A lot of people write "good game" at the end of the game.

This is how I feel about it:

If they lose, it seems like a way for them to minimize the defeat. "It was a good game because I gave you a good fight. I'm good"

If they win, it feels patronizing. "You are a good player but no match for me"

Then there are those who realize they will not win and declare "Good game" but don't surrender. If you are done, please surrender. It's ok if you still want to go on, but don't just play expecting a miracle.

I have played good games, games where there are good strategic moves ON BOTH PARTS.

One sided games are NOT good games.

Just take it and be done.

Surrendering is a courtesy in dueling games, especially in a tournament where moving things along is appreciated. But it is rarely appropriate in games for 3 or more players, where surrendering creates neutral territories, which can change the balance of power.

GG is also a courtesy, an online way of showing good gamesmanship.  If you play a game of golf with someone and they whip your ass, you still shake hands at the end of the match. Think of it like a handshake.

M57 wrote:

Surrendering is a courtesy in dueling games, especially in a tournament where moving things along is appreciated. But it is rarely appropriate in games for 3 or more players, where surrendering creates neutral territories, which can change the balance of power.

GG is also a courtesy, an online way of showing good gamesmanship.  If you play a game of golf with someone and they whip your ass, you still shake hands at the end of the match. Think of it like a handshake.

+1

Yeah, like M57 I think of it as a handshake. If I don't offer a gg then I'm unhappy about what happened in the game - or my ticker was reset so I missed that one of my games had ended.

If I think the game has contained some very good play then I say that using more words.

I never tried to patronize you UngaBunga, nor minimize my defeats, in our games. 

+1 to the last 3 posts. Players reading any more into it than that should probably seek therapy.

Litotes wrote:

Yeah, like M57 I think of it as a handshake. If I don't offer a gg then I'm unhappy about what happened in the game - or my ticker was reset so I missed that one of my games had ended.

If I think the game has contained some very good play then I say that using more words.

I never tried to patronize you UngaBunga, nor minimize my defeats, in our games. 

Yeah - 30+ years ago when I was in youth soccer, you lined up and said good game at the end of the game no matter what.  I don't say it every game here, but I say it most of them, and try to remember to say it if I recognize at least a name or two.

UngaBunga wrote:

Then there are those who realize they will not win and declare "Good game" but don't surrender. If you are done, please surrender. It's ok if you still want to go on, but don't just play expecting a miracle.

I'm a fan of the GG at the end of a game and have never taken it as UB thinks, that said there are a few times where there's the early "good game" thinking the game is over one way, but it will swing the other way which I'm not a super big fan of. I'm also against Surrendering and would rather play it out to fully eliminate someone rather they surrender. I've seen way too many "miracles" to Surrender and think people should always play it out till the end, crazy things can happen in war!

Yertle wrote:

UngaBunga wrote:

Then there are those who realize they will not win and declare "Good game" but don't surrender. If you are done, please surrender. It's ok if you still want to go on, but don't just play expecting a miracle.

I'm a fan of the GG at the end of a game and have never taken it as UB thinks, that said there are a few times where there's the early "good game" thinking the game is over one way, but it will swing the other way which I'm not a super big fan of. I'm also against Surrendering and would rather play it out to fully eliminate someone rather they surrender. I've seen way too many "miracles" to Surrender and think people should always play it out till the end, crazy things can happen in war!

Yeah, I too avoid the early gg. I give it when I'm eliminated, or if it's a fogged game where news of my elimination would be information to the remaining players, when it has ended. 

As for surrendering, it's a bit board dependent. On Go-Geared, for example, there is little point playing on if your opponent has an overwhelming advantage. But that's 1-on-1 so a surrender immediately ends the game. I try not to do it in multiplayer.

I say gg in most of my games, but I learned a long time ago that UB generally doesn't like communicating in games, so I generally don't say anything in our one on one duels, even though I really enjoy our matchups (regardless of losing or winning)

I'm guilty of uttering the occasional early "gg", especially after a frustrating round (usually due to unfortunate dice rolls or if I royally scew up). I can see how it'd be a bit annoying, but also don't really think it's a big deal. Gotta have some way for players to let off a little steam if they've had a frustrating turn, and I think it's better than many of the alternatives.

