To coincide with this week’s BoardGameProtoHype theme of ‘Play’, I’ve headed out to the community to find out the answer to the question “Why do I play?”. Some of our members have shared their answer to the question, but what about yours? Use the ‘comment’ box at the bottom of the page to add your answer…
When I’m fully immersed in a game, I find myself
experiencing similar emotions to that of reading a novel.
I play to fully dive into and experience the world and theme of the game. To me, it’s like all the players are characters in a book that’s being written as you play. Whether we’re pirates surviving the open ocean, or settlers developing a new country, every player’s next decision builds the lore of the world, and each player has a voice in the direction of the plot. When I’m fully immersed in a game, I find myself experiencing similar emotions to that of reading a novel— excitement, frustration, anticipation, disappointment, relief— and, unlike reading a book, I have some control over what my character will do next to add to the story.
I want to find as many routes as I can
to help people have more play in their lives.
I don’t think I’ve ever stopped playing. I can’t remember any part of the last 40 years when play hasn’t been a core feature of my daily life. There’s something about play, and being playful that just triggers everything in my brain. I think that’s why I make games, I want to find as many routes as I can to help people have more play in their lives; if I can make a game that people play and enjoy, then I’ll succeed at that. There’s something fundamentally important about play, and more more people played more often, the world would be a better place.
I learn more about the people around me by interacting through play.
I play for many reasons, but when I think about it, it’s primarily the quality time interacting with friends that makes board games my jam.
Laughter, shared memories, and just all-around good times. That’s what playing gives me. I learn more about the people around me by interacting through play, and yeah, I’m normally the rules guy, but I love it.
I’m not getting any younger either and the mental gymnastics involved in learning and playing games keeps my mind supple and agile… Being a logical yet empathic individual, Board Games fit my personality type perfectly and I’ve surrounded myself with like minded individuals so I can normally get a game on at short notice when I feel the urge… some might say that’s magical… I guess I am Wizard after all…
It’s a great way to stay
connected to your inner child
Play is so important to me in so many ways, whether that’s playing a game, a character or simply being a bit silly! It’s one of the first things that we do as children, so it’s a great way to stay connected to your inner child. And if there’s anyone that knows exactly where the best fun is to be had, it’s definitely them!
It allows us to drop the seriousness of life for a bit, to engage our creativity and imagination, to dream to laugh, to learn and to truly LIVE.
So grab your faery dust, second star to the right and straight on till morning my friend, I’ll meet you there, BANGARANG!
I do have the excitement of introducing my
4-year-old to the world of board games.
More often these days, the kids are why I play. As a father of two young children, I don’t get much time to play games for myself, but I do have the excitement of introducing my 4-year-old to the world of board games, and I’ve discovered some fantastic ones along the way that we can both enjoy regardless of age. His absolute favourite right now is KUGO from a fellow #BoardGameProtoHype designer!
Not only does he enjoy the example games provided, but he’s using it to come up with his own, so perhaps a future #BoardGameProtoHype member in the making? We shall see! But for now, he’s certainly why I play, and why I love to play too.
Gaming is a great way to engage in new content as a
modality for acquiring knowledge and engaging in thoughtful conversations.
I have always played board games because it has been a fun way to spend time with my friends and build community. However, now I also play board games to learn. Gaming is a great way to engage in new content as a modality for acquiring knowledge and engaging in thoughtful conversations. Games like, Votes for Women, Hegemony, Cytosis, and our own game Iberia, have challenged me intellectually while also having loads of fun!
We play for the good laughs and the fond memories.
We play for the good laughs and the fond memories. We play for the ‘Aha!’ moments and for the cheers we hear around the table. We play for the memorable stories that the games immerse us in, and for the ability to create (and to destroy) our own, together.
We play for the connection we create with others while we work as a group to prevent our interstellar station from exploding and becoming space junk; or for the new side we discover in someone during an intense bluffing game.
In short, we play for the bond, we play for the people!
Now it’s your turn, tell us in the comments below – why do you play?
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