Factors of Gaming

Author: J. Alexander (tankexmortis@gmail.com)

Recently I’ve become aware of a sinister subculture of individuals, each one intelligent, tactically-minded, and bent on global domination.

Okay, I’m a liar. They’re not sinister, for one; and they’re not so much after global domination as global acknowledgement. I’m sure they’d take domination if they could get it, though.

I’m speaking of people who, in this modern age of cell phones, internets, and video games so advanced they have entire economies of their own, still play board games. Yes, board games are still being developed, and they’ve been advancing just the same as any other form of entertainment. These boardgamers laugh at such tripe as Monopoly or Risk; those games are ancient in their eyes. Our eyes, I should say, because I’ve fallen into the world of boardgaming as well, and fallen hard.

It started innocently, with a few luck based card games. Soon, I was standing around the local comic shop, browsing their selection of small-print games. I picked one up. Then, another. I discovered the gigantic online community. I discovered the local game groups, and started attending their meetings. I expanded my collection with the help of online stores like Best Dang Games. Then, I expanded it some more. Then, more. I set up my own game group so I could introduce my friends to the games I found myself accumulating. To put it mildly, I was hooked.

So what is it that’s so appealing about board games in a digital age? It’s hard to pin down. There’s the fantasy factor – the same thing that makes Dungeons and Dragons still sell after all these years is part of what makes dungeon-crawling games, like Descent fun. Raiding dungeons for loot and fighting terrifying monsters is escapism at its finest.

There’s also the brain factor. A lot of these games are intellectually stimulating in the extreme. Ask one of the hundreds of people who have dedicated their lives to mastering the ancient Japanese game of Go – there’s a unique joy to exercising and stretching one’s brain in new and exciting ways. Board games offer that in spades.

There’s the social factor. Board games are intrinsically social – sure, you could play against yourself, but you’d always rather have a real opponent. Someone to judge yourself against, someone to congratulate you when you do well, someone to tease you when you do poorly, and someone for you to do the same. For many people, this is the most important factor.

So what is it for me? It’s a mixture of these factors, as I suspect it is for everyone. While everyone enjoys different games for different reasons, we all play, and we all have fun. And that’s the most important factor.

Monday Night Game Night at Infusion Tea in College Park

Best Dang Games has partnered with another tea shop in Orlando to provide you with yet another option for attending a game night. This is an ongoing event!

Infusion Tea – An eclectic organic tea shop with an art store
http://www.infusionorlando.com/ – We are the top news item on their site.

They have two locations – one in College Park and another downtown.

We will be providing them with a library of games for anyone to play at their leisure.

I believe the plan is to have Monday nights be game night in College Park and Tuesday nights be game night at their downtown shop.

I have committed to hosting the game night for them on Monday, September 8 – College Park and the game night on Tuesday, Sept. 30 in downtown.

This is a free event, so come out and enjoy some organic tea while you enjoy some great games, like Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Puerto Rico, Ticket to Ride Card Game, Blokus, Fluxx, and many others of this style. If you have a favorite, let us know so we can try to have it…or bring your own.

The locations are:
1600 Edgewater Drive
Orlando, FL 32804
407-999-5255

Downtown:
625 E Central Blvd
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 849-5004

If you call them about this, ask for Christina – the Owner.

Yet again, GAME ON! We hope to see you there!

If you would be interested in hosting a game night at these locations, let us know, so we can work it out and make it happen.

Please support these local establishments that are stepping up to support your hobby of gaming!

Barry Nadler
Best Dang Games

Lowered Prices on Prime Games

I just wanted to write a quick note to everyone and let you know that we have completed a complex chore for you and results of this effort are coming your way!

We Shopped the Competiton

First, we shopped the competiton’s prices. Yup, we went trolling other sites and noted the prices everyone is selling strategy and hobby board games. This includes about four or five other game stores, Amazon, and eBay. Now, this is not an exact science because we can not take into account the differences in shipping costs – some people offer free shipping, while others offer a lower competitive price and charge more for shipping to offset that, while even others offer free shipping…but only after you buy several games in one order. So, realize that the lowest price is not always the LOWEST PRICE.

How Important is Service?

There is also something to be said for service. It is great to find a store you like and that actually responds when you ask a question. How about one that will offer discounts to repeat customers? Oh, and what about one that gives you free stuff when you order…like popcorn, Bits Bags, or plastic boxes for protecting game cards. How much is that worth?

The point is that you should not be fooled into buying somewhere just because they have the lowest price. I am not saying that we are not the cheapest. Sometimes we are. Othertimes, we are competitive. We are certainly not the most expensive.

We Lowered Many of our Prices

Once we did our research, we did find that our prices needed a little tweaking, so we went through and performed a “Wal Mart” and rolled back many of the prices on our primary games. So, we invite you to come over to www.bestdanggames.com and give us another look – that game you wanted may be just a little cheaper now.