-
-
So maybe you've figured out that one of the games you own is pretty disappointing. Maybe it wasn't the hit you expected. Maybe it wasn't your style. Maybe it was poorly designed. Whatever the case, it's a dud. Here in BGG-land, it sometimes seems that the worst thing on earth that could happen to you is for you to end up with a game (perish the thought) that stinks. Maybe you even have a hard time admitting that this has happened to you. Obviously it's better if you can prevent this happening in the first place. But I'm here to tell you that it really doesn't matter if it does happen from time to time. That's what this is about: therapy for disappointed gamers. Let's turn our disappointment into a triumph!
Let's begin by outlining some reasons why you're better off buying and playing good games. It's not hard to make a case for that: why play a bad game if you could be spending the same time playing something better? That's why we all usually consider our purchases carefully, trying to get a good game, the best game, even the grail of the genre. Of course, this is the ideal. But in reality it always doesn't turn out that way. Sometimes we end up buying something that sounds good, only to find after several plays that it just doesn't work for us. But that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Now that we've got the case for buying better games out of the way, let's consider some of the reasons why buying and playing a bad game isn't quite as bad as we sometimes make it out to be.
14 Reasons Why It's Not The End Of The World If You Find Yourself With A Dud
● You can trade it. Just because it wasn't the right game for you, doesn't mean it's not the right game for someone else. Maybe it just wasn't your taste. Perhaps there's someone else out there who wants the game, and you can trade it for something that you do like!
● You can sell it. It might not be your kind of game, but perhaps someone out there is hankering after your rejected baby, and willing to drop some money for it. Money that you can use towards a new and well-researched game that will naturally defy any classification as `bad'!
● You can re-purpose it. Strip it of components! Maybe you can redirect the money or tokens or dice, and use them for other games. Even Monopoly money or hotels can find a new purpose in life in another game. And pawns and dice are always useful. If you have a decent size game collection, you're bound to find some new use for the remnants of your Bad Game.
● You can give it away. You might not like it, but then again, you're a professional eurogamer aren't you? Perhaps your neighbours kids will like it. Or that nephew or niece in South Dakota. There's bound to be someone who can enjoy something about it, even if it's the twin four year olds at the park using the pawns and dice to make up their own game. There may even be people who really will enjoy it. Seriously.
● You can destroy it. This one isn't going to go over well with everyone, and if you're one of the naysayers, please just skip over this and pretend you didn't see it - go straight to the next item, do not pass Go and do not collect $200. But once in a while a game comes a long that is really bad. Really, really bad. So bad that the world will be a better place without it, and without any memory of it. If that's the case, don't fret. Have fun with it! Purge and cleanse! Get some mileage out of it! Put it in your blender. Drive over it with your friend's car. Smoke it. Feed it to the neighbour's dog. Throw it off a building (if you need help with this, ask Tom Vasel). Write secret messages on the money and put them in random library books. Whatever it takes - turn it into fun!
● You can recycle it. Put it in your blue box or whatever recycling system your country uses. Maybe they'll even use your rejected paper and cardboard to make new games! Better games! I like the sound of that! Maybe that makes this a better option than the previous one.
● You can warn others about it. Make it your mission to protect other gamers from making the same mistake that you did, and spend their dollars elsewhere. Chances are you're not the only one on planet earth who is going to conclude it's a bad game, so consider yourself as performing a public service to other gamers by saving them from needing to make this discovery the hard way.
● It's still entertained you. Maybe not quite in the way that we hoped, but the fact remains that often it has still offered some entertainment value. For me, part of the fun of games is opening the shrinkwrap, exploring the components, and figuring out how the game works. Even if the game is a dud, I can still honestly say I've had fun doing this. And even if I play it three times and never again, it's still fun figuring out how the game works, and trying to decide whether or not it's a Good Game or a Bad Game - at the end of the day, I've still had 3-4 hours of fun. Okay, we're not talking here about Really Bad Games, with artwork drawn by kindergarten kids, or game-play that's a cross between an evil Monopoly and an ugly Tic-Tac-Toe! But you know, in most cases I have to admit that some fun was had on the journey to discovering that my new game was bad.
● It's still decent value for your money. Let's say your bad game cost $25, and you spent 3-4 hours figuring it out and playing it a few times. That's still pretty good value for money. Take the family to McDonalds, and you'll be paying a lot more than that, for less than 30 minutes of satisfaction - not to mention the cholesterol intake! At least with your bad game you've been entertained for several hours, and you have a game you can trade, give away, or re-purpose. So buying the bad game wasn't a complete waste of time or money!
● It gives you variety. Most of the time you'll prefer to pull out something else, to be sure. But once in a while, maybe you're looking for a change, and don't mind spending 20 minutes playing that less-than-stellar filler, just for a change. It helps make your collection look more impressive than it really is, and perhaps on the odd blue moon you'll pull it out just because you can.
● It may be uncle Bob's favourite game. Yes, I know that you really don't like Phase 10. Nor do I. But the fact is that there are people out there who insist on playing it, and it's even their favourite game. So if old uncle Bob comes over, I don't mind humouring him by pulling out his favourite game. It's good character building for me, and let's face it, if I'm only doing it for half an hour, even I can handle that and have a good time. And uncle Bob will love me for it. That's a kind of value that you can't measure in dollars and cents.
● It won't be bad for everyone. In the gaming world, "Bad" is almost always subjective, and your view of bad is rarely going to be a universal or objective experience. When I first got into eurogames, I thought Balloon Cup was a fantastic game. Now I've been exposed to countless other games, and discovered that there are many other two player games that are even better than Balloon Cup. Does that make Balloon Cup a bad game? Comparatively speaking for me at this stage of my gaming career: yes. But for someone just being introduced to eurogames, they might think it's fantastic! So it might be "bad" merely from the perspective I have as an experienced gamer; but someone only exposed to rummy might think it's incredible, and get immense enjoyment out of it.
● It improves your character. Granted, not every bad game is going to be character building. But perhaps there's a lesson in not always getting what you want, and learning to deal with disappointment, and pain, even the pain of a bad game. Yes, believe it or not, your bad game might just help make you a better person!
● It improves your experience as a gamer. Even bad games help increase your understanding about game mechanics and design, what works and what doesn't. To begin with, it makes your other games look better! Chalk it up as part of learning, and part of growing in your own understanding of game design and game tastes. It enlarges your knowledge of games and gaming, and enables you to partake in conversations about games in a richer and more meaningful manner.
So you see, all is not lost if you've bought and/or played a bad game. But perhaps the challenge is not so much with the bad games as with the mediocre ones. While you have good reason to do something with your `bad' games, the mediocre games sit politely and obediently on your shelf, mostly untouched. It can be hard to bring yourself to part with mediocrity, precisely because it isn't really `bad' as such, and it's the lack of something obviously offensive or objectionable that causes them to linger as long as they do. What to do with them?
Join the discussion: What do you do with your bad games? What about the mediocre ones? What is the worst thing you've done with a game? And finally: Is buying and playing a bad game really so ... bad?
(NB: I originally posted some of these ideas in a GeekList on April 8, 2010)
|
|
