The Khan of Cons
TelltaleGames
Former Telltale Staff
I spent this past weekend at KublaCon, also known as the "Khan of Cons" (isn't that adorable?) You may be surprised to learn that KublaCon is not actually a convention organized around discussions of early 19th century opium-inspired poetry. It is, in fact, a gathering of those devoted to the consumption of multiplayer, rule inscribed, goal-oriented entertainment. Games, in other words.
No, these games were not on a computer. They did not require the use of a console or a television. No digitalness or electronicness was present. Yes, you can actually play games in this manner, without electricity or batteries. No, this does not limit one to the realms of Monopoly and Risk (either of which might induce one to ingest opium and write fantastical poetry rather than complete a full game).
As a longtime and prolific gamer, I find the assumption that all games worth playing must be digital in nature to be flawed and irritating in the extreme. This assumption is so widespread that I'm not even able to refer to non-digital games as "games" and use "digital" as a qualifier (i.e. "digital games"). Instead, I must specify that I am referring to games of a non-digital nature. The "gaming industry" refers to the "digital gaming industry". When those in the "gaming industry" want to talk about games that are played on a board or with cards or dice, they will call them "pen and paper" games, which is a ridiculously deceptive term, and not inclusive of the variety of games played off the computer. There isn't even a word that means "the collection of all game types, including board games, card games, role-playing games, dice games, and miniature games that are played independently of any electronic device." At least, not one I can seem to find or invent. Even Greg Costikyan, in one of my favorite pieces of game writing Don't be a Vidiot, refers to this grab-bag as "non-electronic games".
At the above-mentioned convention, I participated in board games such as Puerto Rico and Shadows over Camelot, a very fun card game about goblins blowing each other up called Badaboom and a live action role-playing game based in a Beowolf/Arthurian legends setting. I saw friends and associates I hadn't laid eyes on for years. I paid too much money for hotel restaurant food. All in all, an excellent time.
I will complete this blog entry with a bit of friendly and well-intentioned advice: turning blue from holding your breath, twitching uncontrollably or hitting "refresh" on the forums page every two minutes is not the best use of your Sam & Max anticipation time. There will be plenty of time for these activities once you can actually get your hands on the game. Instead, warm up your brain and social networking skills by finding some exciting "non-digital" games to indulge in until the second coming has arrived. Trust my assurances that between now and Sam & Max's arrival, you and your loved ones will all be far more satisfied with these, more constructive, activities.
No, these games were not on a computer. They did not require the use of a console or a television. No digitalness or electronicness was present. Yes, you can actually play games in this manner, without electricity or batteries. No, this does not limit one to the realms of Monopoly and Risk (either of which might induce one to ingest opium and write fantastical poetry rather than complete a full game).As a longtime and prolific gamer, I find the assumption that all games worth playing must be digital in nature to be flawed and irritating in the extreme. This assumption is so widespread that I'm not even able to refer to non-digital games as "games" and use "digital" as a qualifier (i.e. "digital games"). Instead, I must specify that I am referring to games of a non-digital nature. The "gaming industry" refers to the "digital gaming industry". When those in the "gaming industry" want to talk about games that are played on a board or with cards or dice, they will call them "pen and paper" games, which is a ridiculously deceptive term, and not inclusive of the variety of games played off the computer. There isn't even a word that means "the collection of all game types, including board games, card games, role-playing games, dice games, and miniature games that are played independently of any electronic device." At least, not one I can seem to find or invent. Even Greg Costikyan, in one of my favorite pieces of game writing Don't be a Vidiot, refers to this grab-bag as "non-electronic games".
At the above-mentioned convention, I participated in board games such as Puerto Rico and Shadows over Camelot, a very fun card game about goblins blowing each other up called Badaboom and a live action role-playing game based in a Beowolf/Arthurian legends setting. I saw friends and associates I hadn't laid eyes on for years. I paid too much money for hotel restaurant food. All in all, an excellent time.
I will complete this blog entry with a bit of friendly and well-intentioned advice: turning blue from holding your breath, twitching uncontrollably or hitting "refresh" on the forums page every two minutes is not the best use of your Sam & Max anticipation time. There will be plenty of time for these activities once you can actually get your hands on the game. Instead, warm up your brain and social networking skills by finding some exciting "non-digital" games to indulge in until the second coming has arrived. Trust my assurances that between now and Sam & Max's arrival, you and your loved ones will all be far more satisfied with these, more constructive, activities.
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