I am not opposed to technology and new-age modes of entertainment. I have to stay current to keep up with my 2-year-old granddaughter, who is already familiar with iPads and technology-enabled toys. I still, however, enjoy playing an “old-fashioned” board game.
As I grew up, my favorite Christmas gifts were board games. Our games were packed for the Christmas Day visit to grandma’s, where my cousins and I could hardly wait to jump on Candyland’s Rainbow Trail and Gum Drop Pass on our way to Lollipop Lane. Board games provided a forum for fun and reasons to get together with my cousins and friends throughout the holiday break.
Along with fun, board games subtly taught us many important life skills and lessons. The ups and downs of Chutes and Ladders helped us learn early on that even though we can make it up the ladder quickly, we can come down just as fast. Back then, Mattel’s Barbie doll had a companion board game where my cousin and I were in hot competition to win cool Ken’s heart. Little did I know that Barbie was teaching us girls an important lesson. Cool guys like Ken may not be worthy of our affection, even though neither of us at the time wanted to get stuck with Poindexter, the ’60s version of the nerd.
Board games created miniature environments and experiences for us to test skills for our future. For me, Monopoly was my first experience in negotiating a deal in the finance world. At the risk of missing out on the best Boardwalk properties, I did my very best to avoid landing in jail. I quickly learned that I didn’t have what it takes to be a high roller and managing money was not in my future. (I can’t help but wonder how the Wall Street stockbrokers fared in Monopoly when they were kids.) I should have realized early on that I was destined to a health care career when I chose Dr. Kildare or the Ben Casey games over a game of Risk.
While folks today defend the countless hours kids spend on electronic games as excellent sources for the development of eye-hand coordination, although they may seem primitive now, games of yesteryear also required great agility. Running marbles through a maze (Mouse Trap and Fascination), or fitting tiny geometric shapes into a grid (Game of Perfection) while trying to beat the clock demanded great dexterity without causing carpal tunnel.
During my youth, the Vietnam War was raging outside our view (no CNN or Fox News). My friends and I were sheltered from the violent images that video games like “Mortal Combat” create today. So, we used our imaginations and became clever war strategists and plotted bumping off the game pegs that represented cruisers and carriers in games like Battleship.
I have had the good fortune to revisit the fun of board games as a parent. Our house was host to game nights where my children’s friends (and sometimes their parents) came to play board games. We played the long-time keepers, like Clue, Cootie and Ants in the Pants. The game of Concentration turned into Memory and Barbie dress-up was substituted with My Little Princess and Dream Girl. My children learned a bit of anatomy when plucking bones and body parts with a magnet on a game board called Operation.
I look forward to the holidays because my grown children with their cousins, spouses and friends will come home and we will find the time to play some board games. We will have our traditional men vs. ladies Trivial Pursuit competition. The questions will prompt lively discussions on politics, history, theater and sports. Or we may try a new game of global espionage that better fits their era, like the now-popular game called Pandemic. This may give me a glimpse into how they react in their adult world.
Games are the gifts that keep giving. They bring friendly competition and level a playing field. They teach conflict resolution, how to be a team member and test thinking powers. They are reasonably priced, durable, and most often don’t need batteries or a charger.
My wish for this Christmas is that young adults, like my children and their friends, who have had the good fortune to know the fun and value of playing board games, will remember to share the joy with today’s kids. As for me, I look forward to finding just the right board game for my granddaughter — so that I can introduce her to the fun and fond memories to come.
Linda Siminerio, a University of Pittsburgh faculty member, lives in McCandless (lsiminerio@aol.com). Please send Local Dispatch submissions to page2@post-gazette.com or by mail to John Allison, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 358 North Shore Drive, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Telephone: 412-263-1915.
Ruth Ann Dailey is off today.
First Published: November 30, 2015, 5:00 a.m.