Arts & Crafts
Automotive
Health & Beauty
Home & Kitchen
Household Supplies
Lawn & Garden
Office Products
Pet Supplies
Sports & Outdoor
Tools & Home Improvement
Toys & Games
Cooler weather? More family time? Pull out the games! Anyone who reads this site knows how much we love games. They provide a unique social experience, a great way to bring people together, and of course, fun. Recently, I had the chance to rediscover a board game with my family that we hadnāt played for years. It was a Parker Brothers game called Probe, and itās a word game. Probably a precursor to Wordle, where you have to guess letters to figure out your opponentās words. It was fun by itself (Weāre all word geeks.), but it went beyond that. We shared with the younger members of the family (now old enough to play) some great memories about playing with their grandparents when we were kids. Thatās the kind of experience only games allow, or at least many of them. They can be springboards to connection and conversation over and above the gameplay.
During the worst of the pandemic, we saw a huge boom in games. Really, not since the big games resurgence in the early 1980s with Trivial Pursuit did we see so many people playing games. Here in Fall 2022 as things have eased a little bit, but we like to think that games have become part of family entertainment now.
Thereās another classic benefit of playing games: socialization. For kids, especially, they learn to compete, be good sports when they lose, and interact with people of different ages. Many of these important skills were, if not lost, at least not as readily available to kids during the pandemic.
Beyond that, it all comes down to the selection.
Picking a Good Game
Games are as different as the people who play them, so itās probably a good thing that there are so many of them around. There are however, a few characteristics of games that help ensure theyāll be fun:
- Easy to play. You should be able to open the box and be playing in a few minutes. With the exception of some more sophisticated games, most people donāt want to spend a lot of time reading rules and, worse, trying to understand them.Ā The Exception to the Rule: Games that have stories or role-play where players take on characters may take a while to set up, but the best of these also have you thinking and creating during that time, so even if the literal game hasnāt started, people are already in the experience.
- Fast. Well, of course, the question is: What doesĀ fastĀ mean? If itās a basic turn-based game, you should be able to get through it in half an hour or less. Some card games like Exploding Kitttens or Uno can be very fast, say 10-15 minutes for a round. On the other hand playing Monopoly by classic rules, or Risk, can take hours. It depends on the game.Ā The Exception to the Rule:Ā Games like Dungeons and Dragons that have elaborate stories can take days, so donāt plan to play that as a quick family entertainment after dinnerā¦usually.
- Level the Playing Field.Ā If itās a family game, everyone should be able to feel successful. One of the challenges of
Versions of this game have been around since the 1860sā¦and itās still a favorite! Trivial Pursuit was that people got frustrated when they didnāt know a lot of the answers. On the other hand, Pictionary doesnāt require you to be a good artist to be successful. Knowing if youāre playing a game based on luck or skill is important, too. Often when there are people of widely divergent ages playing, games of luck, such as Chutes and Ladders, Sorry!, or Trouble are good because everyone has an equal shot.Ā The Exception to the Rule:Ā Games of skill may end up giving some people unfair advantages, such as Wordle, but if itās a well-designed game, everyone can have a good time guessing.
- Know Your Audience.Ā Isnāt that the truth in everything? Games like Cards Against Humanity, which can be a bit edgy, or skill and action games like Twister, arenāt for everyone. Make sure you know whoās playing and a bit about what their tastes are. At the same time, you want to be sure that the game is appropriate for the youngest kid at the table; thatās one of the reason classic preschool games are so good. Yes, theyāre simplistic for adults, but everyone playing can have a good time.Ā The Exception to the Rule: There isnāt one. This is really important. The idea is that everyone should be having a great time.
- Play it Again.Ā The test of a great game is that when youāre done playing, you want to play it again, and invite others to play.Ā The Exception to the Rule:Ā Nope, not one here either. If a game is boring, why would you play it again?
Some Great Ideas
You donāt need us to tell you how great The Game of Life is or Scrabble, or even Old Maid, but new games are coming out all the time. Conservative estimates are that as many as 500 new games are introduced every year. Some of those (The ones that donāt meet the above criteria, quite frankly.) disappear, but there are others that you may not have heard of. Thatās where we come in. Hereās just a selection of a few of the games weāve been playing lately that we really enjoy.
