In 2022, I Resolve to...

Here we are with another January 1 in our faces, the start of yet another year, the prospect of which might be somewhat soured by the events of the past couple of years.

How different will things be in 2022 in regard to the game industry? Will shortages and shipping issues continue to plague game publishers? Will you meet others for game days freely and without fear? Will game conventions take place on their "normal" schedules, and if so will exhibitors and visitors turn out at their normal levels? Will Tabletopia and Tabletop Simulator become the default for designers presenting games to publishers? (I know this last change has already happened to some degree, but I've yet to play a game in either format as seeing people face-to-face is one of the things I enjoy about playing tabletop games. I typically use Board Game Arena, for example, only to play with folks I already know.)

As for what I'll be doing in this space, I have three resolutions to drive me over the next twelve months:

• Play, write about, and record videos about games that I wouldn't normally play.

If you have followed my posts in this space over the past decade, especially this summary post of gaming highlights from the 2010s, my taste in games is fairly clear. To quote myself:

Quote:

I prefer not to have to think about rules while playing. Yes, a game consists of its rules, but I don't want to have to think about this rule detail or that while playing, instead immersing myself in the game as a whole. I want the details of the rules to fade into the background of the room that they create, leaving me to perform in that room without being distracted by the pattern of the wallpaper or the texture of the stucco. Simple rules make it possible for me to focus on the actions of my fellow players instead of the environment around us.

That said, I think I could benefit from venturing out beyond what I know I'd like to explore other types of games. Ankh: Gods of Egypt will be one of the first such titles to hit the table, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that once I made it through the 32-page rulebook, the game itself seems far more streamlined that what it appears to be at first glance. That said, I've yet to play, so we'll see!

• Cover games, designers, and publishers from regions and groups that don't normally have a lot of coverage.

I'm on a vast number of mailing lists, and I scan multiple types of social media to learn about new games. Even so, I tend to cover many of the same designers and publishers repeatedly.

I won't be giving up on Reiner Knizia, mind you, but I can do a better job of shining a spotlight on games that might otherwise be seen by only a few. The challenge with this resolution is that frequently I need to run text through translation programs, then squint a lot to figure out what the game is actually about and what I can say beyond "It exists". Still, even that recognition might be something to get the ball rolling by others.

• Create more videos with a wider range of content.

Despite the outcry generated following my video about how to put away and set up games — or perhaps because of it — I plan to record similar videos in the months ahead. On Twitter, someone wrote: "Looking thru all the comments on YT & BGG, it's obvious 99% disagree w/your method." That may be the case, but that's precisely why I want to record more such videos. What's the value of creating a video that proposes people do what they're already doing?

Also, I play many games only 1-2 times, have thoughts about them, say I'll play them more in the future, then never touch them again. Better that I record round-up videos to put those thoughts into the universe, then move the game on to a new home instead of deluding myself more than I normally do about what I'll play again.

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What about you? Are you adopting a 10x10 challenge to dive deeper into certain games? A 100x1 challenge to bring more titles to the table? In 2020, a friend and his wife played through their collection in alphabetical order (since they didn't want to meet with others for games), and they re-discovered their passion for some older titles, while finding others to eject from their shelves.

Feel free to include your resolutions below — or suggest designers and publishers to cover to help me out with that middle resolution above.