Greg J. Schloesser:  Reaching Out

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that one of my game related goals – and some would say obsessions – is to introduce others to the joys of gaming.  My motives for this are numerous, including wanting to see the hobby grow, and wanting to see others enjoy the same degree of pleasure that I derive from gaming.  My main motive, however, is the firm belief that gaming helps improve friendships and family bonds, and is a great way to spend quality time with folks.

Sometimes I get wrapped-up in the status quo, and fail to reach out and proselytize in support of the gaming hobby.  It is too easy to simply go to the same gaming sessions and events, and not make an effort to either invite others to attend, or host other gaming functions for folks who aren’t already “gamersâ€?.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is one of my goals, and strive to reach out.

I was faithful to this goal over the past few weeks.  On the final Sunday in April, I once again hosted a game night at our church.  Over 30 people attended, and I led groups through games such as 10 Days in Europe, Ave Caesar, Cloud 9, Ticket to Ride, Through the Desert, TransAmerica and more.  It was also quite rewarding to see one family walk in carrying a stack of games that included titles such as Carcassonne, Blokus and Settlers of Catan.  My pastor even informed me that he enjoyed Blokus so much from a previous gaming session that he visited a local hobby store and purchased a copy!  That is music to my ears!

At last week’s regular East Tennessee Gamers session, I invited two new folks.  One was Elena Powers, a friend who we met through our church.  Elena professes to really enjoy games, but school obligations prevented her from attending before this past week.  I also invited one of our neighbors, Bob Armstrong.  Bob is semi-retired, and teaches part-time at a local college.  An avid Bridge player, Bob was interested to learn more about the types of games I played.

I spent the night playing with our two guests, introducing them to Ticket to Ride: Marlin, Vegas Showdown and Cloud 9.  They seemed engrossed by the games, and were quite competitive throughout.  They both expressed their enjoyment and intentions to attend again.  It was a truly fun and rewarding evening.

While there is no way I can invite someone new to every gaming session – physical constraints would prevent such an endeavor – I can continue to find new ways in which to introduce folks to the wonderful world of gaming. 

What about you?  What are you doing to introduce others to gaming?  I’m not saying that everyone needs to share my evangelical zeal, but I am asking everyone to be aware of opportunities to tell folks about our hobby.  Have you ever told a neighbor, a co-worker, a church member, your child’s parents about your hobby?  Have you ever invited some of these folks over for dinner and a game or two?  Have you ever volunteered to host a game night at your local church or your child’s school?  If not, why not?  It truly isn’t that difficult.  Make it a goal over the summer months to reach out and tell others about your hobby.  You may just make some great new friends. 

© 2006 Greg Schloesser

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Comments:

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Well, maybe I could borrow your Ticket to Ride: Marlin edition and try to attract the baseball fans here is South Florida. But seriously, I think that using the “Find Gamers” section of Boardgame Geek can help. Of course, those that list there are not that often new to games. However, if they can find a good gaming group, where they had none before, they can feel more comfortable about asking their friends to join in. We have had several of these “one degree of separation” types join in after being brought by friends of theirs. Not everyone can set up a gaming group, so having one that is friendly and accepting can give a place for them can help them spread the word. I guess what I am taking so long to say is to make a policy of “friends welcome” a “house rule.” Posted by Paul Sauberer on May 22, 2006 at 04:08 PM | #

Greg; I’ve been thinking about your article here every day… This is a frequent subject on my mind - and I know I want to do more outreach and try to bring more people in the hobby. I feel like I keep running into obstacles when I process this - especially around our culture’s willingness to even try new games, much less to embrace games. I’ll keep processing this - but wanted you to know that you pressed a button for me… Danka! Russell Posted by Russell Grieshop on May 26, 2006 at 07:20 AM | #

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