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Another interesting hypothesis!

Fair comparison of games with and without feedback loops may require a "feedback aware teach." A challenge, as teaching "rules as written" will usually not reveal feedback loops and other emergent properties of games

bsky.app/profile/jcw....

If the alternative hypothesis is correct (and we hope it is!) then a gateway game with feedback would need to be simpler in other respects to catch on in the current environment

An alternative hypothesis might be: 1) players have a limited cognitive budget; 2) unfamiliar ways of thinking are more expensive; 3) "one way" commerce is familiar and 4) feedback loops are not

I.e., "no feedback loops" could be a cultural niche, not a basic cognitive limitation

@gengelstein.bsky.social's theory here is, implicitly, a theory of cognition. There must be something about feedback loops—predicting them, planning around them—that runs against the cognitive grain, making games with feedback loops less appealing in some way, for a big chunk of the gateway audience

Wood feels like a better thematic fit, but I wonder if there are ways to test how the pieces will look (and whether they'll be legible) with lots of wear. (The wear might be beautiful!)

I think many folks have moved to Discord servers for podcasts, publishers, and topic interests.

Maybe fleeing the stress of social media?

Bummer that many deep discussions are less accessible, but it’s hard to begrudge people building a niche for themselves.

Oops, forgot the source and date. Published in the Washington Post, July 15 2001.

Thanks so much for the kind words.

Photo posted to BGG by Andrew Petrarca: boardgamegeek.com/image/107655...