Hating on Candyland: Why most games for kids are awful

Post by cabalamat » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 12:15 PM UTC

Fargren wrote: post #31

burgerbrain wrote: post #7

I've got to say, I find even Monopoly to be a terrible game. My strategy for the game can be summed up as: "buy the property if I can, otherwise pay rent if I have to". I almost never stray from that strategy, and even when I do, it's not like those exceptions make the game any more interesting.

Full disclosure: I abhor Monopoly. The "fun" part of Monopoly is trading with other players. It's actually a pretty acceptable game as far as diplomacy goes. The worst problem with the game is that it very quickly devolves into a situation where two players have a decent chance to win, everyone else is royally screwed, and the game still has about an hour to go. Also, it's terribly reliant on luck: while it is possib…

Post by LordBodak » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 6:43 PM UTC

ars wrote: post #43

LordBodak wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The limitation on housing is the key to the game's structure. Most people don't seem to play it this way (letting players build hotels if they have the money, regardless of the number of actual plastic houses remaining), and it screws the game up. Not to mention house rules like "free parking" artificially adding money to the game.

I think they play it that way because the houses always get lost, so you never know how many there really are supposed to be. So you use stand-in pieces, with no limit.

Post by ars » Mon, Apr 18, 2011, 12:51 AM UTC

LordBodak wrote: post #53

ars wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they play it that way because the houses always get lost, so you never know how many there really are supposed to be. So you use stand-in pieces, with no limit.

Well, every set I've ever had came with extras, and the number you're supposed to use is printed right there in the instructions.

Post by ars » Mon, Apr 18, 2011, 1:05 AM UTC

bengarvey wrote: post #56

ars wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming you didn't loose the instructions too......

Monopoly's instructions are printed on cardboard and are part of the box. Hard to lose unless you are loose with that sort of thing.

Post by hammock » Mon, Apr 18, 2011, 2:12 AM UTC

dfranke wrote: post #35

raganwald wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meaningful is not strictly equivalent to influencing the outcome. Imagine a typical "racing" game where players advance along a track. The track could incorporate forks such that mathematically, all choices are equivalent. But the entertainment value of the forks may differ. Some children may want to cut through the "garden," others through the "playground."

If they're all perfectly equivalent then even very young kids will catch on to that quickly. Here's an improvement: make the choices equal in EV but different in variance. That adds a little bit of strategy: take the predictable choices when you're ahead and the risky ones when you're behind. Nonetheless, a child with no concept of this strategy can sometimes win against an adult who plays optimally. N.B.: I was home…