“I have come to the personal conclusion that while not all artists are chess players, all chess players are artists.”
–Marcel Duchamp
Have you ever stopped to imagine what life would be like without games? Without play?
Games are an essential part of life. As infants, we’re exposed to ‘peek-a-boo’ and ‘patty-cake’ and gradually work up to our first board games like ‘Candyland’ or ‘Hi-Ho-Cherry-O’. Chutes and Ladders anyone?
Games help us learn, develop skills, overcome obstacles and reach goals. They are fun, entertaining and offer a break from work and other obligations.
Games can be played solo, with one or more opponents or as a team. Some even get paid to play games!
For Christmas one year, I gave my Dad a chess set. It wasn’t fancy–just a thin wooden board with plastic pieces. We didn’t know how to play, and I found the directions so confusing. It sat on the shelf, gathering dust.
Fast forward twenty years. I finally learn to play as my eldest son had an interest in the game at a young age and picked it up quite easily. He’s really the one who taught me how to play. I wasn’t very good at it so he preferred to play with his dad as it was more of a challenge. I recall many evenings when my husband would take turns playing with our kids–great bonding moments.
Nowadays most games that played seem to be of the video or screen variety. Every now and then, there is a request to play an old fashioned game of Monopoly or Sorry! How can I say ‘no’?
What are some of your favorite games?