Why No One Will Game with You
Friday 1:00pm
Badger Theatre

In gaming forums around the world, variations of the same thread forever grace the front page: “Looking for a Gaming Group.” Games are ubiquitous, barriers to entry are ever-lower, and the Internet (never mind conventions like PAX) provide what should be a sea of gamers ready and willing to play games with us. So why all the trouble? Why, in 2013, is it still so hard to form a gaming group? Why won’t anyone play Air Hockey with me?

In exploring the “LFG” space, there are a myriad of issues which come to light. Skill gaps leave players stranded. Matchmaking systems hurt as much as they help. The longer tail of games available spreads niche audiences further into increasingly specific sub-sub-sub-genres. Play styles differ. (Indeed, in some groups it is impolite to spend more than ten seconds on one’s turn, while in others spending less than ten MINUTES is the height of rudeness)!

Let’s explore why it’s so hard (or why it SEEMS to hard) to find people to play games!