I found a variation that makes it tolerable though: pick two cards each turn, then choose one. Adds the tiniest about of strategy, and makes it not 100% luck.
Hopefully useful to anyone else whose kid was gifted this game.
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/w...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_resemblance
since there might be no particular thing that all things that we call games have in common with each other.
It's also interesting that in Rosewater's sense, many casino games and other gambling games aren't games because you also can't meaningfully affect their outcome. (I don't think it's at all unreasonable to say that these aren't fun in the same way or for the same reason as games that give you agency...)
I've never really thought about it, but it is definitely why I hate slot machines, in particular.
The only exception to that is the first time I was in Vegas with my wife, when I was there for a conference and she tagged along to gamble. On our last (5th?) day there, she was incredulous that I hadn't gambled at all and finally I jokingly said "ok fine, here, I'll throw away a quarter if it'll make you happy!" and put it in the nearest slot machine. I won $50.
I played it growing up with a friend's family. It's awesome. It's a race game similar to Sorry!, but with some key differences:
- You play in teams, which adds a whole new dynamic.
- You maintain a hand of cards (people play differently, usually 5-7).
- You cannot jump your own piece (and you must fit your pieces into your "base" perfectly).
As a result, there are multiple layers of strategy, and the team dynamic makes the entire game more social and fun.