Author: Josh
Note: This article was originally posted on Josh’s personal blog.
Does anyone else remember family game night? You know that time when families would pull out a board game like Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, or Mouse Trap, blow the dust off of the box and sit down together and play? It seems that in today’s society we have changed. These games are now all almost digital. Family game night turned into a room of drooling zombies staring at the glowing box in front of them trying to make a man dance across the screen, or blast each other away. While yes both could be considered time spent with family, I feel that with board games there is something special to be had.
For example, with Monopoly. Great time to help teach your kid about math and money management. If you want the expensive property with hotels, you need to save your money and buy it. If you land on another players square, make sure you pay the bills. These are very common life oriented tasks that will apply to a person for the rest of their lives. Family game night is an amazing way to teach the younger members of the family about different tactics that have worked for adults. I guarantee it’s better for the good old brain thinking power than a ton of pixels flashing random colors of light slowly burning out our retinas.
Trivial Pursuit. The greatest game to prove how smart/knowledgeable of their surroundings someone actually is. Teams can be formed while playing this game with house rules. With those teams comes an opportunity to bond with your family. That bond could serve a stronger purpose one day. For example if a child is having problems with life that they normally wouldn’t feel like talking about. They may just remember that time spent on family game night and decide that they want to discuss their situation with their parents just because of the trust/communication that was built during last weeks round of trivia.
While I do feel that video games are awesome and great, I also feel strongly that we can not leave behind board games. They offer so much in the way of building relationships. They offer a chance to unplug from technology. They offer a chance to be human for a little while, and the best part is…when the power goes out, you can just keep on playing.
Golden Age Gamers 