Mentions of bridge on the world wide web have gone up in recent months, and I like to think that this introduces the terms bridge, contract bridge and bridge club (as well as others such as kibitzer, trumps and dummy) into more casual conversation outside the game – and encourages more non-players to see what this bridge game thing is all about.
Even non-playing parents might see the game of contract bridge in their internet search history and decide to check it out from there.
All of this is good news for the promotion of the game, but there’s one more thing that we can do this year: Challenge a non-player to a game on Bridge Base Online.
Here’s what I think should be done.
Pass on the BBO Link
Introduce others to BBO and BBO Prime by letting them know where they can find the website or the app. It’s as simple as sending them a message and saying, “Hey, check this out.” Not everyone who receives news that BBO exists will bite and join up, but doing this sure increases the amount of people who will and do.
Add a Link to the Rules of Bridge
When passing on the link to BBO, make sure you add a link to the simplest write-up for the rules of bridge that you know about – or just link them to an introductory YouTube video about bridge.
The rules of bridge aren’t complicated or complex to pick up for the first time: There are trading card games with much more elaborate and complicated rules out there played by thousands of people every day, and bridge isn’t as hard as people think to learn considering this.
The basics take a few minutes to go through for players yet unfamiliar with it.
Invite Traditional Card Players First
There are thousands upon thousands of players out there who play poker casually, on a semi-professional level or for a living – and the number of card players increase when you add other popular ones like blackjack to the list.
If you happen to know someone who loves cards or trading cards, rope them into the game of bridge. It’s an easy transition for most.
Let’s Duel!
Everyone knows someone who can’t resist a challenge or bet.
I’d like to see more people walk straight up to their most competitive friends and colleagues to challenge them to a bridge duel – or well, game.
The platform is BBO, accessible to most people with a smartphone or internet connection even if your chosen person to challenge is halfway across the world.
The challenge or game form is whatever you like: There are several competitive forms of bridge available on BBO and it’s easy enough to set up a customized table where others can join it.
Know anyone who would almost certainly say yes? Challenge them to a game of bridge with a BBO link and introduction of the rules today.
Challenges: Record, Broadcast and Stream
Platforms like Twitch, YouTube and BBO make for a combination of a very, very powerful promotional and media tool: Use it if you have any inclination to challenge another player to a game.
There’s an increasing market for broadcasted and streamed bridge games online, and bridge challenges make for the perfect video type to see more of this year.
Set the Stakes
What happens if you win – or lose?
Other than a little bit of reputational scorching, some challenges could set stakes attached to the game – especially for YouTube challenges between channels and players.
It’s not necessary to set stakes in order to challenge another player, but it can certainly make the idea of recorded bridge challenges through BBO pretty damn exciting.
Let’s Challenge Celebrities
There’s a huge amount of celebrities who also happen to be card and board players: From Jennifer Tilly to Wil Wheaton.
There are more celebrities to be added to the list when you consider general gamers who are also up for a challenge: Jack Black is one of the most famous mentions, but many other celebrities are known for online gaming and streaming the results.
Use e-mail, Twitter and other social media platforms to get in touch with more celebrities and let’s talk about the game of bridge.
Eventually, more players will bite – and I think we’ll see some fascinating online bridge challenges take place soon as a result.