Over Winter break, I got back into doing something that I haven’t had a lot of time for since I started college: playing board games! And yes, I am fully aware that I sounded like a total dork just now. Here’s the thing, though: I do not care in the slightest. I love the feelings of nostalgia and togetherness that I get when I play board games! I love sitting around a table with my loved ones, eating snacks, getting a little competitive, and enjoying lots of laughs! So go ahead, pull out that old Monopoly or Sorry! game you have sitting in the back of your closet (or check to see if there’s an online or app version of your favorite game), and take a little time for the things that matter. Without further ado, here are a few of my favorite board games (plus a bonus multiplayer online game!).
Aggravation
Growing up, Aggravation was my family’s favorite board game, so I had to mention this one first. For those of you who haven’t played it, you start out with four marbles per person, and you have to move them around the spaces on the board to get all of your pieces back home before everyone else does! It’s a bit like Sorry! in that you can knock people back to their base, but there are a few variations that make this game even more fun, IMO.
Codenames
I only discovered this game a few years ago during a game night with my cousins, but it is definitely worth trying out! Codenames is a type of word association game, except cooler because you feel like a secret agent while you’re playing it!
Candy land
Candy Land will always hold a special place in my heart! This is a game that really takes me back to my childhood. Everything is sugarplum princesses and gingerbread men, and it is truly wonderful.
mind the gap
This is another game that only came out within the last few years, and my family has a blast playing it every time! Mind the Gap is especially fun when you’re playing with people from multiple different generations. If you’ve never heard your grandfather try to hum a Taylor Swift song, this is your shining opportunity.
scrabble
I’m not sure how this tradition started, but playing Scrabble was always something that my family and I did while we waited for the ball to drop on New Year’s Eve. I wasn’t the best when I was younger, but I’m super competitive, so perhaps my efforts to get better are the reason that I love writing so much now!
quiplash
As promised, here is my favorite online game! A few people from my church have played Quiplash over Zoom a handful of times since the pandemic started because it’s so much fun and you can play it from anywhere! This game is hilarious, and it’s even better if you have a similar sense of humor as the people you are playing it with!
Have you played any (or all) of the games on this list? What are your favorite board games? Grab a few of them and have a game night in with your roommates, family, significant other, or whomever!
HCXO,
Autumn