The Non-Gamer

Gamers and game designers (and I mean, paper gamers, not video gamers) seem to think they know something the rest of the world doesn't. They don't mean it in a bad way, but so many game reviews on fan sites like boardgamegeek include what a "non gamer" will think of the game, usually in the context of "this game is easy enough for a non-gamer to play it."

Easy.

Gamers=Smart Non-Gamers=Dumb (or at least, unwilling to think too hard)

While there are certainly a few exceptional games, requiring a time or learning commitment that goes beyond what a normal person would endure (gamer or not), I reject the idea that a good game requires some special status in order to be enjoyed.

Gamers aren't smarter than other people. Individuals may be more or less willing to play certain games based on complexity, but I reject that their status as gamers weighs heavily on this willingness, other than to conceded that most gamers fall into the willing category. With everyone else, it's hit and miss.

When discussing rules creation and game design, gamer vs. non-gamer is frequently a topic of discussion. I think the real discussion should be more honest. Complex vs. Simplistic and Good vs. Bad. There's nothing wrong with simplistic, but bad is bad. Trying to label your audience ineffective and possibly foolish. If you must label anything, label the game.

-Adam!!!