When they start producing some kind of board game media, many people have the same idea burrowing around in the back of their heads.
“Wouldn’t it be cool if people gave me their games to talk about?”
While it was never my goal when I started my review site - Punchboard - I’d be a liar if the idea didn’t sound pretty cool to me too. I can vividly remember the first couple of games sent to me to talk about: Tome (preview here) was the first Kickstarter preview I wrote for an Indie studio, and Euphoria (review here) was the first review copy I had from a ‘big’ publisher, Stonemaier Games.
You can see how it could easily start to be a big draw. Free games to play, more things to write and talk about, and not to mention the glorious stroking of your ego, and the validation that comes with it. It soon becomes tempting to say ‘yes’ to any and every review request that comes your way. Games to the door several times a week, loads to create something new with - good times.
At some point, however, something will be pushed under your nose that doesn’t smell quite as sweet. Maybe it’s a game that isn’t in your wheelhouse. You don’t really play party games, for instance, but you don’t want to say no to someone, so you take it anyway. Worse still is when a game comes your way but you have a problem with the theme, setting, or even the publisher or designer. Would you say no then?
Should you?
How much is your conscience worth?
If you’ve ever teetered on the edge of whether or not to cover something because something about it doesn’t really feel right to you, and decided to do it anyway, you’ve probably already felt that slightly icky feeling. I’ve done it myself.
A couple of years ago I was sent a party game for adults to look at. It was from a small, independent studio in Eastern Europe, so a part of me really wanted to help get them some exposure. It was a really difficult preview to write because some of the ‘adult subject matter’ was just offensive to me. I can look back at it now and realise that I should have just said no, but I didn’t. I felt relieved to get it out of the way when it was written.
Fast forward a year or two and a publisher I had just formed a relationship with sent me a bundle of games to cover. Good news in anyone’s book, right? It would have been, if one of the included games wasn’t a historically-themed, semi-party game about the colonisation of South America. This time around I knew I wouldn’t be playing or writing about it, and told the publisher as much. It’s a pretty daunting thing to do if you’re a relatively small fish in a pond filled with big, popular fish, but sticking to your principles is really important.
The key thing to remember here is that for the vast majority of us making something related to board games, we’re doing it because we love the hobby. We don’t make a living from it. It’s not our livelihood. We’re not under contract with, or beholden to, anyone.
But what if they ditch me?
That’s a big fear for a lot of smaller creators. You work hard at what you do, and build relationships with people, and it’s easy to feel scared to damage those relationships, and ultimately, lose your source of free games. Unfortunately, that’s something you just need to do. Above all else, be true to yourself and don’t compromise your own ethics and standards for the sake of a bit of cardboard, or because you’re worried about upsetting someone.
You might be wondering why I’m writing this now. The trigger for me was receiving an email last night from a promotion company that works with a lot of smaller studios to help promote their upcoming games. I’ve got a good working relationship with the people there, and I’ve previewed quite a few games supplied by them.
On this occasion they wanted me to cover a game about climate change. As I read the included materials I realised it was a ‘satirical’ game where you have to build fossil fuel empires to win. Now, I’m not here to pass judgment on anyone or to be the nee-naw moral police about what you’re allowed to find funny, but for me, it just didn’t land. I covered the excellent Earth Rising (preview here) from SDR Studios in the past which is a serious game about saving the world, and I was more than happy to convey the message they’re sending with that game. Especially because the game itself is great. From what I saw of this new game, it sounded like Catan with some new clothing.
After reading it all through I decided it wasn’t for me, I replied to the email, and I explained why. Will it result in them using me less, if at all? Who knows. Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I feel better about myself for having stuck to what I believe in and having been up-front about it. Another less obvious benefit is that I don’t have another game on my backlog, and in this case, a game that I don’t want to play. Win-win.
Listen to your gut
If something inside of you doesn’t feel right about a game, a designer, or a publisher, listen to it. Do any due diligence of course. If you have concerns, research them, reach out and talk to people. It’ll either set your mind at ease or confirm your concerns. Either way, you’ll know what to do.
If it turns out that it’s a game you don’t feel comfortable covering - and this is the important part here - for any or no reason whatsoever, don’t do it. Be polite, be honest, and just explain why. Learning how to say no to people is a big part of being successful at what you do. Have faith in yourself and what you do, and remember that saying no to someone isn’t the end of the world.