On Playing Games With Strangers

I’m at a gaming convention this weekend, and that means I have played a bunch of games with total strangers. Nor were all of them any form of D20 game, or even RPGs. I played, and observed the play, of a broad range of people of different ages and backgrounds.

It was exhausting, but also amazing.

I think it’s really important for game designers to play games with people they don’t know at all, outside of a formal playtest, at least from time to time. Especially in a “fellow player” capacity, where you aren’t the facilitator or teacher of the game. You can learn things it’s hard to pick up with this kind of empirical experience.

This weekend, I have been reminded that if you have a game that *ever* requires someone to add three numbers, and the sum is going to be a double digit or higher number, there’s a segment of competent, reasonable adults you are excluding. Those people will never, ever, enjoy any activity that has that basic level of math as a requirement. And the more often you require that in the game, the bigger that segment of people is.

That doesn’t mean no game should do that math. It’s okay for a game not to be for everyone.

But it’s important to remember that our individual experiences and preferences are far, far from universal.

As a game design, I am adding “Play Games With Strangers” as one of the critical activities I need to make sure I engage in from time to time.

I ALSO have a list that tells me to Boost My Patreon” fairly regularly, so…

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