Do We Really Care That You’re Not Buying a Game?

I was looking at Boardgame Geek today after coming home from running some errands (I highly recommend taking a month off of work if you have enough vacation days for it).

I saw the news post about the new game coming from Czech Games Edition, Deal With the Devil (from designer Matúš Kotry).

This post isn’t about the game, however, though it does sound kind of cool, but it is for exactly four players…so maybe not as cool for me.

No, this post was prompted by a couple of the comments in the news article about it.

“”Required app.”

And, we’re done here.”

So the game requires an app.

So what?

But again, that’s not what prompted this post.

What prompted this post is this person’s apparent requirement that he must tell us that because the game has an app, he’s not going to buy it.

I don’t agree with it, but I understand why some people don’t want to get a game that requires an app.

Their reasoning (at least as given in this thread) doesn’t seem logical, but humans aren’t always logical beings, so if you don’t want to get a game that requires an app to play, that’s great!

But why do you have to tell us this on every post about a game that does require an app?

I don’t get this obsession every time a game comes out that has mechanics that you don’t like.

Why do you have to tell us about it?

I don’t like dexterity games, or real-time games where you have to think quickly and try to choose which pieces will fit in the exact spot you need (I’m looking at you, Factory Fun).

If I commented on a game announcement post every time one of those was announced, I’d be too busy to actually play any games!

I just see the article, see what the game is about, and don’t subscribe to the comment thread.

The game existing does not do anything to my quality of life.

Sure, there are problematic games and mechanisms that do call for some pushback. If the game announcement was about a game from a designer who was an avowed racist, for example (though BGG seems on top of things enough that there would never be an article about something like that), or maybe something that you think people should be aware of that they might not be, go ahead and comment.

It can be important to make your voice known and maybe it will spark other people to do the same thing.

But a game that requires an app?

Do you really think that your one comment against it will stem the tide of app-driven games?

NO! It won’t.

So why bother?

Unless you’re a troll.

Because you know that your anti-app post is going to spark responses. It could even derail the thread as people who agree with you come to your defense (but who never would have posted the initial comment to begin with because they’re like me, they don’t comment when they’re not going to buy a game) and then other people pile on them and so on and so forth.

I am charitable enough to believe that most people who post these comments are just ignorant and not trolls.

But who can be sure?

It is rather trollish behaviour, even if it’s not intentional.

It’s the same mindset of people who go into the forum of a game they don’t like and just post random “this game sucks” type posts.

Sure, negative reviews can be valuable, and if you post a review, that’s great! (You will get a bad reaction most likely, but don’t get me started on fanboys who can’t take the fact that somebody doesn’t like the same game they do).

But just to go into the forum and say “You know what? Your game sucks and you’re stupid for liking it”?

That’s just trollish too (though that is clearly intentional).

I could probably do weekly posts on the behaviour of various types of people in BGG forums (hey, that’s an idea…) but this one just jumped out at me today when I saw the Deal With the Devil post.

I just don’t get why you think we care that you’re not going to buy a game.

I saw somebody post “(Though it raises the question: why is it considered more OK to post “I’m interested in this game” on these posts…?)”

Yes, that was tongue-in-cheek (there was a smiley face that I didn’t copy), but I would still answer the question that people who are interested in discussing the game can actually form a conversation from a post saying that, and it could be interesting!

“I’m not buying this because it requires an app?” That discussion has happened so many times, almost every time a game with an app has been announced, that there isn’t anything new to say.

At least not in a thread like this.

If you want to start a discussion in the general forum about app-driven games, maybe people would have a good discussion.

But a game-specific post never does well with that.

Anyway, just a pet peeve of mine for a Thursday night when posting has been light this week (at least I got my AAR done earlier this week!)

What do you think about this?

Or do you just ignore BGG forums and comments to begin with?

Let me know in the comments.