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Chutes and Ladders? bleh, it's Snakes and Ladders over here. | |
Here too (Canada), That's very odd, though I grew up with the classic board that had mini-morality plays with every snake and ladder. | |
Grr...Board games. My hated rival. | |
The economy ladder's gotten really bad. And this makes sense. People can play Monopoly and pretend that they actually have money. | |
What is chutes and ladders anyone? | |
Good. I'm a gamer in the broadest sense of the word, I love all kinds of games, from videogames to sports to board games. I'd love to play some more boardgames, and it would be really nice if we would see a true revival of them. I doubt that this recession would herald a true revival, but one can hope. | |
Hooray! Now all I have to do is find a Jenga Set and find someone for me to be rather cruel against. | |
In related news uno can be made into a fun drinking game.... unless your playing with complete dumbasses. | |
I just got Uno attack, monopoly, and Risk. I'm set on boardgames for many a rainy day. | |
As someone whom plays a lot of board games. They tend to be infinitely more edifying to play with others than video games. | |
It's snakes and ladders for crying brats who are afraid of snakes in any form. I've got Monopoly, an unopened SceneIt, a bunch of card decks, and a basic knowledge of how to use most of these. I'm covered. | |
Hopefully, families and new board game buyers will get out of the tired old US boardgames from decades ago or, worse still, licensed buy-more-merch garbage and get into some of the excellent European-styled boardgames released over recent years. From Settlers of Catan to Dominion, there's a lot out there for kids and adults. | |
I love a good game of cluedo. I always win. I have lost twice in my entire life, and one of those was when I was under 5. And the other one, my gran cheated. Also Risk is awesome. | |
No offense to the OP but you are completely wrong. Board games have in no way, shape, or form become passe over the past couple of decades. In fact, many games have evolved throughout that time period just as the video gaming has evolved into the social activity it is now. In fact, every hardcore video gamer I am friends with plays board games as often as they can. The opposite doesn't seem true though: all the people that I know that are board gamers don't really get into video gaming. As the article points out that there is a financial hurdle to investing in video games and that may be the reason. It is true that things such as Snakes/Chutes and Ladders and Monopoly may not be the most popular games anymore but that is because the nature of them is antiquated. At this point, Monopoly is a very broken game which can on many occasions have no end in sight. It is essentially the Pac-Man of board games. While both may be enjoyable on occasion, both video and board gaming has reached a point where these classics are not good enough by today's standards. Some of the most popular board games have even made it to things like XBLA. Things such as Settlers of Catan, Carcassone, and Ticket to Ride. There are cooperative board games such as Hoopla and Pandemic where all the players work against the board or timer to achieve a particular goal. I think these all demostrate that board gaming is alive and well even if you aren't aware of it. Peace =) | |
Yep Yep! Although, actually looking at this news it makes sense...I have heard alot of my friends who have children around the age trying to get them into classics like Monopoly, and other games like that. Gotta admit, there is nothing wrong with a good board game every now and then ^^ | |
I'm from Fort Wayne, teehee. Anyways, I think this bit of news is just fine. I used to love Scrabble sessions with my family. | |
Played some Settlers of Catan and Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game just before New Years with a bunch of friends. Was my first time playing both and they were a fair bit of fun. I was shite at Settlers, but the zombie board game was surprisingly interesting. | |
Well said. Although I play far more PC games than board games, this is mostly for a lack of having friends who can't come to a consensus as to when to invest large chunks of time to playing board games together. But, when I am able to play board games, there are some brilliant games available, which have depth far beyond the typical childhood fare. Monopoly, as much as I loved it as a kid, really can't hold a candle to more modern economy based games like Puerto Rico. | |
That is the joy of Settlers though. It is only about 30 minutes to an hour so even if you have a terrible game (and I've had friends who experienced those) you can try again soon. Trust me, its worth the effort. | |
There were so many that I couldn't think of all the names. Puerto Rico is awesome. Coffee for the win! | |
gee are cards a board game ? , yeah all the classic board games , and can do that with a game console | |
I hate playing Pictionary with anime fans. | |
Sadly I had to head off after our first game. I did enjoy it, even if I was terrible at it :P | |
