Links: Modern Games in the Media, Ideas for the Stealing, and Authors Honored by Dau Barcelona

For over three decades, the exhibition, known to attendees as Spiel, or simply as "Essen", after its host city, has brought tabletop game designers, publishers and legions of fans together to buy, sell, socialise and play. It's where the biggest companies in the business show off their latest releases, up-and-coming creators chase their big break and tens of thousands of gamers clamour to play the hottest new titles before they hit shop shelves.

[T]hat night at Jerry's house changed my perception of board games forever. A once childish and pat pastime transformed into a complex and nuanced subculture where thinking is valued and where creativity thrives...

I left the party that night not only with a brand new group of friends, but infatuated with the awesome power of board games. I told everyone I knew about that night with the dragon.

A decade later, and I'm still gaming. My collection grows every month, and I try to play games several times a week with as many people as I can. They've become more than just an excuse to get together, although my relationships have only strengthened through playing. Board games, the best of them, create experiences, and some of the best nights I've ever spent were sitting around a table with my friends and some cardboard.

The tricky thing is that each player individually accumulates their own points so even if the "group loss" state occurs, if I have the most points, the game can't stop me from feeling like I won. This brought up a brief and very useful discussion about the essential social contracts surrounding games when players agree to certain game-states as being desirable and worth pursuing.