On the value of GeekLists
We all know our favorite: BoardGameGeek. BGG contains a plethora of valuable information on almost any game. Recently, Alfred's Best of Blogosphere cited a link to a funny GeekList (a GeekList is list of games created by one or more BGG users), which several blogs caught up on (see the entry on Naturelich Games).
Greg Aleknevicus left an interesting comment on Mikko Saari's gameblog. Greg points out that some GeekLists may be valuable but get easily lost in a plethora of junk lists (such as Games I played last weekend, Games I bought at a thrift store, etc). The comments have continued to come in and I would like to add mine. I agree with Greg, Mikko and Iain - it will be difficult to limit the GeekList feature to strictly useful lists. In an open environment such as BGG, a certain degree of useless background noise will always exist. Feedback mechanisms (such as evaluating the list) might be helpful, but even if the GeekList is great for 90% of all readers it does not mean it's valuable for you.
Maybe we need a GeekList-Aggregator of some sort? BGG itself provides simple mechanisms such as the HOT-GeekList feature. But this list contains nothing of "real value". It's mostly fun stuff and includes some current topics (such as Essen 2005, or Finnish Player Picks 2005). It is not interesting if you are looking for a comparison of the game you want to buy vs. similar games from the same genre.
Perhaps this is were boadgame-blogs can kick in.
All those bloggers have a decent need to write something interesting or funny - why not filter through the GeekLists and look for something cool and aggregate it? If a GeekList makes it into one aggregation post on a blog, it must be worth looking at. If someone writes on it on a blog there is greater relevance than on a GeekList post. Reason? Blogs are more like PowerPoint* presentations, while forums are more like a quick note on a Post-it*. If someone were to post a GeekList on their blog, chances are I would be reading the GeekList.
Another idea: If someone writes a game review, why not add a helpful GeekList link, which helps putting the game into a greater context?
Please note: I am aware, that blog entries or links to GeekLists will get lost in the vast lands of cyberspace. It does not solve the Geek's-problem. But maybe editor and/or journalistic qualities are needed to bring some light into the GeekList-dark. At the minute I do not read GeekLists at all. It is too time-consuming and not worth the time. But I am 100% sure, there's something of value for me too. Even if it's "just" a good laugh...
Comments
I have been using tags to aggregate geeklists together. Your other post mentions computer versions of games. The "computer" tag fits the bill:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=viewtagged&tagid=10
They seem to have been deprecated recently, as the tags tab is off the front page. I think this is a real shame, but it may be because some people were abusing the tags.
Posted by: Iain Cheyne![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.naturelich.com/games/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 4, 2005 10:42 PM
The tags are a good idea! People just need to be encouraged to use them more frequently and add more and more tags.
The tags, together with ranking and view count mechanisms will give people a pretty good idea about what list is interesting in a particular category. But still, I can see several drawbacks:
1. A lot of tags are missing from a content perspective. How will these be edited? Is this going to be some Wiki-magic?
2. Is there a meta-tag editor of some sort (e.g. consistency checks)?
3. How can people be stopped to add the same game several times in several GLs? For example, the PC games for Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan are listed on almost all the lists tagged computer.
I still believe an editor or moderator may be valuable?!
Posted by: Naturelich![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.naturelich.com/games/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 6, 2005 11:06 PM
True true. I sometimes feel I am the only one adding tags, but you do see the most popular geeklists are well tagged.
Some sort of superuser who could edit tags would be great. I'd volunteer for that job. :o)
Posted by: Iain Cheyne![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.naturelich.com/games/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 7, 2005 12:17 PM
Maybe I should start and add some tags to? After all tagging is said to be part of the big Web 2.0 hype, right?
Posted by: Naturelich![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.naturelich.com/games/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 10, 2005 9:16 PM