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Family Game Night: Games To Try This Weekend

Aug 31, 2020 05:41PM ● By Jessica Bowman
Since gathering together for game night was one of the things I always loved as a child, I've picked out some games you can play with your family and friends. The games listed were picked out of a sea of games I’ve played in the past but are not ranked in any order.

Kids Games (8 and up):

Life. This game is a classic in my family. I remember many nights playing this with my mother and brother, and it quickly became one of my favorites. Life is a game where you choose one of two paths, college or career. If your player heads straight for a career, you get a head start going through the board. If you start by going to college, your player character will collect a debt, but you will be able to choose from a wider variety of careers. The end goal is to get to retirement, and the player with the most money wins. This game is a nice pretend romp through an imaginary life, and while it sounds complicated, all the rules are simple to explain.

Mancala. A lot of you probably know how to play this game already. I spent many days of my childhood playing this game with friends, or sometimes even by myself. The stones' feeling is smooth and pleasant, and the dropping sound they make when they hit the wood has always sounded like a comfort to me. You play by collecting stones from pockets on the board and depositing them in your “Mancala.” The player with the most stones once the board is cleared wins. It’s simple and fun to play.

Game with teens (12 and up):

What Do You Meme? This game is a simple one. Each round starts with a judge who plays a photo card. Each player then has to pick a caption card from their hand to go with it. The funniest combination, as determined by the judge, wins that round. Players decide how many points they want to play. This game is great to play with preteens-teens because it captures good humor in a family-friendly way.

Jenga. The box says this game is ages six and up, but I believe this game is ageless. Anyone can play and have a blast doing it. The round starts with a tower of tiny rectangular blocks that each player tries to take without knocking the building down. This game's simple premise gives it a hilarious tension that is unmatched by many games in its category. It doesn’t matter what age; this game brings joy.


Adult games (17 and up):

The Voting Game: This is not a family-friendly game, but the explorative subjects are part of its hilarity. Each round, a card is read aloud, and then players have to vote on which player best represents the scenario on that card. For example, “Which character is most likely to go to bed before 9 pm”. The atmosphere this game presents is all about playful teasing that gets everyone laughing. The player with the most votes at the end wins. 

Cards Against Humanity. Many people know this game already. It quite literally took the market by storm upon its first release and has since released expansion packs to improve your gameplay experience further, and for some, act as a collector’s item. Much like How Do You Meme? Each round has a judge who reads a black card aloud. The players then decide which white card in their hand makes the funniest combination with that black card. The raunchy topics and sometimes disturbing gameplay make this a game only meant for adults.

Many of these games can be found locally. Lemon Tree Gifts of Hanover or Nature Calls in the Power House Mall have many board games to choose from as well as The Paper Store in West Lebanon.

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