Daily discussion post: Games people play

[liv]

I'm thinking about play at the moment. For me games are an important part of how I socialize, and I'm working out how much of that translates to the social isolation world. Or, as some community leaders have been framing it, the world of social connection with physical distancing.

So let's talk about what we do for play, and what we're playing during the pandemic. Here are some prompt questions, but feel free to talk about anything game-related!

Are games part of the way you interact with children? Have you rediscovered games as an adult? Or are you playful in some other way that doesn't involve formal, structured games?

Do you play board and card games? Are they a special occasion thing, perhaps once a year when the family get together for Christmas, or a regular hobby? What's the best classic game in your opinion? Are you taking part in the contemporary board game revival? Do you have a favourite, or can you suggest a game that deserves more attention?

What about video games? Do you play phone games (and if so, are there any where you would like to connect with other players and add new friends)? PC games? Who's finally getting to that long queue of stuff you downloaded when it was on special offer? Console games? Multi player or single, classic, retro or modern, big tough tens of hours games or casual? Do you have kids who play video games, and do you approve or need to restrict how much and what they play?

Do you take part sports for fun and play? Or do you follow any sports? Which teams are you into?

I know there are lots of kinds of games I haven't listed, all the various forms of role-playing and improv games, gamified self-improvement stuff like Duolingo and HabitRPG, party games, you name it!

And if you feel like talking about it, do tell us how you've adapted your gaming and play to new circumstances. What works virtually, what needs adapting? What are you reminiscing about or watching in the archives when there are no live matches? What have you come back to after a break if you're one of the people spending more time indoors these days? What are you looking forward to playing when the world goes back to normal?

Comments

[pensnest]

Monopoly was, when I was a child, a frustrating part of my life, as for some reason my little sister *always* won. More recently, my Beast taught himself two or three new computer languages by programming home versions of 'Cluedo' in them; this often involved him, aided by the machine, playing against me. I learned a great deal about how to play, and I don't think the computer ever beat me! But he's a World of Warcraft addict now, and Cluedos no more.

My daughter introduced me/us to more sophisticated board games, although I'm not a regular. One that turned up early on I now love: that is the delightfully simple Dixit. I love Dixit! A game that involves beautiful and very weird illustrations, and a simple method of keeping score, it only takes a couple of minutes to explain the concept and the rules, so anyone can enjoy it. Playing it with different people gets interesting variations, which makes for a lot of fun (on one memorable occasion, there was general agreement on which card meant 'Sterek'). It'd probably be good entertainment for a family or group of 3 or more stuck at home together.

Cards Against Humanity. I have played this for several years with my regular Camp Sparkle people, and we have made several of our own questions and answers based on our fandom and shared history. Excellent fun, though I suspect not for everyone.

Camp Sparkle also ran the "Add 5 Words Story" for several years, which made for some very bizarre fiction... it would actually work online. Hmm. Though it might be too scary for current circumstances—we got some *very* weird shit in those stories!

I like playing Pictionary with the family, but one Christmas a few years back we had Epic Fail. My husband and son made a pretty good team, my daughter and bro-in-law also did very well. My father-in-law and I got *nowhere*, because he could not even throw out random words to guess what my drawings were - and I'm really not bad at drawing - and when it was his turn to draw, the pencil would quiver above the paper until time ran out. Can't guess with no material… so we made no progress at all. Most frustrating!

On my phone, I have an epic collection of card games, mostly solitaire but some played against the computer, which constitute probably 80-90% of my phone use! It's called Card Shark, and I recommend the collection. I've discovered several new solitaire games in a range of difficulties.

On the whole, I'm not a great player of non-solitary games (I like my Killer Sudoku puzzles) so I'm not missing the gaming interaction.

[magnetic_pole]

Pictionary! I hadn't thought of that in years, though I used to play it often. When we played with our neighbors, we had to ban one particular team configuration because the two twins always could guess the other's illustration.

I will think about giving Dixit a try, thanks! M.