How do you explain the world of board games, in all its colourful diversity, to people who don't know anything about it? How does a gamer share their hobby with a non-gamer?
This question came from my friend Hayes:
"When people ask you about board games or whatever, how do you explain them? Like a coworker and I were chatting today and it came up I like board games. And she’s like ‘what’s your favourite, Catan?’. And I always get flustered cause idk how to explain I play more involved stuff than Catan. You know what I mean?"
Yes, this has happened to me many times!
My goal is to make the conversation interesting while educating them about my hobby if possible. When people show an interest, they may be trying to be kind or to get to know you, so I also like to leave them feeling smart for asking.
My approach:
- Bridge their gap between the known and unknown.
- Ask questions to guage their understanding of the topic.
- Use specific examples (people be bored by generalities).
These allow you to tailor your answers for comprehension.
Tailored Language
If you can gauge the current understanding of your conversation partner, consider tailoring you description of games for them. Instead of using the jargon of a gamer, give them a hook they can grab onto:
- "Kelp is two players, but one player uses a shark and the other an octopus."
- "Twilight Imperium is like a political contest but each player is a different kind of alien and you’re contesting for planets."
- "In Heat: Pedal to the Metal, you play as race car drivers and there are different cards you can use to upgrade your race car."
These are not decent gameplay descriptions for gamers, but are quick thematic previews to help the conversation along.
Example Scenario
Here is an example scenario demonstrating the approach:
“What’s your favourite game, Catan?”
“You know Catan! It is pretty cool. I don't play it much but I do play a variety of other games — are you familiar with Everdell?”
“Whats that?"
“It’s a bit strategic. Unlike Catan, it has no dice. you play cards with cute animals and buildings, like a pigeon that runs a post office. You’re trying to score points by building a good town and completing goals. Plus the art is really nice. This is just one of many games i like.”
“I never knew there was so much to it!”
“Yeah! there are thousands of games, so there is really a game for everybody. I could even recommend a few— what have you already played?”
From here, the conversation move to whatever seems natural, but I believe I accomplished my goals.
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk