I ran across this thread over on Boardgame Geek and thought it would be interesting to share some people’s gaming pet peeves. Are you guilty of any of these breaches in etiquette? Or do some of the following frost your cookies when you run across them? I’ll be brutally honest and say that I’ve personally caught myself doing a couple of these throughout my gaming life. Hopefully I’ve been able to shake those off…
I do not like for folks to quit in the middle of a multi player game. This really hoses up everyone else. If you want to quit in a 2 player game, then it is a simple resignation and everyone lives happily ever after.
People who eat greasy food while playing a game, that doesn’t belong to them, and refuse to wash their hands.
I also dislike experienced gamers who know there are newbies at the table and proceed to comment on how a particular game in play is sooooo not enough of an intellectual challenge for them. I’m often tempted to say, “Go play chess then, and stop trying to make people feel stupid to boost your own sagging ego”.
People who repeatedly say they want to come over and play a game but NEVER come.
People who refuse to touch board games because they can’t go fourteen seconds without looking a screen of some kind.
I really hate those who have no respect for the game pieces. For example they might balance the meeeples into little pyramids (which fall on the floor next to the every hungry labrador), they constantly bend the Dominion cards back and forwards or even worse, MASH them together rather than shuffle. Or… they ATTEMPT to place liquids near the most absorbent items.
When people always team up against me cause I’m more experienced at the game than them. So they don’t play to win, they play to make me lose. Kinda takes the fun out of the game.
When people who are convinced that a game is too complicated and want to play The Game of Life instead (“but that’s such a fun game.”) Grrr. Actually I don’t know what was more infuriating. The fact they couldn’t comprehend the easy rules (I have taught a six year old to play this game) or that they thought The Game of Life is fun! Given a choice, I’d rather have a nosebleed than play that game again.
People who care more about winning than playing.
People who are never up for a game they’ve never heard of.
When players hold a grudge from one game to the next, and so just attack one other player, even when they would not have come into conflict.
People who could do with a bit of deodorant or a breath mint.
When people lobby to play a particular game that they’ve brought to a gathering and then it turns out that they’ve only half-read the rules once three months ago and you’re supposed to sit and wait while they try and figure out how to play.
My biggest pet peeve: “friendly suggestions” to other players on how to best play the game which lead to longer games.
When somebody plays a game once and then declares they hate it because the key to winning was not immediately obvious from the first turn.
Take a look at the BGG thread to find even more and feel free to share your biggest pet peeve below.
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