 I've
always been a game player -- cards, pool, board games, and outdoor
games and sports. For me, it's not about competition, or winning. It's
about playing. The attributes of the best games are:
- Simplicity -- I don't want to have a degree to learn the
rules, and I like games that children can play on an equal footing with
adults.
- Speed -- A game should keep moving, and have a natural flow to it.
- Strategy -- I like to think, and a good game should provide some exercise for the mind.
- Sociability -- A good game deepens relationships and allows social discourse, and laughter, as it proceeds.
- Artistry -- Aesthetics, elegance, good design, all add a dimension to a game.
Here's my list of favourite games, and why I like them. Five years ago
I'd probably have come up with a very different list, and I have yet to
discover the best game in the world:
- Dealer's Choice Poker
-- Not that silly game they play in casinos where you only get two
cards every hand, but the social Friday Night neighbourhood game where
stakes are low, bluffing is key, and someone introduces a new variation
every time you get together. Favourite variations: Pass the Trash and Do Ya.
- Chase the Ace
-- An elegantly simple game that children as young as five can play,
and win, but which also enthrals the most demanding adults.
- Connect / Rivers Roads & Rails / Metro
-- These are the simplest tile-playing games, essentially extensions of
dominoes. Easy to learn, elegant, and often producing a work of art in
the final tableau. Our kids and grandkids love these games, and even
many of our adult friends like them. I've been told I should try a more
sophisticated tile-playing game called Carcassonne, and after looking
at these lovely tiles I'm inclined to try it.
- Beach Volleyball
-- The world's simplest ball game, one of the few where physical
strength, size and finesse are only a minor advantage. Fun for all
ages, relatively safe, and good exercise. I prefer the
6-players-per-side game.
- Personal Preference
-- An innocuous commercial game that rewards you for knowing what your
partner's personal preferences are. A great game for couples getting to
know each other couples, and a great conversation starter.
- Acquire
-- One of the most popular and enduring commercial games, this one
about building and investing in hotel chains. Educational, elegant,
hard to master, and still easy to learn. Kids figure out the strategy
of this game maddeningly quickly.
- Joker Rummy -- The
Joker variant of Rummy requires collection of runs and sets totalling
at least 40 points before laying down. Until you have laid down, you
cannot pick up the previous player's discard, and a joker (which
carries a 100 point penalty if not laid down) cannot be used as part of
the initial lay-down. For that reason, this two-deck Dutch variant is
sometimes called Aggravation Rummy. Still, it's a great, easy to learn
game. If anyone can find the rules online (maybe in Dutch?) please let
me know. Contract Rummy isn't a bad alternative.
- Balderdash
-- The only word game on my list, simply because it's really a bluffing
game, not a word game. Since I'm a serious cruciverbalist, no one in my
local social circles will play word games with me. But any serious
bullshitter can win at Balderdash.
- Nine-Ball
-- My favourite pool game. Also elegantly simple, it uses only the
first 9 numbered balls, which must be struck (but not necessarily sunk)
in order. But the twist is that only the nine-ball counts -- and wins
the entire game. That means that defensive play can trump aggressive
play, and strategy can trump skill.
- Curling
-- The token Canadian entry on the list. It's the consummate game of
strategy, and old geezers like me can beat young athletes. When I was a
kid we used to play on outdoor rinks with 'jam-pails' -- one gallon
cans filled with cement with a coloured plastic handle on top. With
properly pebbled indoor ice and smooth stones you need the 'free guard
zone' rule to keep the game interesting.
So what are your favourite games (to play, not to watch)? What do you think is the world's best
undiscovered or underrated game? And why is playing games so important
to people all over the world, even as adults, an essential social activity?
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MADE IN CANADA
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