Bait Games
While at the ALA Techsource GLLS 2008 snicholson suggested a new description of board game types that would nest into the gateway game/gamer game descriptions. He chose Bait Game as the new lable - giving both a presentation and play session (providing games and space to play) to showcase the concept at the symposium.
The big deal about bait games is that they are eye catching and quick. The idea is to make people come over and ask “what is that?” instead of having to drag people into the experience. In other words - bait games sell them selves by appearance, while being short enough to keep the opportunity cost of learning them very low. Exposure to bait should open people up to the idea that games are more than a monotony fest of roll and move, or tedious trivia games. The curiosity cost of not learning the game needs to seem higher than the time expenditure and intimidation factor of learning something new.
An array of bait games will cast a broader net than what hobby gamers call gateway games. When would bait games be particularly successful? Mixed social clicks (gamers and non gamers) parties like holiday or family gatherings. Scott’s (and my) interests also fall into public events not attended exclusively by die hard gamers, such as library open houses and game nights, industry trade shows, or other events of that ilk.
Bait games will be much more effective at converting non gamers to game appreciators if they don’t exist in a vacuum. This means having some gateway games, or even more complex games, on display and ready to go would help round out the appeal of any games presentation. The setting and occasion inform the kind and number of deeper games to bring for show and tell, but in most occasions where games are being used as bait, don’t plan on getting the more involved hobby games in to play.
To get an idea about some good bait games, check out this geeklist Scott started on Board Game Geek. www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/36564/page/1
The big deal about bait games is that they are eye catching and quick. The idea is to make people come over and ask “what is that?” instead of having to drag people into the experience. In other words - bait games sell them selves by appearance, while being short enough to keep the opportunity cost of learning them very low. Exposure to bait should open people up to the idea that games are more than a monotony fest of roll and move, or tedious trivia games. The curiosity cost of not learning the game needs to seem higher than the time expenditure and intimidation factor of learning something new.
An array of bait games will cast a broader net than what hobby gamers call gateway games. When would bait games be particularly successful? Mixed social clicks (gamers and non gamers) parties like holiday or family gatherings. Scott’s (and my) interests also fall into public events not attended exclusively by die hard gamers, such as library open houses and game nights, industry trade shows, or other events of that ilk.
Bait games will be much more effective at converting non gamers to game appreciators if they don’t exist in a vacuum. This means having some gateway games, or even more complex games, on display and ready to go would help round out the appeal of any games presentation. The setting and occasion inform the kind and number of deeper games to bring for show and tell, but in most occasions where games are being used as bait, don’t plan on getting the more involved hobby games in to play.
To get an idea about some good bait games, check out this geeklist Scott started on Board Game Geek. www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/36564/page/1