“tinker
(verb):
to
work in the manner of a tinker, especially:
to
repair, adjust, or work with something in an unskilled or
experimental manner.”
– Merriam-Webster
Online
I recently ordered a pretty pricy battle game and
– after the initial euphoria of opening the box, reading the rules,
and sorting all the tiles, counters, and bits – soon found
disappointment in the actual gameplay. The game worked, of course,
and I admired some of the mechanics; but in play I encountered
several instances that didn’t seem to make sense and even crippled
the abilities of units in certain frequently encountered situations.
I ambled about in despair for a brief moment...I’d just spent money
on something that didn’t work to my satisfaction. But then I
reminded myself I could tinker with the mechanics to transform it
into something closer to the satisfying play experience I expected.
That’s part of our nature as gamers: if a game isn’t working for
us, we seek solutions to make it work. And sometimes that’s part of
the fun.
