Thinking for yourself.

I'm from the Midwest, and football is a big deal here (so is basketball). I've never cared for sports of any type, and the level of fanaticism in this area has always boggled me. I've tried to ask people why they like football, if they've processed through for themselves what the appeal is, and all I ever get is dumb-founded stares. It's just.. football is... you know... what you do. No one seems to really have an explanation.

It was the same for me in high school with music. My older, "cool" friends had me listening to crap like KoRn and Limp Bizkit because that was the fashion. Now that they're long gone and I've got the old thinking cap screwed on right, I can be comfortable listening to heavy metal or Sarah McLachlan, whatever the heck I feel like. Sometimes groupthink is the devil.

It's no different with boardgames. If you are getting into boardgaming, you've probably found BoardGameGeek, which is really the only respectable boardgaming site around. One thing you'll quickly find is that people on their love to make suggestions that are sometimes nonsensical all in the name of advocating their own favorite games. You'll also find that it's "uncool" to enjoy "Ameritrash" games, i.e. American-style games where you attack and eliminate each other from competition. You'll also find that ratings on BGG largely dominate public opinion and even game sales!

What I found myself is after really enjoying some new-to-me classics like Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne, I found myself a blind fan of Reiner Knizia simply because he was so lauded; I mean, his games must be good. And I do like many of them - Through the Desert is a favorite and I'm really coming to enjoy Tigris & Euphrates. But not all of his games are that good, and especially among the higher-ranked on BGG, I really did not enjoy Samurai and Modern Art, and I'm growing bored with Ra and Taj Mahal (more about auction games coming soon). And you know what? That's okay. Despite the fact that a negative review of such a game on BGG would be harshly criticized, as my wife-the-therapist says, "You have a right to your feelings." If you don't like it, good! If you like a game that "sucks," good! I've really enjoyed Lost Cities: the Board Game despite its low rating, and now I find myself looking at the game Senji, considering purchase. It looks great, the rules are intriguing, and I enjoy every other game I've played by either designer. The only thing holding me back (apart from the high price) is the negativity surrounding the game on the 'Geek. And it's about time I said screw 'em and judged for myself. You should do the same.