Jeremy Good wrote on Sun, Aug 19, 2007 01:07 PM UTC:
I want to note that I prefer a panel of judges be instituted and the proposed nominated judges be voted in to the panel and that those judges not submit entries. I think this will add a lot more professionalism to the design contest. For one thing, it will ensure that every one voting on winning designs will have actually gone to the trouble of playing the games out and as we know, there is all too common a tendency for people to judge games subjectively, on a very superficial basis without ever plunging in and trying them, playtesting them.
Frequently, for me, the value of a game doesn't become clear until the third or fourth time playing it. I noted that Gary Gifford didn't enjoy his first game of Tripunch but did decide he liked Tripunch very much after playing it twice. I think we should make a requirement that each person judging a game play two versions of it, one as black and one as white.
Of course you do have your occasional variant that is not even meant to be played, but the inventor should specify that he doesn't care whether the game gets played before being judged.
I think this phenomenon of judging games without playing them is usually mostly unfair, like someone who says they don't like chess itself at all, but has never even bothered to learn the rules or play any games of it. A lot of people don't learn to like chess itself until a year or two of trying to figure out how to play it. Like my 8 year old daughter. It's a process.
Frequently, for me, the value of a game doesn't become clear until the third or fourth time playing it. I noted that Gary Gifford didn't enjoy his first game of Tripunch but did decide he liked Tripunch very much after playing it twice. I think we should make a requirement that each person judging a game play two versions of it, one as black and one as white.
Of course you do have your occasional variant that is not even meant to be played, but the inventor should specify that he doesn't care whether the game gets played before being judged.
I think this phenomenon of judging games without playing them is usually mostly unfair, like someone who says they don't like chess itself at all, but has never even bothered to learn the rules or play any games of it. A lot of people don't learn to like chess itself until a year or two of trying to figure out how to play it. Like my 8 year old daughter. It's a process.