and playability. Highest quality: 5pts

·         Great design and layout, it adds to the game playing experience.  Excellent quality: 4pts

·         Solid design, good art, and good quality: 3pts

·         Not a great design, but does not hinder game play. Fair quality: 2pts

·         Crap!: 1pt

C.      Box Design- Is the box inviting and tells you about the game? Is it well Made and looks good on a shelf? Remember, the box is the first thing you see!

·         A beautiful box with excellent graphics.  The box’s bottom clearly explains the game.  It looks great on a shelf and the name is visible.  The quality is of the highest standard:  5pts

·         Attractive Box with clear graphic.  The box’s bottom is using to give information about the game.  The Quality is above industry standards: 4pts

·         Good box with good graphics.  Easy tell what game it is on a shelf and the quality meets industry standards:  3pts

·         Good box but graphic are difficult to read or unclear.  Some element of the game is below industry standards and makes the game seem cheap:  2pts

·         Garbage!: 1pt

D.      Instructions and learnability- Can you play the game the first time or does it take a few times to master?  Are the rules clear and understandable? With mastery, can you get better at the game?

·         Simple elegant rules that allows any player to master the game the first time played.  Mastery of the game allows for high level play:  5pts

·         Efficient rules with clear objectives.  Game play takes some learning and experienced players have a big advantage:  4pts

·         Clear rules, but takes some learning.  The game objective can be learned while playing and experienced players know how to win:  3pts

·         Rules are intact, but the print is small or hard to read.  You understand the game, but see no real reason for it:  2pts

·         What???:  1pt

E.       Special Section- The Ganja Gaming Guild.  Only for party and cannabis games. Bonus Points!

·         Rastafarian game.  Players get to partake from the bong, pipe, blunt, or whatever the player chooses:  5pts

·         Heavy Duty! Consuming cannabis is integral to the play of the game, and is used as a prize.  The game is cannabis themed and is intended for group use.  Drinks are also offered: 4pts

·         Good Party Game.  Players get to smoke or drink and it adds to the fun of the game: 3pts

·         Barely a game, but who cares because you get to get wasted!: 2pts

·         Ditch weed! Crap! Rip off!: 1pt

Score Range: 25 Points (The ultimate game) to 5 Points (You got some nerve for selling this!)

Today’s Scores:

·         Scrabble: A5+B4+C3+D4+E3=19

·         Jenga:  A5+B3+C3+D5+E3=19

·         Dab Out Board Game: A4+B5+C4+D5+E5= 23

·         This Game Goes to Eleven: A3+B4+C5+D3+E2= 17

·         Toker Dice: A2+B2+C2+D4+E3= 13

The Games I Still Play

The first time I played Stratego it was after my 11th birthday party.  I was given the game by a friend and I wanted to play it.  The idea was pretty simple - the lower the number, the more powerful the piece.  The numbers were hidden, and you moved one space at a time to capture your enemy’s flag.  The pieces represented various ranks in the French/English armies during the Napoleonic wars.  I liked the idea of the reveal on attack, it was exciting.  I still use my 1977 Stratego game, now I play it with my younger son.  We both love the game.

I bought the Simpson’s themed Clue in 1991.  The group of us got baked and played the game.  Most of us had played Clue, and we all loved the Simpsons, so the group of five was excited to play.  Like the original Clue, you travel the board going into rooms and eliminating murder weapons, murder locations, and the murderer.  The Simpson’s version had Springfield locations for rooms, silly weapons, and familiar characters as the suspects.  The game added some interesting twists like secret passages and other small variations.  I’ve played the game a dozen times over the years and it never seems to get tired.  This is a really fun game.

I am truly a bad speller, but I love Scrabble, I really do.  My mother forced me to play with the family when I was younger, and she crushed us every time.  I liked the look of the board and the letter tiles, but my spelling skills were quite weak.  Through my teenage years and beyond I became an avid reader and was able to continue my education to the highest levels.  I met my wife in the mid-90’s and she was really smart, plus she was and is a perfect speller and grammarian.  Of course she liked Scrabble!  I played Scrabble on the new social network available and I learned all the legal 2 letter words.  With my mother’s Scrabble board, I played my wife and won.  It was the first time I had ever won at Scrabble.  Now I rarely lose, but my wife is still brilliant, so I need to work hard to win.

My older son likes Mille Bornes, the classic racing card game.  I played for the first time on a ski trip to Canada with my parents in 1971.  In this game, players collect cards to be able to play mileage cards to complete their trip.  Special cards are needed to begin, and other players play hazards against you to slow your journey.  The game features, “Coup Fourre!” cards that make you immune to certain hazards.  In the end, you score all your mileage and all the special cards you have played.  The fact that my son likes this game means its has been liked by three generations!

My oldest personal favorite game is Battleship.  I received it on my 8th birthday and we still play it today.  The box is beaten up, but the game is still perfect with all its pieces and still very enjoyable to play.  Each player positions their ships on their game board which is hidden from the other player.  The players take turns taking shots at the others ships, that is achieved by saying the coordinates of your shot.  If you score a “Hit” you go again.  The player that sinks all the other players ships first wins.  “You sank my Battleship!” 

The most important part of all these games is that we still play them.  From childhood, to now, I still play these games and still enjoy them.  I get a particular thrill that my family shares my love of games and that we always find time to play a game of two.  More importantly, we collectively look for our next “Favorite” game and get excited to try something new.  With each new game though, it just makes me love the old ones that much more.

High Tech Gaming in the Age of Google?

Let’s face it, some computer games are more entertaining than most movies.  The technology allows the gamer to be in the action. In essence, be the character!  This ability to be the focus of the story makes movies seem like an old form of entertainment, right? Or do movies offer a different type of immersive experience that allows viewers to get lost for a few hours.  In fact, having better technology in a movie really has no bearing on the story and how the actors portray their characters.  It sure makes fighting the Empire seem much closer and clearer, but it can’t create a feeling or mood.

It seems to me that in this age of Google and high-tech gaming, that people are going back to games like Dungeons and Dragons.  I like that the idea of sitting around a table with a group of friends is gaining traction. 2018 was not a good year for the video gaming industry, but it was a record setting year for board games and RPGs.  The sales data shows that worldwide people are moving away from standard game consoles and moving towards simple games. 

In 2018, the best-selling games included: Chess, Checkers, Scrabble, Monopoly, Othello, and Trivial Pursuit.  The data tells the story about peoples’ gaming habits.  The worlds of high-tech games and movies are boring!  The reliance on technology has made them miss the simple idea of connecting with your audience and your fellow human being.  It seems that the video gaming industry has forgotten about the “Every Gamer” and is focused on the “Dedicated Gamer.”  The idea of watching other people play X-box against other gamers seems dull to me, but as an entertainment form, it’s growing.

If Google has taught us anything it’s that technology does get better.  And the gaming devices are getting better, that you can’t argue with.  Even my phone is better than most of the game consoles that I’ve owned.  The future for gaming is bright, but somehow, board games and cards games are just more popular as they stand the test of time.