Can’t stop me from playing
Impressed by finely-tuned games
(3 min read)
I’ve started playing pickleball recently and have been loving it.
But before I talk about that, I want to mention Catan.
Catan
I can’t think of less appealing packaging.
Nothing about the name, subtitle, or imagery attracts me to play that game.
But a friend introduced it to us, and we were immediately hooked.
Everyone else I’ve seen play it got excited about it too.
It’s won many awards, and by 2020, more than 32 million copies in 40 languages had been sold.
Why?
Simple rules (easy to learn), complex gameplay (strategic depth)
Skill and luck
Engagement
Scalability
Variable starting setup
Simple rules (easy to learn), complex gameplay (strategic depth)
Beginners aren’t daunted.
They know that they’ll get the hang of it after the first game (within an hour or so).
Yet they’re not going to get bored.
There are various strategies to consider.
You need to constantly evaluate different choices throughout a game.
Skill and luck
Games that rely on too much luck are a waste of time, like The Game of Life.
What’s the point of just watching everyone roll dice a bunch of times?
Catan heavily depends on your skill.
HOWEVER, the genius of Catan is that its designers precisely calculated where to insert some randomness to try to prevent a leader from winning too easily.
With 2 6-sided die, the most common number to roll is 7.
And Catan has a rule about rolling a 7 that puts the current leader in jeopardy.
Whoever is in the lead is always one roll away from a setback.
Why does this matter?
It keeps everyone interested.
Unless you’re really far behind, you know that you have a chance to pull ahead if you make some good decisions and have some luck.
Engagement
If you’re playing a game where you feel tempted to leave the table and go do other things in between turns, that’s a sign that the game isn’t well-designed.
Catan keeps you engaged.
Even on everyone else’s turn, you want to participate in deals and witness what deals are happening (because they will affect your future decisions).
Scalability
You can play with as few as 3 players or as many as 6 (if you have the expansion pack).
Variable starting setup
When setting up a new game, you randomize the board.
Right away, there is novelty and freshness and intrigue.
Pickleball
My main sport when I was a kid was soccer.
I also played basketball and a little bit of baseball.
And plenty of other sports on a casual basis (roller hockey, flag football, tennis, ultimate, you name it).
3v3 basketball has been my favorite.
But pickleball is becoming a contender.
Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two players (singles) or four players (doubles) use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States.
I’d heard about it ~10 years ago, but only within the past year did it start to become super popular near me.
Pickleball grew in 2023 to 13.6 million players in the United States, according to the 2024 Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) Topline Participation Report. In the report, the SFIA also announced that pickleball continues to be the fastest-growing sport in America, having grown 51.8% from 2022 to 2023, and an incredible 223.5% in four years since 2020.
I’ve been asking myself:
“Why do I like pickleball so much?”
Simple rules (easy to learn), complex gameplay (strategic depth)
Within a game or 2, you understand it.
Especially if you’re already somewhat familiar with tennis.
And the wording of the scoring is easier than in tennis.
Even though you can get started right away, you also see immediately that practice will make you significantly better.
Skill and luck
This is less true than in Catan.
Pickleball is mainly skill.
But if you’re outdoors, the wind and sun and other random factors definitely matter too.
Engagement
Unlike many other sports (like baseball), you’re never taking a break.
You’re always involved.
Scalability
You can play 1v1 or 2v2.
Or if you’re comfortable bending the rules, you can play 1v2 like I recently did with siblings who were in town.
Variable starting setup
This is a bit of a stretch but:
Which court are you on?
Which team is on which side?
Which player is Server 1 or 2?
But that’s not all…
Pickleball has also attracted me because:
I frequently get injured in basketball, and I think pickleball players experience fewer and less severe injuries.
I see people playing pickleball even when they are out of shape and even when they are old. More so than with basketball. So it makes me optimistic that I could enjoy this sport for a lonnnng time.
My neighborhood installed 4 pickleball courts a perfect distance from my house. Close enough to walk to but far enough not to hear. Right next to a pool, so I can jump in after overheating from back-to-back-to-back pickleball matches.
💬 Conversation starter:
What games have you been impressed by the design of?
What are your thoughts about Catan and pickleball?
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I played pickleball for the first time visiting my sister and her family. Loved playing that! Caton was also played. I learned that it was played often with their neighbor. One of them got the new version. I believe it’s a 3-D version as a Christmas gift. Holy wow the thrills of it all. They are a rugged group playing that game. But I was cut some slack being the newbie.