Actually, when you think about it, "Chutes and Ladders" makes a hell of a lot more sense than "Snakes and Ladders". Seriously, what does a snake have to do with going down? I just got Apples to Apples for Christmas, and it's an absolute blast to play. (It's even better as a drinking game.) Also, Risk 2210 AD is always fun if you don't mind the possible risk of broken friendships. | |
Best news I've heard in a long time. Boardgames own. Should really check some newer ones out. | |
Maybe then we will see a drop in price of board games? I love Arkham Asylum, but the core game alone is $60. That is probably the worst priced one that I've seen, but a lot of board games that I love out price me when I want to get my own copy. | |
Nothing wrong with board games. They're a great time! | |
Kids need to skip snakes and ladders, that game is fun for five minutes until every kid figures out that the dice decides everything. | |
err I don't know how it is in the rest of the world, but last time I looked at a games store most board games were more expensive then new video games by a fair margin... Risk was $70 for a simple set, and Monopoly... gah... expensive... and that was the basic version... I've got a friend who "collects" them... well I don't think that's he's intent but he can rarely force us to play one more then once, so it might as well be collecting, and I've seen him drop hundreds on them. So I don't see how anyone could claim they are cheaper then video games. | |
It's rather fascinating how the weekly steampunk gatherings in Seattle more often as not have games going on at one or more tables; Race for the Galaxy has been popular lately. Even though many of us work in the high-tech sector, it's mentally recharging to sit down over coffee with friends and play games that don't require lightning reflexes or trash-talking 'skills'. | |
I actually just finished playing my second game of ZOMBIES!!! of the day. It's a great boardgame, because unlike most tactical boardgames which take forever to setup, you build the board and populate it with zombies as you play. Plus the humor is great. | |
Fuck board games; teach the little bastards games that have social value beyond the family, like poker, mahjong, and dominoes. | |
lol. I really don't have much more to say to that. | |
Here in the US, most of the common games, such as those sold at Toys R Us, are priced between $10 and $30. Monopoly, for instance, can usually be had for sub $20, and Risk is usually around $30 for a nice edition. Even the more "expensive" games rarely run more than $40-$60, which is the price of a standard console game. And while I'm certainly not one to knock video gaming, I will say that the longevity of board games probably far exceeds the longevity of your typical video game. For instance, I grew up playing a copy of Monopoly from the 50's, and it worked every bit as well as when it was new. | |
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Recession Drives Board Game Bounceback
Old-time board games could be making a bit of a comeback thanks to the recession, as parents look for ways to entertain their kids and maybe teach them a thing or two without breaking the bank.
Board games have become passe over the past couple of decades. Most people now associate "family game night" with the Wii and playing games with your friends has come to mean slapping on a headset. But that attitude could be changing just a little bit, as a recession-battered public looking for cheap, durable entertainment drove a small but still impressive growth in board game sales in 2009. The NPD Group reported that board game sales through October 2009 were up by four percent over the same period in 2008; web connected toys, on the other hand, were down by 39 percent.
The reason, according to "toy experts," is simple: A decent console setup is going to run around $300 and that doesn't include the price of games and online subscription fees. Classics like Chutes and Ladders, on the other hand, will set you back about five bucks at Toys R Us. They can be played repeatedly with unpredictable outcomes and, in the eyes of many, offer greater educational value than their console cousins: Chutes and Ladders can help establish early math skills, while the card game Uno is great for everything from color and number recognition to strategic thinking.
But board games can also help develop less tangible social skills, like taking turns, following rules and learning to win and lose gracefully. "One of the primary skills (board games) develop is self-regulation," said Peter Pizzolongo, director of professional development at the National Association for the Education of Young Children. "You have to be able to wait your turn."
Pizzolongo's statement makes me wonder if maybe we haven't lost something by forsaking the face-to-face contact that comes from rolling dice across a table in favor of mashing buttons with people across the country. Would a kid who's ready to scream obscenities into his headset at the drop of a hat be willing to do the same thing to a group of players in the same room? I'm not suggesting that a punch in the mouth is an effective behavioral modification tool, but given that so many of our social skills develop through playing games, I can't help but think that a board game bounce might do us all a bit of good.
Source: Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, via Game Culture
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