Playing Board Games

Canada
March 7, 2007 12:52pm CST
Since I was a little girl, I've always loved to play board games, and that tradition has been carried on to this day in my family. When my daughter and I get together with my sister and her family for holidays etc., we spend quality time together around the table playing board games. My sister's family has one of the biggest collections of games I've ever seen, and it continues to grow. Each holiday season one or two new ones are added, and we anticipate this as a family. Before you pass this off as boring, I'd like to ask how many of you enjoy these type of games in this day and age. With the introduction of video and computer games etc., do you still think board games have a place in today's culture? What are some of your current and past favourites? I enjoy Masterpiece, Scrabble, Boggle, and Sorry, which are all 'Oldies But Goodies,' as well as a variety of newer ones. Some of the more recent ones that are really great are Wavelength, Cranium, and Simply Suspects to name a few. Once in awhile we pull out an 'original' version of Mousetrap that belongs to my sister, and still has all of the pieces in tact, complete with a working mechanism that still traps the mouse most of the time. This is a family heirloom to us, as it was a gift from our mother (now deceased) to us back in the 60's.
5 people like this
6 responses
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
31 Mar 07
I didn't play that many board games as a kid. I know my brother and I had Mousetrap and Life, but that's about all I can remember playing. However, as an adult, I love them. My friends and I play them a lot, and it's very special to me, probably at least partially because it's something I didn't do much in childhood. I love playing Scrabble, but I have to talk people into playing it, because every time either my best friend's husband or I win. =p I also really love Monopoly, which I only learned to play a year or two ago. It takes so long that people usually aren't too keen on playing it, but I just get way too excited about it, and since we haven't played it too much it's still kind of a "new game" to me.
2 people like this
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
2 Apr 07
If I had to pick just one "newer version" of it, I'd want to get the Spongebob Squarepants one. =p I love playing board games with my friends. It's nicer than movies or video games because it's easier to talk during, and it gives you something to do during pauses in conversation as well. =)
2 people like this
• Canada
2 Apr 07
It's never too late to enjoy these games. I admire adults who still think it's a great passtime and not just for kids. There are so many games out there for more mature players. Monopoly is fun, but like you said, quite time consuming. There are so many versions out there too right now. My nephew has quite a collection of the different ones, including a Simpsons Monopoly game.
2 people like this
@crystal8577 (1466)
• United States
12 Mar 07
I LOVE board & card games. I have a whole closet full of kid & adult games. I just spent 4 days playing card games with my siblings. We played phaze 10, skip-bo, rack-o. We also love to play scattergories, monopoly, apples to apples. I can't wait until my duaghters are old enough to play adult games.
2 people like this
• Canada
13 Mar 07
I appreciate your reply. It sounds like you have quite a collection too. I've never played phaze 10, and am wondering what apples to apples is. Is it a board game?
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Mar 07
Phase 10 is a card game. Apples to apples is like a card game too. You have cards iin your hand & then someone picks a catergory card. You layt down the card you think fits that the best. The person whose turn it was then picks the best response. It is hard to explain but tons of fun. We laugh so hard everytime we play. It is worth checking out.
2 people like this
• United States
22 Mar 07
I think your family has a really good thing going! I think board games are fun and it gets the family together! I enjoyed masterpiece and the other ones you mentioned. What about old maid or crazy eights. I know they are not board games but I remember playing that as a kid too. I was wondering if you had Scattegories. I think that's a great word game for the family.
2 people like this
• Canada
23 Mar 07
Thanks, sweetpea, I think we have a good thing going too. Even my nephew (almost 17) and my 19 year old niece join in with us if they're home. I like old maid and crazy eights as well. My daughter and I own Scattergories, and it's one that my sister actually doesn't have, so we'll have to take it the next time we visit, as this is when we have our games days etc. Thanks for reminding me that we have that one tucked away ... it is a great one.
1 person likes this
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
7 Mar 07
I LOVE board games. My family gets togehter and plays them a lot also. My daughter really loves them too. they are also a great learning tool for kids. My daughter has learned counting, math, thinking skills, strategy, and it even helps grow her imagination. One of our favorites is Life. We make up names and little back rounds for our little plastic people. We laugh so much when we play. Not only is there fun and lerning, but it is a great way to spend quality time. We also go for some great card games like Uno, SkipBo, and Phase 10. We go out every few months and buy new games. We try to get ones that we have never heard of. We have plenty of the oldies but goodies, like Monopoly, Mastermind, Clue, and Trivial Pursuit. Board and card games are just so much fun.
• Canada
13 Mar 07
Thanks for your response. We've played and enjoyed almost all of the games you've mentioned. I really love trivia games too. We're currently at my sister's for a week over March Break, so will be having our usual games tournament. We keep track of the overall winner for all of the games just for fun.
• Canada
31 Mar 07
I love board and card games. As a child there wasn't alot of money so all I had was Snakes and Ladders and my parents and I would play that or I would even play it by myself, being an only child. As a teenager my mom and I got into UNO and Skip-Bo. I also have enjoyed Crazy Eights in the past and Old Maid. I like the game of Life, Monopoly, and Scrabble just to name a few but do not own all these. We have very few board games and it is something that I would like to start collecting. Especially ones we can play with our four year old son...I think it is a great pass time and brings families together!
1 person likes this
• Canada
2 Apr 07
We didn't have much money either when I was growing up, but somehow managed to collect a few board games. My sister and I would look forward to getting one of these for a birthday or Christmas. All of the games you've mentioned are a lot of fun, and we've recently been enjoying Skip Bo when we visit my sister and her family. I hope you can start building your collection soon.
1 person likes this
@barnkinney (1343)
• Philippines
31 Mar 07
the board games i was brought up to play are the educational ones.. like scrabble and chess. at a young age our parents taught us how to play these board games and back then we would often play this as a family. for example for chess, we would hold like a tournament or have it in teams. Scrabble is my mom's favorite, since she also played it with her parents, my grandparents. i like boggle, but we didn't get to have that one here at home.
2 people like this
• Canada
2 Apr 07
We had Scrabble when I was growing up, but I've never really gotten into Chess. Just recently, we've started to keep a record of all of the games we play during a week at my sister's and who wins each one. This is just something we do for fun, and it fosters a healthy competitive spirit. Another rule we have, is that the 'winner' of each game cleans it up, and puts it away. I also enjoy Boggle ... word games are great.
1 person likes this