Oh the simple joys of life.

Do you have “fun money” on hand for emergencies?

We’re not talking about rush to the hospital kind of emergencies. We’re talking about when you need to infuse your life with a dose of fun.

It’s so easy to get caught up in all the things we need to get done or places we need to be that we sometimes forget to have fun.

We read a great article this week with a cool idea for making sure that your budget has room for some “fun money“.

We know that the idea of budgets scares a lot of people. But it’s really not bad. It’s easy to sleep well at night when you know that you’re spending less than you make. And it’s a lot easier to have fun when you’re not stressed about how you’ll make ends meet. But that’s not what “fun money” is.

Piping hot doughnuts = pure bliss.

“Fun money” is the money you set aside with no other purpose than to use it for something that brings joy. And it doesn’t have to be a lot. The writer of the article mentions that early in their marriage they settled on $5. That was enough to stop and buy a hot doughnut while passing by the bakery without worry. Or making that small impulse purchase just for fun.

But with your “fun money” you don’t need to be accountable to anyone else. It’s just yours to have fun with. If you’re married, just agree on an amount that each of you can use simply for fun, then enjoy it.

And if your items of fun cost a little more, it may take some patience to save up a couple months worth of “fun money”, but oh what fun you’ll have.

Check out the article for yourself: “On a budget? Don’t forget to have fun”.

This post is from The Board Game Family. Fun Money – Do you have some? The Board Game Family - Families that play together stay together

Fun show for kids!

If you’ve got young kids in your family, check out Crazy Dave’s Kid Show.

It’s a radio podcast covering a wide variety of fun topics that kids will love – like Muppets, Pirates, Space, Sports, Harry Potter, Superheroes, and Llamas!

And this last week, our family was on the show!

Crazy Dave and Goofy Gilbert love board games too – so they did a show dedicated to board games and our family got to participate!

We had a great time talking to them about board games and what makes them fantastic for families. Of course, since you’re visiting our site, we’re guessing you already know how great games are for families. But we’d suggest you check it out all the same.

Here’s a snippet from their website that tells you what they’re all about:

Our goal is to provide an opportunity for youth to use their imagination and to realize how wonderful and important they are to the world. We truly welcome your input on any ways we can better reach this goal. Any similarities between the world of Crazy Dave’s Kid Show and the real world are purely coincidental.

You can check out their website or go straight to their program in iTunes.

Crazy Dave’s Kid Show is a great radio program for kids and families!

Celebrating great activities!

This post is from The Board Game Family. On the Air – Crazy Dave’s Kid Show The Board Game Family - Families that play together stay together

“Going Cardboard: A Board Game Documentary” is kicking off 2012 with a series of screenings across the globe.

The first screening was January 4th in Germany and then moved to screenings in the US starting on January 12th and continuing through February and March. And the current screening list also includes a stop in July in New Zealand.

We say Fantastic!

We just wish that one of the screening stops was closer to our home. We live in the land of the Sundance Film Festival where tons of independent filmmakers show their stuff every year. And our town is currently abuzz with all the films and their screenings. It’s too bad that “Going Cardboard” didn’t hit the Sundance circuit – you bet I’d be snagging some tickets.

The film was made by Lorien Green who discovered designer board gaming years ago through her husband and the mysteriously growing stacks of boxes in the basement game room (sounds familiar).

Here’s a description of the film from the “Going Cardboard” website.

Going Cardboard is a film about the new board gaming, a phenomenon going on right under your nose, probably in your very community! This film will take you into that world to meet the players and designers responsible for this radical departure from technology. And you just might discover it’s the hobby for you.

We highly suggest you check out the trailer for the film:

I’m excited to see the film as Lorien covers so many aspects of the industry – from interviews with tons of designers, publishers, reviewers (no, we’re not in it), players, and more to industry events and conferences.

And we love the quote on one of the pages about the documentary (so true):

Be warned; there’s a significant risk that after seeing Going Cardboard, you, too, will feel compelled to begin your own modest little board game collection. (average collection size: 300+ games)

We wish you much success Lorien!

This post is from The Board Game Family. “Going Cardboard: A Board Game Documentary” The Board Game Family - Families that play together stay together

Do all of your board games get jumbled together too?

When we saw this Baby Blues comic in yesterday’s newspaper, we just had to share it. Our day doesn’t seem quite complete if we don’t read Baby Blues. Even the kids love the funny family comic. So when it mentioned board games, we especially got a kick out of it.

It also reminded us of a number of comments we received from friends after they saw us on TV on Studio 5 and noticed the shot of our game closet. They mentioned how organized our game closet looked with games stacked nicely on the shelves. By comparison, while they only have a handful of board games, they’re laying disorganized on a closet shelf with all the pieces scattered amongst them.

