Board Games The Magazine

Board Games The Magazine

Imagine a Board Game Where You Still Like Your Friends at the End

“One more round. We can’t end on this note,” Brian said, trying to be conciliatory.

“No, it’s time to go,” Maria said. True, it was getting late. It was the end of the week, we were all tired. But Brian was right. Just a couple of hours earlier it had been an idyllic scene of camaraderie: seated on the floor around a chesterfield ottoman with a game board on top, the fire keeping us toasty, drinking decaf and eating chocolate.

But our little gathering of trusting friends had just sunk into a feeling of conflict and distrust.

As they stood in the dark kitchen to say goodbye, and I awkwardly searched for the dish they had brought for our potluck, the sense of estrangement between us was palpable. As the door closed behind them, my housemate and I began to discuss what just happened.

What had happened, we realized, was not just a game night gone wrong—it was a crisis of story.

Codenames, a popular game that combines the rules of Taboo with the spirit of the Cold War (we were separated into two teams of spies), was seemingly made to foster imagination, teamwork, and a general atmosphere of fun. But instead it got us caught up in a values system contradictory to our goals as individuals: a sense of community.

For example, in most board games, you play as a one-person team, and you want to win, not lose. You might play to win while also playing to make someone else lose if you are a true game strategist. Teaming up against others adds a thrill, but if you make a mistake, you could be labeled a cheater.

Cheaters are generally subject to taunting and often cannot redeem themselves, while the other players become their “victims”—a sure prescription for violent feelings. Eye contact should be avoided, otherwise people might guess your thoughts and next moves. Hierarchy rules. Play your turn, but don’t help others. We have turned games meant for sociability into training grounds for anti-social and violent behavior. The scientific term for this is “priming.” Board games are not values-neutral.

Consider something as seemingly benign as Scrabble. Think about the game board and all of the ways players have to manipulate tiles to get the triple word score, or when someone takes too long for his turn every turn, or when someone misspells a word, or uses a proper noun. It only takes one person to get impatient before the game turns sour. Take away all of those rules and incentives, and the game could somehow lose part of its allure.

Last year I had the privilege of teaching my friend Catalina to play checkers. After she figured out how the game worked, she did everything she could to “lose” her pieces and make me win. And she did so with a grin of satisfaction. What was the secret of her contentment? In her mind, we both won. She was 4 years old! Yet there she was, hacking the age-old game and its competitive win-lose dynamic. Where does that leave us adults?

Happily, there are other games out there now that can just as effectively bring out a better story of who we are and what we can do together—by challenging us to turn our competitive drive toward solving a social problem. After that distressing night with our friends, I decided I’d better try some of these other games. I ordered two among five available from the Toolbox for Education and Social Action Collective: Rise Up! and Co-opoly, both less than a decade old.

A major consideration of mine for choosing these games was their respective emphasis on the two complementary wings of nonviolent action: constructive and obstructive program. In the former, you build alternatives to replace the system of harm; in the latter, you obstruct the violent system from working. Effective nonviolent strategy requires a skillful weaving together of both of these elements.

In Rise Up!, a game focused on winning a people’s movement, social capital is key. The creative choices “The Movement” has at its disposal are not measured in dollars, but supporters. It’s the responsibility of every player to make cooperative sacrifices to ensure that their supporters increase. Moreover, each player’s turn is the opportunity to lead The Movement and call the shots. When it’s your turn, you can play it until you are ready to pass it on to another.

But there’s a familiar catch: You risk losing to “The System” if the relationship between players breaks down and someone thinks that the movement’s success depends on their leadership alone. We’re all in it together.

It’s no secret: Movements require a lot of decision-making. Through creative questioning—for example, “What did your movement do when the Press sided with The System?”—Rise Up! drew out our capacity for patient, constructive dialogue. Just a few hours after playing, a friend wrote to express his eagerness to play again soon. He said he enjoyed the opportunity getting to know everyone in the group in a new way, and this is someone I’ve known for at least three years in a creative and friendly work environment.

Could Co-opoly measure up to our new expectations for fun? Absolutely.

While setting up the board, my friend pointed out that it must be missing pieces because there was only one player piece. After shaking the box a bit to find the missing pieces, we had a good laugh instead: There is only one piece because we were all on the same team! Starting a game that way certainly lightens the mood. No spies, no code names, no scores. Just teamwork and laughter.

Another intelligent feature of this game is that all of our best skills are used. For example, one player had a mind for managing money and, after consulting with us, set aside group funds for future ventures. It was appreciated by all, and we let him know. Another player had a talent for building excitement and enthusiasm for what our cooperative was doing in the world—in this case, a baby-dragon art school as well as a local food coop.

