Game designer Nick Bentley ran a poll to find out why some poor saps don’t like board games, and after receiving 440 comment responses, presented his findings via Twitter.
Length of play and complexity seem to be the two main reasons for hating board games. It seems lots of people would rather sink their time into other activities, or don’t like games that are too taxing on the brain.
After that, many cited a general lack of interest in the medium. The fourth most popular response was that games are over-competitive, and many also feel that board games detract from a social situation rather than adding to it. Cost and negative stereotypes attached to being a ‘boardgamer’ were less frequent, but still quite common responses.
As one reply points out, some people seem to have strong negative emotions attached to board games. Diving in and taking a closer look at the wording of the 440 responses, there are 28 mentions of anxiety and three references to shame. 14 people admitted to feeling stupid when losing or not understanding how to succeed in a game, and 38 felt that board games spark frustration.
Bentley, who is president of Underdog Games, (Trekking the National Parks and HerStory), asked his followers how game makers should think about the reactions. It seems with so many scattered and varied answers, however, there’s no one clear course of action to be taken. Perhaps it’s only natural that some people just don’t like board games (though deep down we reckon there’s a soul-game out there for everyone, if only you can find it).
For the titles you’re most likely to like, check out our best board games guide. You also might enjoy the best family board games or strategy board games, depending on your taste.