They have to go somewhere.

Organized by Default
Of course, we can’t claim that our game closet has always been organized either. In fact, we didn’t start out with a board game closet even on the list. Our current board game closet was actually built to be a storage closet. And we planned for a cabinet in the family room where we’d place our games so we could easily pull them out to play. But then the family board game bug struck and before you know it, we got carried away.

With a current board game, card game, and party game count coming in over 250 we need to be organized. It’s that simple.

Thus our storage closet became our walk-in game closet. And when we’re looking for a game, we simply head to that section. Kind of like a library. We’ve put all the party games in one area and card games in another. The large box games are stacked near the back and the kid games are on the lower shelves. And so it goes.

Stormtroopers on the beach in '44.

If we didn’t organize it some way, we’d be overwhelmed.

Creative Kids
But the thing that I love about the Baby Blues comic is how the kids make creative use of the games. Who says you have to be limited by the rules of a game? And in a like manner, who says you have to keep the games separate at all?

Why not just have fun with your games in any way you choose?

We know there's treasure here.

In fact, that’s probably just how some board games get designed. The designers take parts of games they enjoy and then find creative ways to combine them with a new theme.

And if your game pieces do get mixed around, that might bring fresh life to some of your family board games. Why not have Star Wars characters storm the beaches in Memoir ’44 or Gold Miners look for treasure on Forbidden Islands?

So this week we challenge you to add some creativity to your family board game time. Mix it up a little and see what your family can come up with during your game time.

This post is from The Board Game Family. How organized are your board games? The Board Game Family - Families that play together stay together

What defines a board game or card game?

In our view, the whole definition of a board game or card game revolves around it being something physical that you can touch, feel, and move around. Playing board games is all about the social interaction of sitting around, face-to-face and moving stuff around on the table or from hand to hand.

So what’s the deal with board games going digital? And do they still qualify as “board” games, “card” games, or “dice” games if they don’t have physical boards, cards, or dice?

So many board games have gone digital

Take your games with you.

With the rise of the iPod, iPad, iPhone, Android, and other mobile devices, digital gaming has gotten another big boost. It’s amazing what they can cram into mobile devices. And one of the most popular uses of these “phones” is actually games. It seems everywhere we turn, we’ll see people playing games on their devices.

Board games have also shot up in popularity over the last decade as more and more great board games and card games are developed and sold. So it’s really no surprise that the two forces should meet. And over the last year, we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of board games and card games that are being ported over to a digital medium.

Digital games have also gone physical

Bring on the birds!

As we’ve watched the rise of these fun board games being given their digital incarnation, we’ve seen the blurring definition of “board game”. Is it dependent on what medium a game starts out with? If it first comes to life as a physical board game and then goes digital, is it still considered a board game. But if it first comes on the scene as a video game and then goes physical, is it still a video game?

Because that has happened too. Angry Birds is an amazing example of that. Angry Birds may be the most popular game on digital devices. But did you also know, that not too long ago it came to life as a physical game where you build structures, place pigs, then fling birds to knock them down? So what is Angry Birds – a video game or a board game? Or can it be both?

Great Board Games gone digital

Great digital cooperative games.

Whatever we call them, one thing is for certain – great games will find a way to live. And in today’s world, that means they’ll go for whatever medium will support them and will gain a huge following. (And makes financial sense for the designers, developers, and publishers.)

So maybe instead we should be surprised if fantastic board games and card games don’t go digital.

Just to give you a glimpse, here are great board games that are now available for playing on mobile devices:

• Smallworld
• Forbidden Island
• Ticket to Ride
• Carcassonne
• Hey That’s My Fish
• Roll Through the Ages
• Zooloretto
• Tikal

That’s just a sample – there are a ton more available. Just check the iTunes store for board games and you’ll find plenty. And if you look beyond mobile gaming, you’ll see even more available as online computer games.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em

So what’s a board game lover to do?

Games are played very quickly.

Leaning towards the purist side of the equation, we held off for a long time on playing digital incarnations of these fun board games. However, with kids interested in games, “life will find a way” (to quote Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park). And sure enough, before you know it, we’re playing digital versions of our loved games.

Our best example is the recently released version of Ticket to Ride on the iOS. Since we love Ticket to Ride, we had to take the plunge on this one. So last month we loaded the Ticket to Ride app on our iPods and iPhone to check it out. And it was a hit. It takes all the fun of the board game and boils it down into a fantastic mobile game loaded with goals and achievements to get you hooked into playing over and over.

And what did the kids think of it?

Nice Christmas present, eh?

