Not just child’s play
Those board games we played when we were young are back, bigger than ever.
If you’re feeling nostalgic when you are next in a department store, wander over to the toy section.
There among the latest fad products, you are guaranteed to find timeless items such as Lego, Barbie, and some very familiar board games.
Many of the games that were popular a generation or three ago are still around, either in their original form or with a zeitgeist-flavoured makeover.
As the old favourites garner new fans, enthusiasts are creating new board games and showcasing them at huge events such as the UK Games Expo in Birmingham (20,000 attendees), GenCom in Indianapolis (60,000) and Spiel in Essen, Germany (174,000).
Here in Australia, most big cities have speciality board game stores, and some have board game cafes, where you can eat, drink and play with likeminded folk.
While some of the more energetic games such as Twister may be beyond you, there are still plenty of options to enjoy at home.
Here are 10 popular board games that you may want to teach the grandkids, or simply play for old time’s sake:
Monopoly. It’s been around for about 90 years, and despite some cosmetic changes and different themes (Simpsons Monopoly anyone?), it’s essentially the same game where contestants try to stay out of jail, win beauty contests and build a real-estate fortune.
Scrabble. We may all be playing Wordle these days, but this is the original word game. It challenges players to create words from letter tiles and score points based on their placement on the board. Fun facts: the highest-scoring word is Oxyphenbutazone, and the best four-letter word is Zizz.
Chess. This strategy game emerged in India and Persia in the 7thCentury AD. It requires players to anticipate each other’s moves as they try to capture their opponent’s king. Once that outcome is inevitable, “check mate” is declared. Magnus Carlsen is currently regarded as the best player, but computers are now routinely defeating humans.
Checkers (Draughts). This is a simple strategy game that is easy to learn and play with young children or when the emphasis is strictly on fun. Players try to capture their opponent’s pieces by jumping over them and gain special moves when they reach the other end of the board.
Backgammon. A game of luck and strategy, it involves players rolling dice and moving their pieces around and off the board. Backgammon is one of the oldest games of its type and has been around in one form or another for nearly 5,000 years.
Trivial Pursuit. This is a more recent entry, dating back only to 1979 when Canadian friends Chris Hany and Scott Abbott had a good idea. It’s a game of general knowledge trivia, where players try to collect pieces of a plastic “pie” by correctly answering questions in various categories. Like Monopoly, it is available in different editions, including those with Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Power Ranger themes.
Dominoes: Technically more of a card game than a board game, this one requires participants to match tiles that carry different numbers of dots. The first player to empty their hand wins.
Pictionary. A fast and fun game where players take turns drawing a picture and trying to get their teammates to guess what it is before time runs out.
Clue (Cluedo). Inspired by the works of Arthus Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, this is a murder mystery where players use special cards and a board depicting the layout of a house. Their mission is to identify the suspect, the weapon, and the room in which the crime occurred.
Snakes and Ladders. The aim is to get from the bottom of the board to the top by rolling the dice and moving a token. Landing on a ladder allows you to climb to a higher point, but if you land on a snake, you have to slide down a few rows. Fun fact: In America, they call it Chutes and Ladders, and no slimy reptiles are involved.
