Board Game Arena

Over the last month or so, I've noticed a sharp increase in players who are just up and quitting mid-game. These aren't people who run out of time or suddenly go offline — they'll lose the first corner or something and decide that means they're going to lose the game then just quit, usually by conceding. What gives?

This is sooooo rude. Imagine a soccer team that up and left the field if the other team scored one goal. This is happening so much, it's pert near taken the fun out of the playing. Just as soon as you get into it, they take their ball and go home.

In other abstracts (e.g chess), conceeding when loss is obvious is good etiquette. You get a win, you can start a new game, no big problem?

Says who? It's horribly rude. In the US, we'd use the expression "sour grapes." Plus, you yourself have said "when loss is obvious." Players are quitting after they lose the first corner, when a single move doesn't go their way, etc. It's whiny and childlike. It always reminds me of a little kid flipping over the board when you make a move they don't like. This is not how adults behave.

If it truly is about the other player being able to "start a new game," how about you ask before quitting? Or at least say "thanks for the game, but it's obvious you've got this one" or something. Instead, these players have one bad move and they're gone. It's no fun. It's rude and unfair to the other player who has invested their time in the game up to point and now that time is wasted.

kytbell wrote: ↑11 August 2024, 17:42 In the US, we'd use the expression "sour grapes."

It's not an American expression! Aesop was Greek. The term predates the United States by two millennia.

If you play chess, it's rude not to concede when appropriate, even in the US. Watch The Queen's Gambit on Netflix.

BGA has a sitewide rule that when a two-player game is 50% finished, either player may concede and it's a victory for the other player. Discussed frequently on the boards, for example here: viewtopic.php?t=27123

Obviously, conceding is fine. That's just basic courtesy.