Their copy of the rulebook was laminated and I nearly cried

I went to a game cafe in Nashville that rents out shelves for local designers. They had a wall of self published prototypes and I got to test a weird 2 player card game about managing a failing zoo. The designer was there with a notebook and actually read every comment we made out loud. That got me thinking about how board game culture used to be about sharing tips around a table, not just posting hot takes online. Now I find myself typing more about mechanics than actually talking to the person across from me. The cafe owner said they run 4 playtesting nights a month and they always fill up fast. Made me wonder how many of us would rather argue about rules on reddit than teach a stranger a new game in person. When was the last time you sat down with a total beginner and just played, no scoring apps, no meta talk?