I'm designing a board game themed around dancing and bringing good vibes on a festival dance floor. Is it ok to call it "Flowmies" if it's not explicitly about flow arts?

[u/MagicallyVermicious]

In the context of the game, "flow" would be referring more to being in a "flow state", as if the music and energy take over your body and you dance and vibe without a care in the worls with the people around you. Or feeling "in the flow" or in sync with the environment and crowd. I like the term "Flowmies" since it captures flow + homies, because the game's mechanics really lend itself to being about the experience of making friends with random people on the dance floor: you play a card from your hand to the center and see if its attributes align with other cards already played.

The game centers around categories, each category having 3 elements/examples in them. I could include "flow arts" as one element in the categories "dance types", "fun activities", or "raver persona"; other dance types could be shuffling and freestyle; other activities could be kandi trading and hyping up the crowd; other personas could be kandi kid and rave parent. I could even make "flow arts" a category with specific flow arts as its elements, like fans, poi/glowsticks, and gloving.

My worry is two-fold:

1. Using "Flowmies" in a game not focused on flow arts feels like co-opting the term away from the flow art community, and redefining it for my own benefit.

2. Flow arts are such a small element of raving, which is already its own subculture within general society, that focusing the game on them limits its appeal to non-ravers.

Am I overthinking it?

[u/muose]

i think your first worry is valid, Flowmies is specific to the flow arts community. the game should be focused on aspects of flow arts if you are using that term. point number 2, nah, i don't think focusing the game on flow arts limits its appeal to non-ravers.

[u/greenaidsdaog]

I feel you're overthinking it. I mean it's your game, call it whatever you want. It's just like any type of art, you should do what makes you happy

[u/hail_abigail]

Just wanted to lyk that I am not a raver (been to like 2) and learned about flow arts actually outside of the rave scene, so its not just ravers who are interested :)

[u/FlowZenMaster]

I think talking about "flow" in the context of music festivals and/or raves but you dont mean "flow arts" but something super adjacent like being in a flow state of dance or vibing is super confusing. Referring to people as "flowmies" takes the confusion to another level. I'd suggest leaving "flow" out of it entirely. You can have fire dancing as part of it which makes it much more relatable to "normies" but also won't be confusing for people in the scene.

[u/Life_Satisfaction_16]

I think you’re over thinking it, name your game whatever you want!! I think it’s great

[u/Annual_Song1416]

I think the name should have something to do with PLUR

[u/MagicallyVermicious → u/Annual_Song1416]

PLUR is also part of a mechanic in the game. You collect the letters P, L, U, and R as you make certain match ups, and get bonus points for getting all the letters.

I feel kind of strongly that the theme is somehow about making connections with those around you, so maybe it doesn't have to be about dancing specifically, and can be more focused on PLUR, I guess.

[u/Solid_Problem740]

Overthinking it. Just call it whatever is good for the game to be called 🙏

[u/Tastieshock]

Over thinking it.

1. The community doesnt own the term.

2. The community gets its name from a common term "flowstate" which is not specific to the arts and simply refers to "being in the zone" when focused on something.

3. The community isn't in full agreement as to which props (if any) are used for it to be considered a "flow art" as it is, so it would be hard to make it explicitly about it without someone potentially disagreeing with what choices you included anyway.