I am not a competitive person. So, why, one would ask, would I enjoy playing board games so much? Isn’t the point to win?
Sure. If one were to just look at something like Monopoly, (let’s not focus on it being a poor board game) and examine it strictly on the “acquire the most money and win” aspect of it.
Now. Do you recall the number of times you have won Monopoly? Or do you mainly remember the moment when you just barely escaped getting bankrupted by landing just in between your rivals? Presumably, you were having a good time up until the moment that monopoly inevitably turns into a grind and you stop having fun.
Today’s board games are more refined and are filled with more of those socially poignant moments. Not only are the mechanics better, but the stories are better.
Would you like to play out a Space Opera between alien races competing for resources, technology, and empire expansion? Eclipse. Want to play as secret lords that run a city in a D&D setting? Lords of Waterdeep. Would you like to play as a team of players from the CDC racing to find the cure for four different diseases that are ravaging the globe? Pandemic. Want to play a group of survivors during the Zombie Apocalypse? Take your pick. City of Horror, or Last Night on Earth will fulfill your zombie needs. Want to escape a cursed temple about to collapse around you? Escape. Want to play as Faculty or Staff competing for prestige at an undisclosed North Eastern university with a god like roach that consumes your life force? Shab Al-Hiri Roach. Want to drink wine and just tell stories about surrealist art? Surprisingly, I have you covered with Dixit.
There is something for everyone.
Each of these games is different, and offer an experience that is more than just, “walk around a board and buy things.” Each of them provides a different feel, whether it is the not so secret alliances made during Lords of Waterdeep, or the cooperative dice rolling chaotic shouting one experiences during a game of Escape.
The interactions between people during these games, while defined, are clearly influenced by their personalities. Playing a board game with someone can reveal things to the observant player. Are they competitive? Are they a good leader? Do they support others well? Are they cowed by complexity or intrigued by intricacy?
Basically, my love of the board game is about sharing an experience, a social one. Whether I am teaching a game to strangers or playing with friends that I have known for years, I am interacting with people on a personal, real world scale. We are creating a shared experience together that isn’t possible on the internet. No matter how connected people are via electronic means, there is still nothing that can compete with the tangible real world social experience made possibly by people getting together and playing a board game.