We still need spaces for fun and opportunities for reinforcing what could be—what will be—crucial to making a better world. Games like Rise Up! and Co-Opoly actually change the narrative that makes violence normative by turning the story of competition, scarcity, and isolation on its head. Everyone wins or no one does.

We don’t play against one another for a meaningless goal of simple victory over the other players; these games ask us to play with one another while imagining the real possibility of a better society. Games that pit people against each other and send people to jail while others get rich are considered cultural classics, but their time is up. We can all win.

Chess Sets: The Upsides And Downsides Of Going Electronic

Chess is a board game that has been around for more than 1500 years. Within such time span, chess rose and plummeted in the popularity list. The game garnered a huge following in the 1970s - thanks to Bobby Fischer. Fischer sported a jovial personality that complemented his superb chess playing prowess.

Chess is a board game that has lived on for more than 1500 years. Within a span of time, chess soared and plummeted in the popularity list. The last time it was wildly popular was in the 1970’s when one of the most superb chess players in the world was Bobby Fischer. It wasn’t merely Fischer’s skills that caught attention; it was his personality as well. Without Fischer, chess slipped in popularity.

Today, chess is back. More and more people are beginning to take an interest in the game of chess. Chess sets of the decade have become noticeably vogue and attractive. But perhaps the main factor in restoring chess’s lost claim to fame is the electronic chess set.

When it comes to choosing an electronic chess set, there are just two categories. One is handy while the other isn’t. Whether handy or not, the chess sets come in a myriad of designs and special features.

One of the greatest achievements of electronic chess sets is that they eliminate the constant search for a partner. People who are enthusiastic about chess usually have a difficult time finding people who are willing to compete with them. Thanks to the electronic chess set, one can play any time against the computer.

Electronic chess sets are indispensable items when a player is preparing to join a chess tournament. It offers the convenience of being able to polish chess moves 24/7.

Some critics keep saying that playing chess is about more than simply playing the game, but that it too is about cultivating a relationship with the person playing against you. Electronic chess sets are also not capable of honing one’s foresight. When playing on an electronic chess set, a person will learn basic moves and how to counter them, yet that will be about it.

To chess masters, the electronic chess set is best used to gain a familiarity of the rules. There’s no better substitute to having a real person as one’s opponent. One of the simplest means to find fellow human chess players is through a chess club. For a modest fee, members get to compete and buff up their skills.

A more cost-effective alternative to an electronic chess set is an internet chess playing room. Like electronic chess set play times and club meetings, an internet chess room affords people a chance to find playmates and get better in the game.

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Build your own world in Catan. Use your limited resources and bargain your heart out. This 3-4 person game is the best of the year.

Buying Board Game Boxes

Board games provide the perfect family entertainment with most having an age range that suits the diverse element in a family gathering. Many a times you will be fascinated how board games occupy the major part of a family holidays or picnic. Certain board games will remain special to us for keeps due to family preference or childhood memories.

This 4-20 person game is the perfect icebreaker for any group of people. Get to know other people by hearing their ideas and opinions.

You never know who to trust in this game. Build a haunted house, while trying to figure out which of your opponents is betraying you. This is a 3-6 person game.

Top 3 Board Games of 2023

Board games provide the perfect family entertainment with most having an age range that suits the diverse element in a family gathering. Many a times you will be fascinated how they occupy the major part of a family holidays or picnic. Certain games will remain special to us for keeps due to family preference or childhood memories.

Although they may not be most peoples first choice for entertainment these days, with computers, Ipods and other modern luxuries, the fact is on the boring rainy nights these board games are always pulled out from the closet and enjoyed just as much when they first came out many decades ago. These are reasons why these special games will always hold a special position in every person’s life.

It is not always the child who can relate to the board games’ fascination. It actually stretches quite beyond that. Titles such a Pictionary, Monopoly, Chinese Checker, Carrom, Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble and other word games are household names and remain favorites to many. Even down the ages the nature of traditional games has not changed in a while.

Though board game boxes change in design, lamination and upgrading in technological matters, they always hold that special space of significance that their traditional values hold for themselves. They have always been a hit at parties and even young adults or elders come to join in the fun and interaction. Wrapped attention is always found when a particularly entertaining game is in play.

Card games are also popular game forms that have come to be a massive hit through all age brackets. The different forms and shapes that come through the numerous types of card games keep fascinating board game lovers.

Even if we outgrow one kind we will always find something contemporary or revamped out of the old to grab our attention. If you wish to relive those great childhood memories, or perhaps a new type of board game has caught your interested, the easiest and most often cheapest way is to buy them online.