In “Classic Board Games With a Touch of Tech,” Catherine Newman writes:
From November of 1955 to September 1957, my father played two games of chess with his friend Sam Frankenheim. My dad was in the Army, Sam was in the Air Force, and they mailed postcards back and forth detailing their moves. (Oh, to write the word “checkmate” before popping a triumphant card in the mail!)
Playing games with people at a distance has a long history — and now is as good a time as any to try it, given how badly we want to stave off boredom and bridge the distance between our islands of isolation.
Digital gaming is an obvious path; my own son plays raucous online poker with vast groups of his friends. But there is something so grounding about rolling a handful of noisy dice, clacking our pieces around a board, and seeing each other’s dear, missed faces (even if those faces are trash talking us about buying Park Place). To that end, my family has been experimenting with ways to play traditional, real-life board games with people who are sheltering in different places. With a bit of patience and some video conferencing, games can help virtually erase the miles between children and isolated grandparents or teenagers missing their friends.
Here are three recommended games from the article along with some necessary hacks to pull them off:
Battleship
The classic naval-themed deduction game is a natural for videoconferencing, since you’re not even supposed to see each other’s board. Make sure to yell “You sank my battleship!” at the appropriate moment, or else why were you even playing in the first place?
Maximum number of players: 2
Requirements: A video conferencing platform (although you can actually play over the phone). Both players need to have the game, or you can download public-domain game sheets here to play a similar pen-and-paper version.
Special hacks: None.
Pictionary
Zoom Pictionary is not the least chaotic game you’ll ever play, but it’s totally worth it for the zany factor. (“Sarcophagus!” “Wait, no. Cable car?”) We’ve played over multiple time zones and generations, and recommend splitting up teams over households to keep the energy and engagement high.
Maximum number of players: 8
Requirements: A video conferencing platform. Thick pens (such as Sharpies) for drawing. Only one household needs the game — and, honestly, not even that: You can use a random word generator for drawing prompts.
Special hacks: Ideally, each household joins from both a laptop and a phone: angle the laptop toward your face(s) and balance the (muted/sound off) phone on something high (say an upended tissue box) to show your well-lit drawing surface. Eliminate the too-tumultuous “All Play.” We also scrapped the fussy board: draw a card, roll the die, and pick the word on the card that your number corresponds to (six is wild); alternate play between teams and score one point for each correctly guessed word; play to 15 or 20. The drawer in a household without the game can generate a word randomly, or you can pick a card for them and hold it up while everyone else looks away.
Monopoly
The game itself is fun, of course, but one added bonus of your kids playing with their friends right now is that your home will fill with those badly missed voices.
Maximum number of players: 8 (over no more than four households)
Requirements: A video conferencing platform. Each household needs the game.
Special hacks: Ideally, each household joins from two devices: one to show people; one (muted/sound off) raised up on something high to show the board. Mirror the other households’ moves on your board. Mediate multi-household financial transactions — such as the paying of rent — through each household’s bank. Remove properties from your game’s stash as other households buy them and sort them by owner (we write each person’s name on a Post-it) so you know who has what.
You don’t have the board games or the technology? Deb Amlen provides some games that can be played in your house that require no equipment and little or no touching in “Running Out of Games? Remember These Old-School Favorites.” Here are a few:
20 Questions is a guessing game in which people try to identify a person, place or thing the leader is thinking about in 20 questions or less. Group members ask “yes” or “no” questions until the mystery item or person is guessed. It’s stationary, meaning there’s no running around or mess and it can be played in small groups. A similar game is I Spy.
Animal Alphabet asks players to think of an animal that begins with the letter A (like ant). The next person has to think of an animal that begins with the last letter of the last animal thought of within a certain time limit. For example, after “an(t)” someone could volunteer “(t) urtle.” Continue the pattern until someone fails to think of an animal.
Make Me Laugh is great for cheering up the housebound. Choose one person to be on the “hot seat.” Set a timer for 90 seconds. The rest of the group has one simple goal, which is to make the person on the hot seat laugh without touching them. (No tickling!). Laughs, smiles, giggles and snorts can create disagreement, so one simple rule applies: If you show your teeth in the hot seat, you are out, and you join the group trying to make someone else laugh in the next round.
Students, read ONE of the articles in its entirety, then tell us:
What are your favorite games? Which games are you playing now during a time of self-quarantine?
Do you ever feel “cooped up” these days? If so, what are you doing to relieve the boredom and isolation? Are you playing more games to stay sane?
Do you like old-school board games? If yes, which ones? Do you agree with Ms. Newman that “there is something so grounding about rolling a handful of noisy dice, clacking our pieces around a board”?
Have you tried video conferencing to play games with people who are sheltering in different places? Does it sound appealing to you? What hacks have you used to make game playing successful during social distancing?
Which of the recommended games from the two articles do you most want to try? What other games would you suggest for peers and why?
