To whom it may concern; Board games.

[o.pwuaioc]

Speaking of crossovers, someone brought boardgames to a retro video game meetup once. Poor guy didn't have anyone to play with the entire time. I felt bad.

I myself enjoy games like Risk, Axis and Allies, Knights of the Round, and even a few card games like Mag Blast. Anyone play that?

[CRTGAMER]

A Video Game to Board game
I saw a MYST Board game based on the original Myst Computer game. Spin the wheel and put together a jigsaw puzzle. It was four bucks at a Thrift store but passed on it, since I may never play it. An unusual board game, maybe I should go back and get it?

Info: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1959/myst

[crux]

There's an old article about video game-based board games right here on Racketboy. That article reminded me of the Pac-Man board game, so I used it as a placeholder avatar until I make my own, since I figure three years without an avatar is about enough.

http://www.racketboy.com/roomplay/2006/ ... using.html

From some of the responses here, I think exposure is definitely the key element in getting a video gamer acclimated to board games. Board games certainly have a stigma attached to them from the old days of mainstream ameritrash, and I don't think it's easy to shake that stigma even for a gamer who's tried one or two Euros. Find some friends and play a few games once a week - they can share the load on acquiring new board games too. I think it'll grow on more people than they'd think.

[gtmtnbiker]

Board games certainly have a stigma attached to them from the old days of mainstream ameritrash,

So what games are considered to be ameritrash?

[Key-Glyph]

I saw a MYST Board game based on the original Myst Computer game. Spin the wheel and put together a jigsaw puzzle.

Hey, did anyone ever have one of those non-Myst jigsaw puzzle mysteries? They came with a written story set-up about a murder or something, and the instructions would say that the evidence and answer was in the room where the crime was committed. The room was the picture on the jigsaw puzzle, so supposedly you would put it together and everything would become clear.

If anyone knows what I'm talking about, I'd be really grateful. It still drives me crazy that I never conquered mine. It seemed like it had a million pieces!

[AmishSamurai]

Board games certainly have a stigma attached to them from the old days of mainstream ameritrash,

So what games are considered to be ameritrash?

Monopoly. That's the biggie.

[crux]

So what games are considered to be ameritrash?

Ameritrash is literally just a name for American games that don't carry the heavy strategic influence of euro games, often relying on luck. One BGG poster put it best:

The Ameritrash 'Core Priority' is Drama.
The Eurogame 'Core Priority' is Elegance.
The Wargame 'Core Priority' is Realism.

Other stereotypes fit as well (see here). Take it with a grain of salt, as there are good ameritrash games and bad euros, as well as games made in Europe that feel like ameritrash and games made in American that feel like euros. That said, the ameritrash games of yore that most people are familiar with are games like Monopoly, Risk, Clue, etc. When most Americans associate board games with Monopoly, we can see why people have trouble seeing past the stigma.

[gtmtnbiker]

That said, the ameritrash games of yore that most people are familiar with are games like Monopoly, Risk, Clue, etc. When most Americans associate board games with Monopoly, we can see why people have trouble seeing past the stigma.

I do agree that Monopoly has too much luck involved but it's a great game to play with your children around age 7-9 because it helps them with addition/subtraction/percentage, expose them to some strategies, and teach them to be a good sport. The last aspect is tough for many young kids to master.

To be honest, I can't recall ever seeing adults playing monopoly together. It's always thought of as a family game. There's a running joke between my wife and I about her sister and her Monopoly gift fetish. My nephew received 3 different Monopoly (e.g, baseball, football themes) games from her as birthday/Christmas gifts over a few years. My own kids got different variants from her as well. Geez, how creative you are! We always end up regifting them on.

For me, board/card games are always about the social aspect, especially when we play with friends or family members that we don't see too often. It's a good way to relax and still have a conversation.

[o.pwuaioc]

Risk, Clue = Ameritrash? Both are fun games. Monopoly is a truly terrible game, though...

[BoringSupreez]

Risk, Clue = Ameritrash? Both are fun games. Monopoly is a truly terrible game, though...

The trouble with Monopoly is that the game is over well before it's over.