Why board games in the 21st century? That’s like the 19th century, right? I have a Wii, a PSP, a broadband Internet connection, and an iPhone. What else do you need?
Well, here are a few reasons why I’d say you need to play more board games:
they will surprise you – If you’ve only ever played Monopoly, Risk or Scrabble, you’re in for a real treat when you discover some of the new games that are available these days. The games are more specialized, more strategic, and often less reliant on sheer luck. If you liked Monopoly and the construction aspect, try Carcassonne. If you like war games, there are tons like Battlelore and Memoir ’44. And Scrabble, what about Bananagrams?
Socialization – Most board games need more than one person. The vast majority require at least one other person. And the good thing is that that other person is not on the other side of the world. Plus, there are tons of award-winning games that are best played with 3 or more. That means, well, a kind of social life!
it’s not on that machine – After 8 hours at work, the last thing I want to do is sit and play on the computer for another 5 hours. And it’s just because I’ve already had tendinitis (sit up straight, take breaks and read and practice as much good ergonomics as you can. No, really), but because I don’t want to deal with that monitor either.
nothing stays the same – Every game you play changes because the players and scenarios change. Every time you take it out, there is something new. The luck of the draw will change how you play the game and how your opponents do. Very different from a computer game or, even worse, a movie.
All of this randomness ensures that each game is new, giving players a new experience in a similar setting. While the rules may be the same, it’s the changing of the board and the rolling of the dice that makes the game interesting.
portability – Even if everything seems to be getting smaller and smaller – well, except my waist – all those electronic toys are still very dependent on their batteries. Portable board games like Citadels or Blokus will continue to entertain long after the batteries in your other toys have run out.
cost – Now, this is probably the most important thing for a lot of us. A single board game like Citadels or Odin’s Ravens is below the $20 range, less than the price of a single CD or console game. Long after you’ve gotten bored of listening to the album, you’ll continue to enjoy these games.
Those are my reasons for playing board games. What are yours?