I check Board Game Geek frequently. It’s probably not healthy. Still, I want to know how my games are doing. Does someone have a rules question? Better answer it. Did someone upload a new photo? Cool, I love the modifications people do to Far Away. Did someone leave a nice review or rating? What a wonderful feeling. Did someone leave a terrible review? Time to obsess about it!
I started writing a blog around reviews and feedback. 250 words later, I realized the blog I actually wanted to write was about a peculiar phenomenon I’ve been observing in BGG reviews and demo comments. Some folks will play a game with us, then comment that they enjoyed it but wish rule X was different. The polite version of me listens intently, but my actual internal reaction is always “then play that way”.
Far Away: Corporate Espionage has a new behavior module for the alien creatures. In the lore, they are controlled by a nanobot AI. These days, the term “AI” has become overused and dripping with connotations skewed based on how much of your net worth is tied to a tech company. While I hold the controversial view that board games are not “art”, board games are one of the mediums that stand to be affected by the recent surge in AI technologies, much like illustration, graphic design, and writing. Generative AIs can create card art, write manuals, and make advertisements, all in service of Cherry Picked’s goals. Those are also things humans do. Given the tension around these AIs, I wanted to describe how CPG views generative AI and plans to use some of these tools.
