Spreading Joy in a Challenging Year
By Brendan LaSalle
Alana and I did the final Saturday Night at the Cy-Bar for 2023 this past weekend, Saturday December 9th. Chatroom denizen “bugprofessor” asked me in the chat how my year was, a completely fair and expected question for an end-of-year retrospective. I knew it was coming at some point, and after thinking about it a bunch my answer on the stream had to be “Challenging.”
The year 2023 was difficult for almost everyone I know. Everyone suffered losses, everyone dealt with bleak times. Talking to my friends I kept hearing words like “exhaustion” and “despair.”
I also had a lot of wonderful times and great moments, and many of the best ones involved tabletop RPGs.
Gaming is a great way to put your troubles aside for a while, to spread joy and share your energy with the community. The best part of my association with Goodman Games, specifically being the Road Crew Chief, is helping folks spread that joy. It’s my little way of making the world spin better and I’m proud of my contributions, however meager, to helping folks mitigate the dark times in their life.
Goodman Games had an unprecedented year in 2023. We had a huge influx of new fans, which led to new beginner level content, our first ever Gen Con Funnel Experience, and a huge uptick in folks signing up for Tuesday Night Demos. Our tribe increased and so did the fun.
The Road Crew specifically had an amazing year. In total we had 431 judges that ran a combined total of 2,453 games. I keep sharing those numbers everywhere because they continue to amaze me. My huge, humble thanks to each and every Road Crew Judge for spreading the Goodman Games vibe throughout the game community and to so many new fans.
We had a fantastic convention season as well. We went to Gen Con with our biggest ever crew, biggest booth, and the first appearance of our pinball machines. All of the big shows, from Origins to Gamehole, were wonderful times where we got to hang out with the fandom. I personally started my year with what I feel was my best Gary Con ever, and ended it at Long Con, the best little ol’ game jamboree in Texas.
At the end of the day, I got to be a part of Goodman Games and Goodman Games fandom for one more year. I sincerely believe I work for the best gang in the gaming business. And what makes us the best? We are always working to improve, for our employees and the fandom.
To everyone who spread the love through gaming this year, no matter what system or style: we are allies, and I salute you.
And to everyone we lost – there will always be space at the table for you all.
