Does anyone out there still play board games or card games? I grew up playing Operation, Hungry Hippo, Trouble, Battleship, Sorry, Yahtzee, Rummikube, Clue, Gin, Backgammon, Cribbage, Scrabble, Euchre, Rummy and many others. Sure, the Atari fascinated us too (yes, I am that old) but we always went back to the board games. I loved playing board games and still do. Mom and I had these epic on-going scores for our favorite games. We have score sheets dating back to the 80’s for Sorry and the 90’s for Rummikube. They are cumulative and I’m still kicking her butt 2 decades later. Scrabble is another story…rarely am I able to best her in Scrabble. She cut her teeth playing Scrabble with my grandfather who could score 63 points with 2 letters.

My in-laws invite us over for game night every couple of months. Steve and I play Backgammon, Boggle, or Scrabble on a semi-regular basis. At the beach they pull out all sorts of geek games (Carcasonne anyone?). My dad and his wife came to visit a couple of weeks ago and we spent the afternoon playing Oh Hell. It was a nice way to hang out together and catch up. When mom is in town, we play games. I remember Friday nights at my house meaning pizza, Dallas (we were addicted), and games of Sorry. That is something I would really like to do with my child someday (minus the Dallas).

I just wonder if with all of the channels on TV (we had 3, 4 on a clear day, when I was growing up – yes, I am that old), the internet, Xboxes, Playstations, and other flashy diversions I wonder if families still play games together. Do you have fond memories of games as a child? Do you still play games with your family? Are there any new ones out there we should try?