Tag Archive for Scrabble

Top 5 Board Games of All Time

November 7, 2011 / admin / No comments

If you were asked if you could guess the top 5 board games of all time then you are very likely to agree on at least three of them. Even with so many board games on the market you would find a select few that everyone seems to know. Kids are fascinated by board games even now as they come in all styles, colours and designs that intrigue them. There is such a huge variation also in the way that the games are played and a lot of imagination has gone into many of the games that make them truly unique. Board games are indoor games, though it is fun when you find outdoor versions of them, so they compete a little with the numerous computer games that are available in the typical home. Some of the board games have migrated in a fashion to the various computers and consoles available but there is still something quite magical about sitting around a board games and playing.

Here are the top five board games that around the world have become popular. How many of them would you have included?

  1. Monopoly
    monopoly
    Monopoly has been a definite favourite throughout a number of decades; no matter the age group it has a strong following. In 1999, the Guinness Book of Records published that this was the most played game in the world. If you didn’t know the rules here are the basics. The is one person who becomes the banker, he is in charge of all the money and the other players all have to roll the dice and move their piece around the edge of a square board full of properties. They can buy the property if it is empty, or pay rent or charges if it belongs to someone else. There are also a number of cards which take you into different scenarios, some good and some bad, some even that will land you in jail. Jail, of course is one of the properties that will slow you down. The winner is the person with the most money and property and this can take a few hours to achieve.
  2. Scrabble
    scrabble
    Scrabble is another board game with a massive following. As with Monopoly you will see many variations of this game on the market. The benefit of this game is that it does help you to improve your spelling and vocabulary as you improve at the game. To play the game you place letter tiles on a grid to form words connected to each other. The letter tiles have points and the grid has certain multipliers that help toward winning the game with the most points. It can be a contest between people of how powerful their vocabulary is.
  3. Chess
    chess
    One of the oldest classics, this game has had a long history and consistent following. Your moves on a chess board are down to a number of rules for each of the pieces but the strategies that can be used to play are numerous and complex. You essentially play your pieces against an opponent and they are either black or white. Your pieces can move towards the opponents and the aim of the game is to take their pieces out. The different pieces have different powers of movement and passing from pawns to queens. Chess involves thinking of possible moves that can be made and is a very intellectual pursuit. A good game will probably last for hours if each player is proficient.
  4. Checkers or Draughts
    draughts
    Using the same or similar to the chess board but with simpler pieces and movement. The pieces can jump over and take the opponents pieces and the winner is the person left with a piece on the board. This game will end in a stalemate if both players are good and do not make any mistakes. A big following and a simple game to master this is a popular family game that often helps children learn to strategize.
  5. Trivial Pursuit
    trivial pursuit
    The youngest of the board games, it was created in 1979, Trivial Pursuit is one that caught on quickly and remained a favourite. Essentially testing your ability to answer general knowledge questions on a range of subjects this board game is an active and social one.

I’ve got all of those games in my home have you? I still love playing them but there are also lots of new skill games to check out. You can find all of these board games and more at the Amazon site. Just click on top board games.

Category: Board Games / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Word Games – An Evolution

March 1, 2011 / Jody Mugele / One comment

I love playing word games to improve my vocabulary as well as socialize. Word games, such as Scrabble, are a great way to exercise the mind. This applies not only to adults like myself, but also to the younger generation that may not always be the most attentive when it comes to learning new things in school. However, when presented with a game, the young mind will often find itself much more receptive to learning.

Word games such as Scrabble are ubiquitous in the sense that they can be played in multiple formats. The most commonly known is the simple table top board game. Getting my family and friends together to play a board game provides a fantastic way to break away from the technological distractions that we are constantly being bombarded with and allows for us to interact socially with one another. While exercising the brain, we can also enjoy the time spent in one another’s company. This can be doubly true for children who have grown up with technological advancement like the Internet that tend to push face to face socialization to the wayside.

