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From: Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv
Subject: Re: Mattel Dumbs Down Scrabble to Make it 'More Inclusive'
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:51:12 -0400
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On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:31:32 +0000
BTR1701 <no_email@invalid.invalid> wrote:

> ..and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.
> 
> -------------------
> https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/
> 
> Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games
> seriously. If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new
> version might be just right for you.
> 
I'm at a loss to think of any way in which the game is "intimidating".
Sure, you can lose but most people don't find that intimidating, just
discouraging at the most.  If you're intimidated by Scrabble, may I
suggest test some counselling by a mental health professional? Or maybe
just reading so that you can build a vocabulary.

A vocabulary of words is pretty much all you need to be able to play
Scrabble. I'm not talking about playing at a competitive level either,
just the level of friendly games with strangers. I have a version of
Scrabble called Words By Post on my phone and typically have half a
dozen games on the go at once. Over the course of literally a few
thousand games, I have lost almost exactly as many games as I've won.
I've never once been frightened to play or suicidal as a result of
playing. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose: it's that simple. 

> Scrabble Together Mode seeks to make the game more accessible and
> easier to play. The emphasis in the updated game is on cooperation
> and collaboration rather than competition. For those who found the
> original Scrabble a little too intense, the new version could be a
> breath of fresh air.

This sounds like what they did with Sorry, a board game we used to
play as kids. A few years back, when my mother was in her final months,
I wanted to find a way to spend time with her that wasn't too taxing
for her so went to the toy store to find a game she already knew. I
found a copy of Sorry! and thought it was a perfect fit. There was some
verbiage on the box about "Fire and Ice power-ups" which was completely
unfamiliar but I didn't realize they'd altered the game rather
dramatically. When we actually started playing it, it was only barely
recognizable and the "improvements" really didn't make it better in my
opinion. In fact, the box was even missing a couple of things needed to
use the new power-ups, although I quickly figured out a workaround for
those. 

These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated decision
to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially
the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy follows this
path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE PLAYERS TO WIN by
collaborating to clear the board!

-- 
Rhino