Just take a look at the “present” Caleb, our 8 yr old, gave us for Christmas. It’s a card he made in his class at school and it’s simply a thank you card – thanking us for putting Ticket to Ride on our iPhone and iPod. What a simple thing to put a smile on our faces.

But don’t think that’s the only version of the game he’ll play now. Just the other day when I came home from work, I found Caleb playing and teaching the Ticket to Ride board game to one of his friends. And it didn’t stop with one play. His buddy wanted to play again and again.

Maybe, just maybe, that’s what the publishers are after – reach a huge, modern audience with digital versions and then hope for an upsell to the physical board games. After all, we don’t doubt that digital games are currently hitting a broader base than physical board games. So if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Now we can’t wait for some digital board games

With the fun we’ve had with Ticket to Ride, we actually find ourselves hoping to see certain games come out for mobile devices. And at the top of our wish list are Dominion and Thunderstone. We’ve seen announcements that Thunderstone is being developed, but we haven’t heard about Dominion yet.

Playing Dominion with friends when we can’t get together to play for one reason or another would be awesome!

Why would these make great digital card games?

Tile laying without the tiles.

First, because they’re addicting. With the random selection of different decks to play with every time, the game changes every time you play. But the other reason they’d made for great digital versions is because there’s a ton of shuffling. The deck building games are full of shuffling your deck over and over as you play. With a digital version, you don’t have to take time shuffling. You’ll just see your cards and play them.

So taking out the shuffling is a great benefit of digital gaming. You also don’t have to worry about the set up time of the game. Setting out all the decks of cards and putting them all away at the end does take time.

The same is true for a lot of board games. Setting up before play and cleaning up after play take up time. And digital gaming can save time on both of those fronts. So playing digital games will go much faster. Which also means that you’ll be able to play a lot more games in the same amount of time. Which is pretty cool.

But on the flip side, the setting up and cleaning up is also a great part of the physical board game play. Taking time to set up a game provides a great opportunity to talk with your fellow players and engage in the socialization that makes board game playing so fun. It’s not all about the game, but rather about the people you’re playing with.

Will digital games kill their board game version?

NO!

Moving bits is where it's at!

We don’t think that digital incarnations of great board games will kill the physical board game version at all.

Like we just mentioned, the big draw for physical board games and card games is the socialization. Getting together with friends and family is what it’s about.

Now, if you want to enjoy the game by yourself when you’re not with friends, then a mobile version is awesome. Or if your friends or family live far away, staying in touch by playing a digital game at a distance can be great fun as well.

But if you want a reason to get together and enjoy face-to-face time, then grab the game off the shelf and sit down at the table and have a great time together pushing bits, shuffling cards, and rolling dice.

What do you think about board games going digital?
We’d love to hear.

This post is from The Board Game Family. Digital Board Games – an Oxymoron? The Board Game Family - Families that play together stay together

So many games, so little time.

Our family had a great time playing lots of new board games and card games in 2011!

We also had a great time playing games that we’ve had for years.

In fact, it’s very relaxing to play a board game that we’re familiar with rather than always learning rules to new games. Don’t get me wrong. I love seeing all the new games that come out every year and learning how to play these fun games. But at times, it can feel like more work rather than relaxation. And to kids, familiarity is very comforting. So we make sure to intersperse both new and old games throughout the year.

So what are the board games that we played most in 2011?
Knowing what board games and card games we played most might be difficult if we didn’t have such a cool tool from BoardGameGeek.com (BGG) that let’s us track our game plays. Of course, most families that enjoy playing games, just play and don’t worry about recording what they play. But I guess that’s why the site has “Geek” in the name. For some reason, I find it cool to track things. And when there’s a tool for tracking game plays, and I can have access to it on my mobile device, why not record it?

You may have noticed in our right-hand sidebar a list of “Recently Played Games”. This little widget is pulled from the tool on BGG showing the last 5 games we’ve played. Pretty cool!

We can also run reports from the tool to find out what games we play most in a given period of time. Of course, since I’m not around all the time, I don’t keep track of what the kids play with each other or with their friends. So this list is what I (dad) have played the most in 2011. And while I’ve played a number of games with friends, you can bet that the majority of my game playing is with the family.

98 Different Games played in 2011
Ok – this is crazy to see, but I played as many different games in 2011 as I did in 2010 – 98!

That’s a lot of different games to play in 1 year – close to 2 different games per week. I knew we’d played a lot of different games, but to hit the exact same number as we did in 2010, is strange to believe.

So out of those 98 different games, which did we play the most?

5 and Dimes
One of the standard reports in the BGG tracking tool is the “5 and Dimes” report. This is a report that categorizes the games played 5-9 times (5s) and those played 10 or more times (dimes). So you can see at a quick glance which games fall into those most played groups.

