[BGB] Ultra-modern gaming.

[DSeanBarnett at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/3/2008 11:49:55 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
gblisscdsg at msn.com writes:

I would also say that it is a question of how close or personal it feels  
which can be compounded if it is controversial. Back in the Cold War days  there 
used to be a lot of contemporary what-if minis, mostly NATO-WarPac and  nobody 
seemed to have a problem with them. 


Yeah, I played a lot of Central Front stuff back then and never had a  
problem or noticed that anyone else had a problem with them.  But I'm not  sure I'd 
be big on playing an Iraq game now.  In the '80s, we weren't  actually 
fighting in Europe, but we are in Iraq now, and that's a difference for  me.
 
I have to say that the passage of time means something too.  I had a  great 
uncle in the Navy in the Pacific in WWII but I've never thought  as I played a 
WWII game, "hey that could have been my great uncle's  ship."  That might be 
in part at least because I don't know that he was in  any surface battles--the 
only thing I ever remember him having talked about was  kamikazes.

I'm not sure if it just the audience or if minis just evoke more of a  
reaction - back in the 70's when it was considered bad form to do Vietnam  minis, 
there were a number of Vietnam board wargames that did not get the same  
reaction - and I would say that the board wargame audience has the same  general 
demographics as minis.

I think boardgames are a little more removed from the reality of war than  
minis simply because of the representation of the units (not necessarily the  
realism of the games).  Even with that, there weren't very many VN  boardgames 
back in the 70s.
 
Sean  
dseanbarnett at aol.com



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