[michaelochurch]

Tabletop games are also great for helping people overcome social anxieties, which are common among smart people. The "flow" state is deeply anxiolytic. Games are good for getting people, who don't know each other, together to do something that isn't drinking.

This is why I thought Google+ should have focused on putting German-style board games (using Hangouts, then an enormous technical advantage) instead of Zynga dreck in its Games product. The original G+ vision was that Hangouts would actually be something people "hang out" in, coming and going like it was a dorm room in college. That was a long-shot, an attempt to centrally direct culture, but games provided the perfect context for getting that motion going.

[tekalon]

Totally agree. I used to play D&D with friends and it really helped with my anxiety. I could contribute to the conversation if I wanted, be quiet and just listen if I wanted, or read something else. I was an excuse to socialize, but also something productive to do if you want to socialize.

[thaumasiotes]

I remember being part of a D&D group (all preexisting friends). When the social atmosphere would get going well and everyone would be laughing and enjoying themselves... there'd always be someone to say "hey, everyone, quit trying to have a good time and pay attention to the game instead!"

Socializing isn't always smiled upon. :/

[craigching]

> quit trying to have a good time and pay attention to the game instead!

I admit it, that was me. Playing the game (and the fantasy that goes with it) was always more fun for me :)

[araes]

I actually wonder if this is going to slowly lead into a revolution in the pen and paper space as well. It has definitely been increasing on the indie side in recent years, with places like Drive Thru RPG doing a decent business, but its still mostly dominated by a few huge folks such as D&D, or the World of Darkness games. Part of that may be the time commitment that's necessary though. Board games really need only about an hour of your day. You can show up at a random meetup, sit down, play a game, and then hit the road if you want. The buy-in for committing to an RPG is significantly more deep in terms of time, the people, and your personal effort.

[iansimon]

By far my favorite use of Hangouts is the crossword puzzle app. It's much better than having 5 people try to collaboratively solve a crossword in person.

I have no idea why I haven't seen more games like this in Hangouts...