Saturday, September 25, 2010

"Stealth" Gaming:

From time to time, I dream about buying a really expensive board game ($50 and up) that will give me many hours of pleasurable adventuring. I always decide not to buy, primarily for these reasons:
  • The cost. That's real money!
  • I intend, mostly, to play these games myself, and they are usually not intended as solo games.
  • If I find a really, really good game, then I'm afraid I'll play it too much.

But now, I have stumbled upon a web-hosted treasure trove: "Printable" games that one can download free and enjoy. And there's a whole set of solo games. I may find one that will give me just as much pleasure as the $50 game I'm not buying. Fun!
There's something unusual about many of these games. Their developers have tried to create enjoyable board games that don't look like games. The goal is that you can play them stealthily at work without getting caught. They are called "stealth" or "Ninja" games. One game, for example, uses "post it" notes to replace dice.
I wonder how much these "stealth" games are catching on. Oh, the wasted productivity. Oh, the humanity!

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