Games People Play

I have never related very well to people who do not play games. I don’t mean subtle innuendos, flirtatious behavior, coyness or other mental and emotional mind games. I am speaking of real games..........you know........... Gin Rummy, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Connect Four, etc. When someone is invited to our house it is likely before our visit ends we will have played a game or two. Perhaps it is because of my total inability to focus on one thing..........such as meaningless chit-chat...........without doing something with my brain or my hands. So I usually revert to playing a game. It is such an ice-breaker with people who struggle with conversation. It is also a way to get riotous laughter out of even the most somber guest!



In my estimation there are many reasons why game-playing is important. Playing games creates amazing opportunities to become a good problem solver; to think creatively and outside the box. It allows for conversation and connection that sitting in front of a TV simply does not provide. Games teach us about competition, good sportsmanship, and how to handle challenges. Other benefits are stimulating laughter, interaction with others and incredible memories. Oh, yes, lots of memories.



Dan and I have played games with our children since they were toddlers. Rather than TV viewing we encouraged game playing, creative activities and lots of outdoor time. When the children were older we began having weekly Family Night and it was paramount that each of them was home for the evening. We began with a nice sit-down family dinner and sharing time. Then we ended with interactive games. Sometimes it was simply taking turns picking a handwritten question from a bowl and then answering it to stimulate conversation and share philosophies and concepts. It became commonplace as the children became teenagers that they wanted their friends to share in this fun and laughter so often Family Night included others who would ask to join us.



Now the kids are grown and having families of their own but the highlight of having them home is the times when we all gather around the big oak table in the kitchen and play games. Jared, our middle child, always says he doesn’t like to play games. He will make a big deal out of not wanting to play yet he always succumbs to the pressure of the fun everyone is having and quickly changes his mind. And his siblings have always said that when Jared isn’t home to be part of game playing it is never quite as much fun. His wry wit keeps us all in stitches and he always makes game time memorable.



Remembering how Dan’s parents, being raised Amish, rarely ever played games it seems ironic that some of our family’s fondest memories is of Grandpa Miller laughing so hard he cried when we played the Dictionary game. Seems like so often he would come up with a word that sounded just irreverent enough that he managed to shock us just a little bit. And I can’t forget the time Grandma Miller actually said yes when we asked her to play. Usually she was content to watch. She never joined in but she watched and laughed with us and seemed to genuinely enjoy our fun and frolicking. We made such a big deal out of the day she said yes that we marked it on the calendar and celebrated that date in grand style.



When my new son-in-law, Nathan, got initiated into our game playing he got so frustrated he nearly threw the Catch Phrase across the room. Catch Phrase is probably our favorite family game. The first time we played it with Nathan was at my brother-in-law’s home in Ohio. We frantically passed the Catch Phrase around the circle of family members and every single time it buzzed that the game was over..........consequently meaning that team lost......it was ALWAYS in Nathan’s hands. Over and over again. He simply couldn’t win. It was a night full of shouts of delight and frustration!



Then there was the time Dan tried to get everyone to guess the words “crab legs” and his team simply could not get it. Dan resorted to pointing to his leg and so the answers came loud and fast......... “crab thighs”...... “crab ankles”...... “crab feet”...... “crab pants”. His team never did get the right answer and Dan was totally dumbfounded that they could miss something so obvious while the other team........the girls........laughed till tears ran down their faces. It was a very memorable night and everyone went to bed exhausted from laughter and sweet memories.



Now our children are home less frequently and yet Dan and I still play games. We begin most mornings with our cup of tea, bran muffin and a quiet game of Quiddler . Quiddler is a word game like word rummy. We love word games. We have worn out several decks of Quiddler in the last few years. Sometimes we play it in the evenings when we are too tired and rather than sit in front of the TV we would rather talk to each other and laugh while competing over a game. We are pretty evenly matched and this being a new year we decided to keep a running tally of wins to eliminate the argument over who wins most. I am chagrined that so far this year he is ahead by double the points. I am determined that this pattern will NOT continue.



We take Quiddler cards with us everywhere we go. There is always a deck in our luggage along with a Scrabble dictionary. We use it freely and learn new words we never would have run across in our daily discourse. Our desire is to one day buy an electronic Scrabble dictionary like the ones we saw two couples using on a train ride last year in California. They were heavy into Quiddler too and the electronic dictionary was an incredible help. We have a deck of Quiddler cards in the car so when we are waiting at a restaurant for our food we often will play a game and it invariably draws a lot of attention from passers-by who become inquisitive enough to want to know more about the game. We have probably been the best marketing tool the company has ever had and they don’t even know it.



Some evenings Dan and I play Sequence or Upwards. Both games keep us challenged and competitive and give us time to talk and plan and laugh and just relax. Hopefully playing games gives our brains a workout so we can stave off the onslaught of old age and boredom.



Playing games will always be a part of our family life and as the grandkids join in we are creating lots of fun memories for the next generation that will help them become better problem solvers, better spellers, better mathematicians, better at connecting with others and will also fill their days with laughter, interaction and creativity rather than becoming TV and electronic gadget addicts. I am convinced that people unaccustomed to playing games are missing out. Dan and I will probably still be challenging each other when we are too old to do much else but play games and I hope by then I will be ahead in games won! Quiddler, anyone??