Game Jargon Definition: “Brain Burn”

Brain Burn (noun) - / brān ˈbərn/

A slang term regarding the psychological state some gamers experience when playing a tabletop game that requires them to think critically about a particular game state in order to decide what they will do on their turn. Simply put: brain burn is nothing more than thinking intensely and with deep focus about a game, weighing both strategic and tactical considerations so as to find the best possible actions to take as well as to force as many unfavorable outcomes on their opponents as possible. To say that a game is “brain burny” is another way of saying that the game is relatively complex in its mechanics, or has more crunch. 

The experience of brain burn can vary in frequency, intensity, and whether or not it is pleasurable. While some players thoroughly enjoy thinking critically about a game and find it enthralling, stimulating, or engaging, other players may find the sensation of brain burn to be stressful or anxiety-provoking. It is also entirely possible that players playing the same game (whether or not they enjoy brain burn) will experience brain burn in different ways and to different extents. 

While everyone’s experience of brain burn varies from game to game and play experience to play experience, typically, games that bring about brain burn are more likely to be Eurogames than Ameritrash, but this is a sweeping generalization.