Fun Board/Card Games
April 29, 2020
When people hear board games, they usually think it is spelled bored games because they relate it with something that is boring and outdated. Since technology has taken over our society, I feel like we have lost the art of good ole’ fashioned games that can be played without the internet. Not only can they be fun, but they can also help your health. According to Family Time Magazine, “A study by Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center confirmed that regular game-playing and puzzle-doing (as well as other thought-provoking activities) were shown promote mental stimulation that dramatically kept memory function (as well as language function, attention span and spatial ability) performing at a higher level. The risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease was shown to be reduced by 47 percent for people who did these activities the most often” (para. 7, 2015). Board games also provide a sense of community, “91% of those polled said playing games gives their family’s mood a positive boost. And 96% of families who play games together say that they feel close!” (The Board Game Family). Here are five board games that you should try with your friends and family!
The first game is one of my personal favorites because you are guaranteed to have a good laugh when you’re playing. What Do You Meme is a game that has you “competing with friends (or family if you’re brave) to match photo cards with caption cards, creating your own outrageously funny meme combinations” (Whatdoyoumeme.com). No matter what age you are, you are bound to get a kick out of the endless, hilarious combinations you can do. If you are feeling a little creative, you can even add in your own funny pictures to the mix to make it personalized.
The second game took our world by storm. Settlers of Catan is a worldwide favorite and a household essential. According to The New Yorker, “First published in Germany in 1995 as Die Siedler von Catan, the game has sold more than eighteen million copies worldwide” (Raphel, 2014). The goal for this game is to get 10 victory points through using your resources to build roads, settlements, cities, city expansions, and knights. This game can be a bit time consuming, but one that definitely worth your time!
The third game is a board game that does not even need a board. Fishbowl is a house-made game that is a combination of catch phrase, password, and charades. All you need to play is paper, pens, a container to hold the pieces of paper in (fishbowl), and a timer. When you receive your piece of paper, you write a person, place, or thing on it and then throw it into the fishbowl so no one can see it. There are three different rounds that you play as two teams. In the first round the goal is for your teammates to guess the word that you are describing using as many words as possible. In the second round your teammates have to guess the word that you are describing with only one word. In the third round your teammates have to guess the word that you are acting out without any words. Whoever has the most points from guessing the correct word at the end wins!
The fourth game is one of my favorite card games because it is so fast-paced and crazy! Dutch Blitz can be very confusing to start off, but it is rewarding when you win. The prime objective is, “To build as many cards in sequence -1 through 10- in the same respective colors in the center Dutch Piles, for points toward game, using as many cards from the Blitz Pile as possible. The first player to exhaust his or her Blitz Pile has “Blitzed” his or her opponents and ended the hand” (Dutchblitz.com). Even though this game is only for four people, you can buy the expansion pack which allows eight people to play at a time. Your brain will thank you when you play this game because it will get it working!
The fifth and final board game that everyone should play with their friends and family is Codenames. This game makes you feel like you are truly a spy on a secret mission because the whole point of the game is to be sly. Boardgamegeek states, “In Codenames, two teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates try to guess words of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin” (“Codenames”). This game takes some brainpower and involves you thinking outside the box!
I hope you can take time out of your day to give these fun board games a try with your friends and family! Remember: Board games are not outdated… They are making a comeback!
Sources
https://www.theboardgamefamily.com/2013/11/families-playing-games-feel-closer/
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/178900/codenames
https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-man-who-built-catan
Written by: Kaitlyn Skarstein
Kaitlyn loves being able to write for the SA blog because she thinks it is important to share her voice. She loves being able to express her own opinions on important subjects that are relevant for students, faculty, and many others.