Looking back at my childhood, i remember so many hours being spent on playing board games. Getting your siblings and friends together to play games like Sorry, Connect Four, Stratego, Battleship and Guess Who to name just a few. These games were so much more about just playing. It was about getting together with friends and sitting closely together trying to win a game...or having fun trying to win. It was about learning rules, and following them (you would be called out right away if you tried anything sneaky). It was about sportsmanship and learning it is okay to lose (I can't say i ever left a game not crying, but i always made peace with the winner and challenged them to another go at the game).
Monopoly went on forever. It lasted hours, and you could not stop until someone was finally declared a winner. I remember taking dinner breaks and counting my money and doing an inventory check on my property to make sure nothing was tampered with during the break. I remember calling out 'Banker' first, as it was a privilege to be the one to handle the money. Addition and subtraction skills were worked on without any fuss...and you became good at it!
I am not one to oppose the technological advancements of the games of children today. It is the world we live in, and i do believe the advancements have a benefit to this generation. I am not going to preach about how it was so much better when we were children and that these new games take away from the real fun we had growing up (maybe just a bit of preaching).
It is a new fun that i have to embrace and not challenge so much. One day, i know my daughter is going to want a Nintendo DS where she will have her head down, playing games on her own...or playing on her own with others who are also playing on their own (at least they are playing on their own together right?). The changes are inevitable, we grew out of our games too.
Some of the classic games are still around. You may not recognize them as they have a whole new look to appeal to this generation of kids.
Lite Brite now looks like a mini tablet, not the big monstrous unbreakable white machine that gave you lots of space to be creative. The new look is streamlined and classy like an Apple Ipad.
'Guess Who' is a lot more compact too. I miss the big windows you would flick down every time you had to eliminate a face.
Monopoly has gone through a drastic change. Now there is an electronic version. No more Monopoly money. The banker is not needed anymore. Just like how we use currency today, counting cash has been eliminated. Now there is a debit machine that calculates your profits or losses.
I don't know about you, but handling the Monopoly money was the whole fun of the game. I remember keeping a neat pile of all my currency and tucking a bit under the board to keep it in place. Those kids that piled up their money in disarray, those were the ones you knew you could beat. They had no chance, they could not keep track of their money let alone their property. Sometimes you would land on their property and they would not even realize it. You would hurry the next person in line so that you would not have to pay rent. Serves them right for not organizing their cards for quick assessments. That was how ruthless our games got. Usually a chuckle would follow once the next player took their turn. It served as a friendly reminder that you needed to pay attention to the game...and get your stuff organized!
My husband said that my almost 4 year old was looking at a Leap Pad when they were at the mall this weekend. We agreed not to get it. She does not need it, and frankly I enjoy playing games as a family. Maybe when she is older we will purchase a video game for her. For now our collection of games are reminiscent of the past. Good old classic face to face games. Actually, i lied. She does have a console. It is an older Leap Frog computer console that my friend past on to her. I like that it teaches her how to use a computer though. There are games which help them figure out where the letter keys are, and ones where she has to use her mouse. She has really learned the basics of computers, which i think is still as useful skill.
I don't know if the new age games really appeal to the kids as much as it does to the game makers. Packaging costs less now (games are smaller, lighter,more compact) yet sales price is as much or more higher than before. More accessories and spending is required for the new electronic games. If you don't need batteries, you need controllers, headpieces, cartridges and lots of 'extra's' to make the game playable (oh and times that by 2 or 3 depending on how many kids you have). Lastly, there is always an updated version that comes along shortly after purchase. You are just making purchase after purchase to keep up with the latest technology. Sounds familiar. My iPhone 5 is so much better than the 4.
I don't want to come across as the sanctimonious mom who judges those that buy video games for their children. Video games are not something we were immune to. Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong and many others were played a lot too. I just found that back then, games and their consoles lasted longer. There was not a new version every year. I love WII and we have an XBox in our house where we play Rock Band (I don't think it is even the it game anymore). Recently I went to a party where the kids were having tons of fun playing the dance games on WII.
I just want to delay those games until our daughter is older. I love looking at all our board games. Takes me back to my childhood days. I see her having just as much fun as I did. Thank goodness they still have those games around (even though updated). There has not been much of an advancement in board games. The classics are still the favorites. I will have to check out Ebay for some of the older versions. I wish my old games were kept. Maybe I will dig through my moms basement, but somehow I think they got lost through the years. Too bad.
I think tonight we will have a Hungry Hungry Hippo match. Perfect when I was 3 years old and still perfection for my 3 year old daughter.
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