If you have been an avid reader of mine you might have picked up on the fact that I play board games, and I like to design them as well. In this post, I would like to explore how that has helped me get into crypto as well. I hope that you will find it interesting.
Board games, what are they
While I assume that most people are familiar with board games like Monopoly and Risk. The ods are that you might have missed the evolution of board games that have taken place from around the mid 90ies up to the current day. It started back in Germany but has since spread all over the world.
While Monopoly and Risk still are board games, this new bread of board games is more often easier to play, faster, and usually more fun for everyone. Long gone are the days when you get killed off in Risk and have to spend two hours watching as everyone else keeps playing the game. Now you can pull out a game that is fun for everyone that takes 90 min or less to play.
And long gone are the days when board games are just "for kids". Most players are actually adults. And if you have a subject matter or topic you are interested in, I can almost bet you that there is a game about that out there waiting for you to play it. If you like to learn more about board games just leave a comment down below and we can talk there. =)
What do board games do that is helpful?
When you are starting out on your board game journey. You will most likely play a few games. But as time goes on you will be exposed to more and more games. And while I personally prefer to have others teach me the rules. Sadly this is not always the case. When I buy a new game it is way more likely that I have to read the rules, and then be the one to teach the others how to play.
While I like all types of board games, for the most part at least. I tend to gravitate to games that are classified as "heavier". This refers to the type of decisions you have to make during the game, and often also to the number of decisions. These games often have more complicated mechanisms in them, and more parts that play off of each other.
A game of Settlers of Catan in progress, also known as just Settlers now
The mechanism is a word used to describe the type of actions and rules a game has. Let us take Risk and Monopoly as an example. In both games, you can move your player pieces. This is the mechanism that allows you to move. In Monopoly, you roll 2 dice and move that number of steps. This is called a "roll and move" mechanism. In Risk you move from area to area, this is called an "area movement". Buth is an example of mechanisms that are different but allow you to do the same things.
A heavier game often has more of these in it and they often play into each other. Allowing for interesting interactions and planning.
How does this translate into crypto?
First of all, being exposed to a lot of rules of varying degrees of complexity will in info itself train your brain. And that is useful no matter who you are or what you do. But being exposed to rules and having to read a lot of rulebooks. This has allowed me to be able to view reading whitepapers as a natural part.
If I am interested in a crypto project I will just read the whitepaper. I do not have to rely on second or third-hand sources for information. I can go straight to the source.
Being exposed to a lot of different mechanisms and their interactions. This also fits in with my ability to understand what is in the white papers. At least most of them. Because I think most of us know that if someone wants to complicate something they can do that.
But in general, it has allowed me to get a pretty good grasp of the different mechanisms that can be connected with a crypto project. As an example, in an upcoming post that will be out in a day or two. I take a look at the buyback and burn mechanism of KuCoin. And use that as a way to get a better understanding of the potential of that coin.
While it s true that none of these are things that are exclusive to board gamers. I would argue that playing board games has definitely reached me how to better hone these skills. And that is something I am eternally grateful for.
And while this will vary depending on where you live. At least where I live and the group of people I play with all tend to have a high education level and a wide variety of interests. And this in terms leads to very interesting talks over the gaming table. And I have been able to be exposed to a much wider pool of topics this way than if I only hung out on FaceBook in my own filter bubble. So while I myself do not have a higher degree, just by association I have been ablöe to some up a little bit of this and that. Something I surely would not have been able to do anywhere else.
The last thing I think I have benefitted from is having to explain rules to others. Simply by doing this you will train yourself to better understand things. Being able to teach others is truly the most important test for you to see if you have truly understood the topic.
I do hope that you have found this topic to be of interest to you. And if you happen to also be a board gamer, please share if you have found that it has helped you on your crypto journey.
If you would like to support me and the content I make, please consider following me, reading my other posts, or why not do both instead. You can find my other posts here and here.
I have also just started a new series of weekly posts, that will go live every Friday. You can catch the fourth step here:
My Journey to Financial Freedom - Mining my own business
See you on the interwebs!
Picture provided by: https://pixabay.com/
