Games are fun

Game playing is a favorite family activity for us. When the children were little we started games like “Chutes and Ladders” and card games like “Crazy 8’s.” It didn’t take us long to lose interest in those types of games. So we switched to games like “Mousetrap.” There is nothing like watching the Rube Goldberg devices work, finally catching the mouse. The great thing about games like this is that the children learn how things work; what you can do with levers, balls and springs. “Monopoly” was a game we played often, a classic that teaches the basics of handling money.

When the children got a little older, about 8 or 10, we started bringing out strategy games that we had gathered over the years. One we enjoyed playing was called the “Farming Game.” It teaches, in a general sense, the risks and rewards of farming. Players move on a track which represents an entire year, broken up into spaces of one or two weeks each. They have to plant and then harvest crops, while dealing with hazards from muddy corrals to Mt. Saint Helens exploding.

One strategy game we played for a long time was “Axis & Allies.” This game represents the entire world at the time of WWII. Up to five players can play at once. Each player takes control of one of the major combatants during the war (US, Japan, etc). They have to come up with a strategy to out-maneuver their opponents.

“Civilization” is our favorite strategy game. Players begin the game with only one piece representing their chosen historical people; Egypt, Greece, Babylonia, etc. Each turn players double the number pieces they have on the board – 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and so on. The object of the game is to establish cities, accumulate trade goods and develop various technologies, arts, and culture in order to be the first to build a civilization.

We played a lot of geography-type games, such as “National Geographic’s Global Pursuit,” “Mission: Survival” and “World Dash.” One that we really like is “Empire Builder.” The goal for this game is to connect various cities in the United States with a railroad. It’s expensive to build track so players have to carry freight and passengers to earn money to can keep building their line. These games all teach names and locations of cities and countries, as well as physical landmarks such as rivers and mountains.

Detective games are always fun. “Clue” of course is the classic, and there are several related spin-offs, such as “Clue: Museum Caper” and “Clue Jr.” Other detective games are “Whodunnit” and “Scotland Yard.”

We have some games made for groups too. One of our favorite is Balderdash. Players are asked to define a very difficult word. They then write down a definition they hope others will believe. The definitions are collected and read along with the real definition. Each player votes for the one they think is the correct one. If a player votes for the definition another player made up, that player gets a point. Those who vote for the real definition also get points. After going around as many times as desired, the points are added up and the highest score wins.

Our children are grown now, but they still like to play Monopoly. The cat fittingly finished off “Mousetrap,” so we don’t play that one anymore. We also played classic games, such as “Yahtzee,” “Dominoes” and “Uno.” These games are still some of our favorites today. When one of us is longing to get together, we call the rest of the family and schedule a game day.

No matter what age you are, there’s always a good game that can be played. The goal is to have some fun!