• Re: Mattel Dumbs Down Scrabble to Make it 'More Inclusive'

    From moviePig@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Apr 13 07:41:57 2024
    On 4/12/2024 2:31 PM, BTR1701 wrote:
    ..and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.

    ------------------- https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/

    Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games seriously. If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new version might be just right for you.

    Scrabble Together Mode seeks to make the game more accessible and easier to play. The emphasis in the updated game is on cooperation and collaboration rather than competition. For those who found the original Scrabble a little too intense, the new version could be a breath of fresh air.

    So, not real words? I wonder if 'Scribble' is trademarked...



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  • From Rhino@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Apr 13 07:51:12 2024
    On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:31:32 +0000
    BTR1701 <no_email@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    ..and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.

    ------------------- https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/

    Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games
    seriously. If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new
    version might be just right for you.

    I'm at a loss to think of any way in which the game is "intimidating".
    Sure, you can lose but most people don't find that intimidating, just discouraging at the most. If you're intimidated by Scrabble, may I
    suggest test some counselling by a mental health professional? Or maybe
    just reading so that you can build a vocabulary.

    A vocabulary of words is pretty much all you need to be able to play
    Scrabble. I'm not talking about playing at a competitive level either,
    just the level of friendly games with strangers. I have a version of
    Scrabble called Words By Post on my phone and typically have half a
    dozen games on the go at once. Over the course of literally a few
    thousand games, I have lost almost exactly as many games as I've won.
    I've never once been frightened to play or suicidal as a result of
    playing. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose: it's that simple.

    Scrabble Together Mode seeks to make the game more accessible and
    easier to play. The emphasis in the updated game is on cooperation
    and collaboration rather than competition. For those who found the
    original Scrabble a little too intense, the new version could be a
    breath of fresh air.

    This sounds like what they did with Sorry, a board game we used to
    play as kids. A few years back, when my mother was in her final months,
    I wanted to find a way to spend time with her that wasn't too taxing
    for her so went to the toy store to find a game she already knew. I
    found a copy of Sorry! and thought it was a perfect fit. There was some verbiage on the box about "Fire and Ice power-ups" which was completely unfamiliar but I didn't realize they'd altered the game rather
    dramatically. When we actually started playing it, it was only barely recognizable and the "improvements" really didn't make it better in my
    opinion. In fact, the box was even missing a couple of things needed to
    use the new power-ups, although I quickly figured out a workaround for
    those.

    These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated decision
    to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially
    the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy follows this
    path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE PLAYERS TO WIN by collaborating to clear the board!

    --
    Rhino


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    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (3:633/280.2@fidonet)
  • From Rhino@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Apr 13 12:40:21 2024
    On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:22:21 -0700
    anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:

    Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
    On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:31:32 +0000
    BTR1701 <no_email@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    ..and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.

    -------------------
    https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/

    Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games
    seriously. If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new
    version might be just right for you.

    I'm at a loss to think of any way in which the game is
    "intimidating". Sure, you can lose but most people don't find that intimidating, just discouraging at the most. If you're intimidated
    by Scrabble, may I suggest test some counselling by a mental health professional? Or maybe just reading so that you can build a
    vocabulary.

    A vocabulary of words is pretty much all you need to be able to play Scrabble. I'm not talking about playing at a competitive level
    either, just the level of friendly games with strangers. I have a
    version of Scrabble called Words By Post on my phone and

    I play WORDS WITH FRiEnDS on mine.

    I played that one briefly but deleted it due to excessive ads. Words By
    Post has no ads at all :-)


    typically have half a
    dozen games on the go at once. Over the course of literally a few
    thousand games, I have lost almost exactly as many games as I've
    won. I've never once been frightened to play or suicidal as a
    result of playing. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose: it's that
    simple.
    Scrabble Together Mode seeks to make the game more accessible and
    easier to play. The emphasis in the updated game is on cooperation
    and collaboration rather than competition. For those who found the
    original Scrabble a little too intense, the new version could be a
    breath of fresh air.

    This sounds like what they did with Sorry, a board game we used to
    play as kids. A few years back, when my mother was in her final
    months, I wanted to find a way to spend time with her that wasn't
    too taxing for her so went to the toy store to find a game she
    already knew. I found a copy of Sorry! and thought it was a perfect
    fit. There was some verbiage on the box about "Fire and Ice
    power-ups" which was completely unfamiliar but I didn't realize
    they'd altered the game rather dramatically. When we actually
    started playing it, it was only barely recognizable and the
    "improvements" really didn't make it better in my opinion. In fact,
    the box was even missing a couple of things needed to use the new power-ups, although I quickly figured out a workaround for those.

    These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated
    decision to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy
    follows this path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE
    PLAYERS TO WIN by collaborating to clear the board!







    --
    Rhino


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    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (3:633/280.2@fidonet)
  • From The Horny Goat@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Apr 13 15:18:36 2024
    On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:51:12 -0400, Rhino
    <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

    These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated decision
    to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially
    the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy follows this
    path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE PLAYERS TO WIN by >collaborating to clear the board!

    I wouldn't mind if they gave a bonus for clearing the board but what
    you describe would be absurd.

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  • From Ermin@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Apr 13 18:16:02 2024
    On 12 Apr 2024, The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca> posted some news:jc5k1j1gnqlc3eitm8vpm6jfml802og01s@4ax.com:

    On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:51:12 -0400, Rhino
    <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

    These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated decision
    to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially
    the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy follows this
    path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE PLAYERS TO WIN by >>collaborating to clear the board!

    I wouldn't mind if they gave a bonus for clearing the board but what
    you describe would be absurd.

    Participation trophies all around.

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  • From Rhino@3:633/280.2 to All on Sun Apr 14 06:07:24 2024
    On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 22:18:36 -0700
    The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca> wrote:

    On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:51:12 -0400, Rhino
    <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

    These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated
    decision to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is >essentially the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy
    follows this path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE
    PLAYERS TO WIN by collaborating to clear the board!

    I wouldn't mind if they gave a bonus for clearing the board but what
    you describe would be absurd.

    That's basically my point: it is as absurd to collaborate with other
    Scrabble players as it would be to collaborate with other Jeopardy
    players.



    --
    Rhino


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    * Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (3:633/280.2@fidonet)
  • From Your Name@3:633/280.2 to All on Sun Apr 14 15:58:59 2024
    On 2024-04-13 05:18:36 +0000, The Horny Goat said:
    On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:51:12 -0400, Rhino
    <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

    These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated decision
    to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially
    the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy follows this
    path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE PLAYERS TO WIN by
    collaborating to clear the board!

    I wouldn't mind if they gave a bonus for clearing the board but what
    you describe would be absurd.

    Scrabble Together: 'It feels a bit like cheating'
    <https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68801704>




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