PONDERING BOARD GAMES
The thing I am pondering is why they are not wildly popular. They are awesome! Board games have somehow gained this reputation for being stale - involving a lot of waiting, setting up and learning-of-endless-rules. This is not the case! Complaining of being bored is something I absolutely cannot condone. There is knowledge all around you and board games can be a great vessel for learning about new things or sparking conversation about other people's experiences. Stephen Fry (in The Fry Chronicles) writes a great analogy on incuriosity, a trait which is, in my opinion, responsible for boredom;
"Information is all around us, now more than ever before in human history. You barely have to stir or incommode yourself to find things out. The only reason people do not know much is because they do not care to know. They are incurious. Incuriosity is the oddest and most foolish failing there is. Picture the world as being a city whose pavements are covered a foot deep in gold coins. You have to wade through them to make progress. Their clinking and rattling fills the air. Imagine that you met a beggar in such a city.
'Please, give me something. I am penniless.'
'But look around you,' you would shout. 'There is gold enough to last you your whole life. All you have to do is to bend down and pick it up!'"
Historical board games, political intrigue games, card games and games from foreign countries (such as Mancala or Go) can all teach you new things. They make marvelous use of your imagination as well as improving your problem solving skills, ability to think quickly and, most importantly, your ability to work in a team. Teamwork will always be a necessary skill in human civilisation. We cannot function alone and expect society to continue to operate. And where is the first, most formative place that we develop our teamwork skills? Why, within our families of course! All families should play board games! Not only do they encourage families to spend time together, for diverse families whose members might not have much in common, they can make time spent together more bearable. Most board games are playable by people of all ages, and games that involve teams or a strong sense of competition are great because they teach good sportsmanship - especially if played regularly. On top of this, board games don't receive the same negative wrap that video games do (see: violence) because they rely on your imagination! Another reason why they are great for all ages!
I'd say one of the main reasons people have little interest in board games is because they are unaware of the astounding amount of choice there is. Board games aren't advertised the way video games or sports are - consequently knowledge of new boardgames has become something of an acquired skill. Traditional board games such as Monopoly or Cluedo can be quite stale. But there is so much to be found beyond that if only you are curious enough to look! Will Weaton's Tabletop web series is a great place to start, if you have no idea about new board games. Two of my favourites at the moment are Risk and The Settlers of Catan. Games like these are great because things are always happening - even outside of your turn! You have to pay attention, meaning the game is constantly engaging and fun. This seems the main feature that separates games like Catan from Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit. Alhambra, Munchkin, Quorridor and Billionaire are some other good examples of games which utilise this mechanic.
So what have you got to lose?? Help ditch the negative image these games have developed over the years and be part of the revolution from bored-game back to board-game!!
"Information is all around us, now more than ever before in human history. You barely have to stir or incommode yourself to find things out. The only reason people do not know much is because they do not care to know. They are incurious. Incuriosity is the oddest and most foolish failing there is. Picture the world as being a city whose pavements are covered a foot deep in gold coins. You have to wade through them to make progress. Their clinking and rattling fills the air. Imagine that you met a beggar in such a city.
'Please, give me something. I am penniless.'
'But look around you,' you would shout. 'There is gold enough to last you your whole life. All you have to do is to bend down and pick it up!'"
Historical board games, political intrigue games, card games and games from foreign countries (such as Mancala or Go) can all teach you new things. They make marvelous use of your imagination as well as improving your problem solving skills, ability to think quickly and, most importantly, your ability to work in a team. Teamwork will always be a necessary skill in human civilisation. We cannot function alone and expect society to continue to operate. And where is the first, most formative place that we develop our teamwork skills? Why, within our families of course! All families should play board games! Not only do they encourage families to spend time together, for diverse families whose members might not have much in common, they can make time spent together more bearable. Most board games are playable by people of all ages, and games that involve teams or a strong sense of competition are great because they teach good sportsmanship - especially if played regularly. On top of this, board games don't receive the same negative wrap that video games do (see: violence) because they rely on your imagination! Another reason why they are great for all ages!
I'd say one of the main reasons people have little interest in board games is because they are unaware of the astounding amount of choice there is. Board games aren't advertised the way video games or sports are - consequently knowledge of new boardgames has become something of an acquired skill. Traditional board games such as Monopoly or Cluedo can be quite stale. But there is so much to be found beyond that if only you are curious enough to look! Will Weaton's Tabletop web series is a great place to start, if you have no idea about new board games. Two of my favourites at the moment are Risk and The Settlers of Catan. Games like these are great because things are always happening - even outside of your turn! You have to pay attention, meaning the game is constantly engaging and fun. This seems the main feature that separates games like Catan from Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit. Alhambra, Munchkin, Quorridor and Billionaire are some other good examples of games which utilise this mechanic.
So what have you got to lose?? Help ditch the negative image these games have developed over the years and be part of the revolution from bored-game back to board-game!!
