Game Night Favorites

It’s been a bit since I did an entertainment related blog, so I was already planning one when I remembered a recent thread that I came across about favorite board games and such. We had a family game night recently too, so what better topic? Therefore, here is a list of my personal favorites, in no particular order:

1.      Yahtzee is my go-to game. My mom loves it too, so I grew up playing it with her. When I was a kid, I thought it was so cool when I got the 40th anniversary edition. I now get to enjoy playing it with my husband and kids.

2.      Solitaire may not be ideal for a group game night, but I’m including it anyway. You never know when you’ll be in the mood for a game and have no one to play with. Solitaire always makes me think of my grandfather. I have fond memories of him teaching me to play it. I first learned sitting next to him at his old computer and later with actual playing cards.

3.      Chess is another game that my grandfather loved. My brother and I used to play a version of it on NES, and I now have both a classic and a Batman chess set. I’m not as skilled at it as some people but I do enjoy playing.

4.      Rummy is really the only other card game I play. Apparently, there are multiple variations of it, and I don’t know which one I know—whichever my husband taught me. It’s fun to play though.

5.      Pictionary is great to play with a group, though I actually haven’t played it in years. We used to play it and bingo at my grandparents’ house every New Year’s Eve to win prizes. The drawing attempts can be quite comical.

6.      The Game of Life is one I played with my brother when we were younger. I then played it with my husband and kids until the kids got it out on their own one day and lost half the pieces. What was left now resides in a landfill somewhere.

7.      Clue is one of my daughters’ favorite games and I like it too. We have a Seinfeld version of it. Kramer is usually my character of choice.

8.      Codenames was introduced to us during a church small group game night a few years ago. After playing it there, we bought the game for ourselves, and it was a hit with our kids. It’s one of their top picks to play.

9.      Twister is another one that I haven’t played in years, but it was one of my childhood favorites. It’s sure to bring lots of laughs.

10. Checkers is another one I grew up playing with my brother and grandfather. My brother and I had one of the boards that’s a big rug with the giant checkers. My son now has an NFL checkers game that he loves to play together.

11. Battleship is good to play on road trips, at least until you hit a pothole and the pegs go flying. But in all seriousness, this classic game of strategy should be on every game shelf, which is why it’s on my to-buy list (along with Life) now that the kids are old enough to not lose all of the pieces again.

12. Jenga is one of the games I’ve played most recently. There’s always a bit of suspense as you pull the next block out, hoping that the tower doesn’t come crashing down, and you can’t beat the shrieks of laughter when it does.

13.       Candy Land is every child’s dream. When I worked as a cake artist, one of my earliest cakes was inspired by Candy Land. It was such a fun cake to make.

14.       Mouse Trap was awesome when I was a kid. I played it frequently with my brother. I loved setting the trap in motion and watching it play out.

15.       Charades is the last on my list. I don’t think I’ve ever played it by the official rules, but it’s still fun acting out clues and guessing the words/phrases.

Now that you know mine, share your favorite games in the comments below.