The Buss Speaks: Can't Stop The Feeling
With the emergence of Tabletopia and Tabletop Simulator, there has been a massive movement of bringing cardboard to the digital space. This isn’t necessarily new since games such as The Castles of Mad King Ludwig and Ticket to Ride have been on digital platforms for some time now. So, why then do people still take the time (and money) to spend on boxes of cardboard if the easier option is to always sit in front of a screen within your own home?
I am hard on the side of playing board games in person, feeling the cardboard, and seeing the person you’re playing with/against face-to-face. I also cannot deny the ease of accessibility of being able to port a game to the computer and being able to play with a multitude of people outside of your favorite gaming group. Or especially in my case, being able to connect with my favorite gaming group across the pond via these digital versions. A lot of what I discuss seefurther is simply my experience with the in-person version of games versus the on-line versions and while I know that it won’t be the same for everyone, I hope that a connection is made along with some form of illumination as to why cardboard feels so right.
I’ll start with an easy one for me, the number one game on my list, Seasons. The online version of this game on Tabletop Simulator was surprisingly smooth and certain upkeep items (such as keeping track of cards that provided crystals or tokens at the change of seasons or end of the round) were automatically taken care of which is a helpful aid. Including the audio benefit of Discord, the normal banter we would normally have in person was nearly the same. Surprisingly though, the game wasn’t any quicker than an in-person version of the game would take. I had thought that the lack of setup and upkeep would shave off an easy 20 minutes but this didn’t happen. So, the game lengths are about the same but the online version removes setup/upkeep woes, wouldn’t that make it the better version simply due to that? The beauty of Seasons isn’t simply how the game plays and the strategies one can create while playing. Every turn, one player has to roll those massive dice. Every player has to fiddle with their currently available cards while also looking forward to the future on what cards become available. The touching and thinking over a player’s elemental tokens is something every player does, even if they aren’t conscious of it. This fidgeting and handling of die/cards/tokens is something that is simply not available over the internet and I would argue adds way more to the game than the simple benefit of a computer handling upkeep.
A massive part of playing games is obviously having to learn the rules that make the game. Nearly every rulebook is available online for anyone to read but what game can truly be learned simply by reading the rulebook? Needing to pull out the pieces from the box, reading and placing the necessary cards or placards properly, and going through all the tokens and their importance to the game is vital. A person can do the same thing on a computer program and still learn how the game is played. Yet, something is lost in translation from rulebook to gameplay without the tactile feeling of the game pieces. Even when being taught a game in person, I have a bad habit of wanting to go through the rulebook in order to make sure I'm learning everything correctly. It helps me create a better connection with a game a friend is teaching me while those pieces are available to manipulate. While being taught a game online, I have felt a lot of apathy to the rules and making sure our group is playing correctly. This isn't to say I don't have fun playing those games, I simply can't create that same connection.
Despite my clear prejudice in favor of playing board games in person, I have to provide an example of when a game is simply better on the computer. For this example, I'm using Gloomhaven. The first (and probably main) reason I'm using this game is the sheer price of the physical copy compared to it's electronic version. Anybody can buy it on Steam for a measly $20 while getting a physical copy can cost over five times that amount. The second reason is simply the weight of the game. The box it comes in is spectacular in size and the gameplay mirrors that. The computer version has a quick tutorial of how to play and gets people into the game within 5-10 minutes, which is just impressive. While mistakes are made in the first couple of scenarios, they aren't anything that wouldn't happen during an in-person game so I don't hold it against the online version. The third reason harkens back to what I mentioned with Seasons and that's the upkeep of the game. After playing the online version, I don't even want to try and mess around with everything that goes into setting up each scenario, making sure everybody has their abilities and modifier decks correct, and especially the small things that could slip through the cracks such as gold drops or keeping track of achievements. I have no doubt I would still enjoy Gloomhaven if I played it in person but I know deep down that if I did, I would have a running monologue in my head complaining about all the things the computer would normally take care of.
Board games, regardless of if they are played in person or online, are incredible for enjoyment, competition, and making dear friends. Certainly, the main reason I love playing games in person so much is that I have personally had close friendships formed over the playing of cardboard. There's just something that occurs during gameplay of a truly special game that gives space for people to talk and create bonds that I haven't been able to experience playing the online versions. Maybe it's the tactile feeling of the cards or dice. Maybe it's the sometimes arduous task of explaining the rules to unrule participants. Maybe it's being able to see the frustration and then resignation of an opponent who realizes that you swooped in on the last round for the win. Whatever the combination of reasons why, you can't stop the amazing feeling of being able to play a good board game with great people.
The Buss