I just got back from a few days away, and was surprised by this change.
I don't see the need. I preferred (and found it more fun) to have the games mixed in with the General Discussion area, kind of a relaxed "meet & greet" atmosphere (as that area was called on the old fora).
Some of the other threads on that board were fun but not games, and others over time became playful (if not games)--"random thoughts", "misread thread titles", etc. I don't think there is a clear bright line between "fun" and "games" and friendly, often-playful "meet & greet"-type posts--they all belong together. "Misread thread titles" is not a game but it is light and fun. "Movie Thread" -- movies are fun. "The Hiding Thread" is playful (sort of) but not a game. Yet ... "Only Really Exciting Posts" is in the Fun & Games thread, but these others are not?
To do this successfully, it's necessary to establish a clear set of criteria to define what belongs in "Fun and Games" and what is "General discussion" and then to police and move any "Fun and Games" out of "General Discussion." And that's not very fun, is it?
Bear in mind that some people will skip certain boards entirely (for example, I rarely read the "Working as a Postdoc" board on the old forums). One consequence of the change is that some readers will go directly to the child board and skip the General Discussion or vice versa. Is this the outcome you want?
It will also change the tone of "General Discussion" somewhat since you're (very concretely and deliberately) "removing the Fun and Games." Again, is this outcome you want?
The bigger issue, how are decisions like this made? Who gets input?
When I discovered this change (after being away a few days), I had to search for a bit to find this thread to learn what had happened and why. I looked first on General Discussion (the board being split) and saw nothing, no alert to those who frequently read/post in that area that they should read and response to this thread.
My preference would be for discussion of this kind of change to take place BEFORE the change is made, not "oh hey, while you were out, I rearranged all the furniture, hope you can find stuff!" However, I did not participate in setting up this new board, so perhaps I don't get a voice in this--that would be quite fair, I think, that "only committee members get to vote". But it would be nice to listen to opinions before taking action. I may well be in the minority and "outvoted" on this issue, but who knows? There was no discussion.
I truly appreciate all the time and energy that people have invested in setting up this new board, and I don't mean to sound ungrateful. Like rearranging furniture, this was a bit of work, I'm sure. But I'm a bit uncertain about "General Discussion (That is Serious and Not Fun)" vs. "Fun and Games" as an organizational principle, and more generally, my preference would be to hear more voices before this kind of change is implemented.