Kjeld wrote:

I'm guilty of uttering the occasional early "gg", especially after a frustrating round (usually due to unfortunate dice rolls or if I royally scew up). I can see how it'd be a bit annoying, but also don't really think it's a big deal. Gotta have some way for players to let off a little steam if they've had a frustrating turn, and I think it's better than many of the alternatives.

I've definitely seen worse ways of letting out some steam.

For the most part I agree with the majority sentiment here. That gg is like a handshake at the end of the game. I use it most of the times, but there are fair share of games where I don't write it, after both a win and a loss (no particular reason).

Coming to the point of early gg's, I am one of the players who does that fairly frequently. Given the number of times UB and I have played 1v1s, he is probably referring partially to me in the OP.

Early gg before a loss: I had someone tell me recently "I don't think I have any way to win, but I'll go a little longer anyhow". An early gg from me essentially means the same. It is acknowledging that my opponent beat me. Doing so before the game is officially over is a way to writing it when you know it will be read for sure. It's quite easy for a message to get lost if you write it after the game is officially over. And there are several reason to not surrender when you have very clearly lost. Most important of those is just to see exactly how the game plays out. Especially relevant in the strategy-based non-diced boards, where you can see if your opponent had a further trick up their sleeve. You may know that you have lost, but you may not notice that your opponent has more than one way to defeat you with that setup, so it is worth looking at their play for a few turns more. Some times you just don't feel like surrendering due to frustration that you lost from a position you should have not lost. Yes, sometimes you are hoping that your opponent makes a silly mistake. And what Kjeld said. I have written an early gg before a loss for each of this reasons multiple times against UB.

Early gg before a win: I know I have won. And that I am not going to mess it up from here. Might as well write it now, instead of waiting till the game is officially over. It is definitely not asking for a surrender.

The early gg is not a big deal to me.

Nope, the early GG is the worst!!! :P Just kidding, I mostly meant it when there is the "GG" thinking they have lost, but in reality they have the upper hand or pull out the win from generally how the board works or even rolls of the dice. So mainly those that are along the lines of "GG, you won, I suck"...then they win...don't do that :P

Yertle wrote:

Nope, the early GG is the worst!!! :P Just kidding, I mostly meant it when there is the "GG" thinking they have lost, but in reality they have the upper hand or pull out the win from generally how the board works or even rolls of the dice. So mainly those that are along the lines of "GG, you won, I suck"...then they win...don't do that :P

Yep, that's always awkward!

I also (kind of) don't like an early gg in foggy multiplayer.  It can signal to other players that you think the game is over, i.e. one player has a commanding lead, and I feel like sometimes it is passive aggressive comment that you think everyone else should be attacking a particular player.

This is fairly rare, and has to be just the right situation in the first place for it to make sense, but I feel like I've seen it a handful of times.

Ozyman wrote:

I also (kind of) don't like an early gg in foggy multiplayer.  It can signal to other players that you think the game is over, i.e. one player has a commanding lead, and I feel like sometimes it is passive aggressive comment that you think everyone else should be attacking a particular player.

This is fairly rare, and has to be just the right situation in the first place for it to make sense, but I feel like I've seen it a handful of times.

Ozyman wrote:

I also (kind of) don't like an early gg in foggy multiplayer.  It can signal to other players that you think the game is over, i.e. one player has a commanding lead, and I feel like sometimes it is passive aggressive comment that you think everyone else should be attacking a particular player.

This is fairly rare, and has to be just the right situation in the first place for it to make sense, but I feel like I've seen it a handful of times.

Yes, I definitely try to avoid early ones in that kind of game. Better to send a private message to the one who eliminated me/removed my hope of winning, if you want to say anything.

Yes, in multiplayer fogged games, an early gg is not nice.

I was specifically talking about 1v1, and multiplayer no fog (since almost all my games fall into one of those two categories).

Litotes wrote:

Ozyman wrote:

I also (kind of) don't like an early gg in foggy multiplayer.  It can signal to other players that you think the game is over, i.e. one player has a commanding lead, and I feel like sometimes it is passive aggressive comment that you think everyone else should be attacking a particular player.

This is fairly rare, and has to be just the right situation in the first place for it to make sense, but I feel like I've seen it a handful of times.

Yes, I definitely try to avoid early ones in that kind of game. Better to send a private message to the one who eliminated me/removed my hope of winning, if you want to say anything.

Totally agree on this