Gaming Buddies

image from here, happymeeple.com

Greg* moves out west today; we said goodbye over a game of Star Wars Miniatures this past weekend.  I'll miss him, and I don't like thinking that I may not see him for years.  But such is life, and our parting is only the latest; there have been (and will be) others.  Such is life in this transient society.  It's times like this, though, that make me reflect on how thankful I am for these 'gaming buddies.'

People tend to develop friendships due to shared interests, be it politics, sports, work, religion, or hobbies.  Over the years, I've been blessed with friends from all walks of life, for all sorts of reasons.  Friendships formed over games, though, seem special to me.  I'm not sure why; perhaps it's due to the consistent enjoyment such interactions feature, or the fact that gaming together seems like a better way to hang out than other options.  After all, in gaming, you can simultaneously work the brain, have a lot of fun, relax, get social interaction, and help each other through life's ups and downs.  Not a lot of other pursuits facilitate all of those simultaneously (I think).  Or maybe these stand out to me because games are deliberate (and often much-needed) breaks from the daily grind.  Whatever the reason, below I recap my experience with gaming buddies.

Middle & High School:
My best friend, Justin, and I played Magic the Gathering and dabbled in many other CCGs.  It was the heyday of the collectible card game industry, and we enjoyed every minute of it.

College:
One day, I saw Gilbert sitting alone at lunch and asked to join him.  We learned of our mutual interest in Star Wars CCG, and it soon became a weekly occurrence.  Every Sunday afternoon we'd play in the lounge of our dorm room.  Those were such relaxing and fun times.  I'd lose touch with him years after.  I wonder what he's up to now . . .

Bachelor:
I sampled a number of collectible games (like Firestorm, 7th Sea, and A Game of Thrones) with Jess,  but my real love was Star Wars Miniatures, which I played a number of times with my roommates and friends from work and church.

Germany: 
Gaming went up a notch in Germany.  I introduced Star Wars Miniatures to Roberto, John, Ken, and Burt, and we played pretty frequently, obsessing about it at times (at least I did).  We had so much fun that many of us would play in two German Star Wars Miniatures championship tournaments.  I also played Vs. System with Vee and Magic the Gathering with James, Burt, and others.  I'm thankful that many of these relationships (and gaming nights) have continued back home in America, now that we've all moved back here.

England: 
I enjoyed the occasional Star Wars Miniatures, Star Wars CCG, Magic, and board game nights with English and American friends alike (especially Aidan and Roland), but never did anything too consistently; young children prohibited it.

America:
Regular game nights with the Germany crew- Burt, Ken, and Roberto- have been awesome.  We oscillate between mainstays (Magic & Minis) and new things like Arena of the Planeswalkers or other games.  I introduced Magic to new friends Bobby and Ike, and we get in monthly duels too.  I started monthly gaming nights for men at my church, and that's been great- it's given me a chance to branch out from the collectible game arena into the tabletop world and get to know Joe, Marty, and Jamie among other people.  Finally, I routinely played Star Wars Armada with Greg.  It was a good game, but I ultimately sold it because it took too long and was too expensive.

Conclusion
Lots of good memories here . . . may they never fade.

*Names in this post have been changed to protect identities.