Thematic Mismatch – how board game themes can help or hinder (Topic Discussion)
I have always felt that the theme or setting of a game can really help with learning it. In a game about the Spice Routes, for example, it will be instinctively clear why there are mechanisms to exchange resources of different types with each other or for money. After all, that's what the spice trade was mainly about. However, a game's theme or setting isn't necessarily useful. Sometimes it can be a hindrance. In this article, I want to look at this a bit more closely.