Hot Take: When meeting people who love board games that are lighter than your taste, stop saying you need to "level them up" to more complex games to turn them into a "real gamer" like you. You sound like an idiot. Don't be surprised if they don't want to game with you again.
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Yeah I lean towards the heavier stuff but there are so many bangers at ever sorta level. Like Skull is one of the simplest games in terms of rules but it's always an absolute hoot.
Mind you, when I arrived no one said hello, apart from to ask if I'd brought the admission fee, so I think a lot of social skills were lacking at that one.
Ultimately, you should always try to meet someone's joy where it is rather than tell them it's misplaced or covertly try to fix it.
The types of games we pick are just a conduit for this, they're not the point of play.
More often I've seen people treat someone elses joy like a roadmap to their own. Which is largely when someone needs a +1 to their gaming.
Of course there is no problem if they don't want or if they don't habe fun. In this case I also would play something of their choice.
Also, it's completely fair to be transparent in what you're looking for. The key really is kindness and consideration.
You see this attitude a lot in video games where anyone who plays more casual games is sneered at by judgemental gatekeepers