Here’s my list of 5 and Dimes for 2010:

Dimes:

1. Hive – 30
2. Memoir ’44 – 25
3. Dominion – 24
4. Dominion: Seaside – 24
5. Dominion: Intrigue – 18
6. Dominion: Prosperity – 14
7. Ticket to Ride – 10

Yep – Dominion is on there a lot. I could have lumped all the Dominion games into one category, but it’s also great to see which expansions I pull from the most.

Fives:

1. Spot It
2. Martian Dice
3. Pentago
4. Shake ‘N Take
5. City Square Off
6. Quarto
7. Say Anything Family Edition
8. Rack-O
9. Bug Out
10. Lemming Mafia
11. Ligretto Dice
12. Fastrack

You’ll notice that a lot of games on this list are shorter games, rather than long strategic board games. And that’s just fine because a lot of family game time needs to be caught in the moment. If the kids are ready for some fun, light games that don’t take too long, then by all means, that’s what we’ll play. Take the time with them and have fun when you can get it!

And here’s looking forward to another fun year playing games with the family!
Who knows – maybe this year we’ll surpass more than 100 different games played in 2012!

P.S. If you’re interested in keeping track of games you’ve played, I’d suggest you check out the tool on BoardGameGeek.com.

This post is from The Board Game Family. Board Games Played Most in 2011 The Board Game Family - Families that play together stay together

Our family was on TV yesterday!

A local TV station did a story on Building Family Traditions and they featured our family in the segment. It was a great experience and we loved having the chance to talk about the importance of family time.

They talked to us about the challenges that families face today and what we do to face those challenges as parents and as a family. One of the topics the segment focused on was being “intentional”, or as mom refers to it – being “deliberate” in our choices.

We’re highlighted in the first 3 minutes, but we’d highly recommend you watch the whole 10 minutes.They share great tidbits on connecting as a family and building on what you’re already doing.

The Studio 5 website also has some of the content written on their website if you’d like to refer back to some of the points they make in the segment. You can read it on their Building Family Traditions page.

Plus – this is a rare chance to get a glimpse of mom and her victory dance!

This post is from The Board Game Family. The Board Game Family on TV! The Board Game Family - Families that play together stay together

Ready, set, play!

One of the most common questions about board games is: “How long does the game take to play?”

That’s while you’ll often see this information printed on the side of a game box. It’s also why we started adding this info to our board game reviews.

When presented with a new game to play, inevitably people will ask about the length of the game.
They aren’t asking because they’re not interested in the game, but rather to get an idea about how much to invest in the game. Not how much money to invest/spend, but rather an investment of themselves.

In fact, whenever we’re presented with an activity, we make mental note about how much of a commitment we need to devote to that activity. It’s no different with our entertainment – movies, TV, books, or games. We want to know how long it will take because it means forgoing other options.

What’s the best amount of time to spend playing a game?
Well, it’s really a trick question because the answer depends on a lot of things. It’s like asking about what the best board game or best card game is. It all depends on the situation at hand.

Here are some potential situations that will affect the decision of optimal game length:

Helpful information on the box.

• Playing with Young Kids – the best game length when playing with younger kids is under 30 minutes and ideally around 10 minutes. You’ll want games that are quick to set up and quick to play. Shorter games also allow for either quitting time or repeated play depending on the continuing interest of the child.
• Time of Day – taking time to play a game on a weekend afternoon will offer more options than a game just before bedtime. If we’re looking for a board game to play at bedtime, we’ll pick something that can be played quickly. We’ll leave our games of Risk, Mystery of the Abbey, or Power Grid for the weekends when we can be more relaxed with a game that takes more time to play.
• Late Comers – when we invite friends over to play games, they won’t all arrive at the same time. So the first games we play will be short games that will end quickly when others arrive. Or they’ll be games that others can join in when they arrive. Starting a longer game when you know others will want to join later is a problem. The same is true in a family setting. Playing a 2-hour game with one child will be a problem when their siblings show up in the middle wanting to play.
• Mental Effort required – choosing which board game to play should also take into account the level of brain power the players want to exert. Longer games will take more mental effort, if not in terms of strategic choices, at least in the length of focus. There are plenty of short games that also require strategic choices. But because they’re short, the thinking comes in quick bursts. Whereas, “meatier” games will engage your thinking for extended periods of time.

In the end, the best length of game will completely depend on the situation you find yourself in. Having a board game and card game shelf stocked with games of different lengths will ensure that you’ll have the right game for the right time.

But however long you play, time spent with family is well spent.

And if you’d like some board game ideas based on game length, check out our Find a Game page where you can sort our game reviews list by Time and find a game in the range you’re looking for.

This post is from The Board Game Family. The Best Game Length The Board Game Family - Families that play together stay together