When Kevin, and then Jeremy, were at TCU, I used to visit Hulen Mall in Fort Worth pretty regularly. It was sort of on the way to the university—just a matter of where one turned off I35. There was a Container Store in front of the mall, and right across the street there was a Border’s Bookstore. Lots to do. After graduation, Kevin moved to the Cultural District; Jeremy eventually moved over there, too. Kevin and April still live in that area. Jeremy and Sarah married and moved to Brooklyn. The Border’s moved much closer to Kevin and April. Then, that store closed down, and The Container Store moved into the old Border’s spot. So, all in all, I don’t have much reason to visit the Hulen Mall area any more. Until yesterday. I was on my way to hear a speaker at a Fort Worth library which was really close to the Mall, and I’m on a quest to find a skirt with pockets, which turns out to be a much more difficult task that any sensible person might imagine. Maybe it is nonsense, but I tried.
I still had an hour or so after a fruitless skirt search and went wandering around the mall. Lots of places I used to visit were gone. But I found a game store that looked interesting. There were quite a few games that I remember from, and played during, my childhood. Sort of.
-
- Not *exactly* the Monopoly of my childhood. I just don’t get the fascination of The Walking Dead. But obviously some folks do.
-
- Kevin and Jeremy played this. It looks pretty much the same.
-
- We played the kind of Risk where there’s a world map. A map of *this* world, the one with continents and countries I recognize. But I guess it must be a different kind of risky if ALL the Enterprise Captains are trying to run things at the same time. Or, IN the same time.
-
- I’ve never heard of these Munchkin games.
-
- Again with the zombies
Peter has become a game player. He’s good at Concentration-type games (find the matching pairs), and enjoys a version of HiHo Cherry-Oh. And he’s getting good at Candyland. (Okay, there’s not much skill at Candyland, but it can be very disappointing.)
-
- The games I remember.
-
- THE MINIONS ARE TAKING OVER!!!
-
- This one looks like fun to me. Interesting board, Interesting idea.
Jesus became wise, and he grew strong. God was pleased with him and so were the people.
Luke 2:52 (Contemporary English Version)
God plans for all of us to grow wise and strong. He wants to be pleased with us, and He wants us to get along with people. One way we, as adults, help the children in our lives become wise and strong and capable of getting along is through games. Learning to follow rules, take turns, and cooperate can all be developed through games. Of course, we’ll need to be careful about the games we choose for kids. And we need to be good examples for kids and each other as we’re involved in those games. No throwing the Monopoly money if you lose. No gloating if you win. Okay?
Munchkin is aimed at people who enjoy (or have played) role playing games, like Dungeons and Dragons. It’s a sort of spoof of RPGs.
That game to the right of Risk, Ticket to Ride, is lots of fun. There’s even a version aimed at younger players, Ticket to Ride: First Journey (haven’t played that version, but the original is great).
Ah. I’d never heard of it (Munchkin). But I’ve seen Ticket to Ride on the shelves and it *does* look like fun. I need to convince the rest of the family; maybe for a family Christmas gift this year.
I love boardgames. We have so many they filled a bookshelf. Last year I began giving them away to children who could not afford games. Of course at times, I have had to play the game with them because they did not understand the concept. What fun! Children who do not have the means to purchase the boardgames, enjoy the games too.
How gracious of you!
I have many fond memories of playing games at your dining room table. Oh, the fun times we had, laughing ’til our cheeks hurt!
That’s the best kind of laughing, isn’t it!
I know! When your cheeks hurt, you know you really mean it when you laugh.