[tomw1808]

I think its an awesome showcase project, no doubt - I starred it and bookmarked it, probably like so many others.

However, I would never use it as a game. Ever.

One of my primary objectives playing card games with a group of people in a local setting is the social aspect. It means: no phones. I find it utterly asocial to sit there in a group of people all with their phones in their hand staring at the phone, then at some point getting distracted with doom scrolling instagram. Its so disturbing. Maybe I am old (40), I don't doubt that. Maybe I reach that point where I simply "don't get it" anymore. But I stand by it. It's not for me. Maybe I am alone, but I doubt that.

[sejje]

If you're playing cards, people are going to be staring at their [cards] in their hand staring at the [cards].

In this case, your cards are digital. Presumably you can choose some people who just want to play cards, not doomscroll instagram.

[tomw1808]

Let's talk card games then, because a lot of the card games are strategy.

It's how you interact with the cards.

You are not staring in your cards. Maybe you are sorting the cards. You are observing what other people are doing with their cards. Sometimes you are just glancing at cards and putting them back on the table (e.g. poker).

Everything vanishes with a phone doing that for you. It takes away the magic of card games for me.

Again, I am strictly speaking of myself, but if I go with a group of people to play cards and then they pull out their phones, I'll simply leave the table and go home or do something else.

[mikehotel]

Physical cards also allow you to practice shuffling and card handling in general improving dexterity.

Electronic cards would allow you to play more widely (presumably we all don’t walk around with a deck in our pockets). But I don’t often get into spontaneous card games. They are usually planned and at a location with easy access to decks.

[tomw1808]

There are games made specifically for the phone I could imagine to pull out in a group of people, but its not card games. It's games which specifically benefit from a multi-touch device like a phone or the graphics or the gyro or other sensors. Games you cannot play without a phone. Would also be weird to play counter strike without a computer.

Especially card games are offline games for me. They're (my personal) go-to tech detox social thing and doing that with phones is simply weird for me. That's maybe why I felt so strong to make this point.

Again, awesome project. Maybe its for some, but not for me.

[tinix]

what about accessibility, someone who can't shuffle or has bad dexterity...

too much negativity in this thread!

if you have nothing nice to say just don't say anything at all.

[tomw1808]

I was long thinking if I should comment on this or not...

First of all, I feel bad that my comment before apparently conveyed the wrong message: The project is well executed, code wise. It was (most likely?) a ton of work and I did not mean to comment anything negative towards the project at all.

Second, if anything in that project would have hinted even a tiny inch towards more inclusivity in card games, I would probably never had said anything. But it doesn't.

The project markets itself as solving a problem I never heard of anyone ever had ("a situation many of us have experienced") and therefore does not resonate with me or most likely anyone I ever played cards with in all-nighters. Instead, it would've been a buzzkill to play on the phone. But ok, I (or anyone I played with) might not be the target group. As I said, it was my personal opinion and that's what I expressed.

but then ... "if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all" ... because?

Shutting my mouth there would basically equal to a lie. I am not a liar and I am not becoming one just because my criticism is making anyone uncomfortable.

I am that kind of person who is telling people if they have spinach between their teeth, I tell people if they sat accidentally on a chewing gum and I definitely tell people if I think they are solving a non-existent problem (or their marketing message is not on par). Last time I checked, that is what this platform is for. If criticism makes people uncomfortable, great. Uncomfortable is where the comfort zone ends.

Mind you, at no point I got rude or personal or unreasonable, I hope. I stated its my opinion. My personal one. Based on my experience. And at no point I mentioned the code was bad, or at any point I was downtalking the devs, insulting or otherwise. Instead I respect their work to the utmost level. But I simply do not understand the problem they solve, instead it goes against what I experienced in my life. And on this platform I sure hope this is something that is not only allowed, but very welcome.

[mikehotel]

This is a good point. We are easily distracted, especially when waiting for people to take their turn. The device based distractions can be stopped by using Guided Access. It can temporarily lock a device to one app, and block notifications from popping up.