Of course, there is something to be said about the ability to play games, like Scrabble, on the go. Mobile phone technology allows for games to be played against a computer, or even against friends, no matter where they are. I can challenge my own vocabulary and spelling skills wherever I am, and can play against friends who have the same game on their phone, even if we’re separated by hundreds of miles. It’s not as social as playing in the same room, but it still offers a fun way to play a game with a friend.

Social media sites have several word games available. These games can not only be played with and against my friends, but against users all over the world. This allows for an enormous level of challenge as I can match wits with players in other countries. This can come in handy if I don’t have friends readily available to play either the board game or the online game and if I’d rather face a human being then a computer. The enormous popularity of social media websites ensures that there will always be human competition available. Of course, care should be taken when letting smaller children play these games online, as they can run into some less then savory characters if an in-game chat is present.

While the importance of face to face socialization cannot be stressed enough, it is nice that challenging and mind bending word games are available to be played in so many different ways. By taking advantage of the various mediums that games like Scrabble now inhabit, I’m sure of finding a great challenge no matter where I am.

 

J. Sample is a blogger, gamer, and lover of online technology. She became fascinated with the evolution of games and gaming on a family vacation in the Midwest.

Category: Articles, Board Games, Computer Games, Online Games / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Games As Wedding Gifts

August 16, 2010 / Jody Mugele / No comments

It may not be the first thing you think of when you go to buy that wedding or bridesmaid gifts, but I’ve found that in our thirteen years of my marriage, there have been times when my husband and I are looking for things other to do than watch movies or play tennis. Especially when the weather’s bad. When we had kids, it became more difficult to leave the house; and we came back to boardgames. They last.

I actually got the idea for board games as wedding gifts from my mom. She was married in the winter time. She and my dad honeymooned in a remote cabin in the woods. Within the three days, they were snowed in. They found two games in the cabin: Tiddlywinks and Pickup Sticks. When I curled my face into an I’m-so-sorry look, she smiled and said, “It was fun. Those are good memories.”

I’m not recommending Tiddlywinks or Pickup Sticks as wedding gifts, but there are several two-player games that are great fun and a unique gift. How many times have you gone to find a gift for a couple getting married,and found yourself thinking, but they’ve lived together forever. They already have a toaster. And dishes. And towels.

The games my husband and I keep going back to are Settlers of Catan, Kill Dr. Lucky, Empire Builder, and always the great classics, Scrabble and Cribbage. We prefer board games because there’s something cozy about having to set the game up together, and anticipating the play. We also prefer turn-based games, so we can sip coffee and tea between turns. But, if your friends are video gamers, a nice gift basket full of Mario, Star Wars, and/or Zelda would be a unique and lovely thing.

But back to boardgames. I like Settlers of Catan and Empire Builder because they’re civilization games and require some trading between players, working together, and banter. The game length is good and long, and there are expansion packs when the original versions begin to feel stale.

Kill Dr. Lucky is fun because it’s the grown-up version of Clue. Instead of finding out whodunit, you work to do in the good doctor before the other player or players get the chance. There are variations in the game play (one in which you also attempt to kill doctor’s dog). The play requires strategy (you can manuever your character to take up to three turns in a row). And, like Settlers of Catan, the game lasts for a little over an hour.

Of course, if you’re in the mood for shorter games, Scrabble and Cribbage will do the trick. These games are also on the lower spectrum cost-wise. Although there are some pretty fancy Scrabble boards out there. There are customizable Scrabble and Cribbage Boards available in fancy woods and marbles out there. Imagine one engraved as I saw: Chris and Carla. Drawing blanks together forever. I even saw one Scrabble board recently that was bedazzled in pink rhinestones.

What I like to do is buy three games of various sizes (Settlers of Catan on bottom, Kill Dr. Lucky in the middle, Cribbage on top). Then I wrap them individually and stack them like a wedding cake. For a cake topper you could place a deck of cards, an official Scrabble dictionary (for the serious Scrabbler) or the more traditional big bow—a wrapping as fun and unique as the gift.

The Author Jody Mugele is an avid gamer, writer, and loving wife from the great city of Indianapolis.

Category: Articles / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Entries  
Wordpress Theme by ThemeZee