Posted by: moneycitymaniacs | January 17, 2012

Bringing Board Games to Your Family Trips is a Great Idea!

Road Trip. Image Source: Public Domain.

Is it crazy to bring your favorite board game with you on your family vacation? Most people would answer yes. These are the same people who think board games should stay at home and should only be drawn out when there’s nothing else to do. On the contrary though, leaving a little space in your luggage for a board game may be the best travel decision you’ll make!

Board games kill boredom.

There will be more than a few boring moments on your trip—including the travel time to your destination, the waiting time before your dinner is served or the lag time when the adults are deliberating on the directions to the next location. These are the dull moments that call for a quick round of board game fun!

Board games teach life lessons.

Lessons like patience, strategy, and dealing with failures among many others are life lessons that people have learned from constantly playing board games. Once you’re faced with a situation that calls for the exercise of these life lessons, you’ll be surprised at what you’ve learned from playing board games on your family trip!

Board games bring the family together.

There will always be a gap between the parents and the children. Whether it is because of the generation gap or language barriers, these problems are nothing board games couldn’t fix. When playing board games, everybody plays one language—the rules of the game. This is enough reason for families to play even just one round during a family trip.

Board games are better than wild nights out.

After a long and tiring day of going around tourist destinations, you’ll get to your hotel room and probably have nothing else to do. This is exactly the time to play board games!

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Posted by: moneycitymaniacs | January 6, 2012

Board Games for All Ages

Chutes and Ladders. Image Credit: Hasbro.

One great thing about board games is that it cuts across generations and cultural borders. You’re never too old or too young to play a board game. All you need is a group of friends and time to spare, and you can enjoy your favorite board game at any time of the day.

For children, particular preschoolers, they can start with Chutes and Ladders. This is the perfect game for those who are still learning how to count and to follow instructions. It can be played amongst children, and guided by a preschool teacher or adult. This is also an excellent game when teaching kids how to count and follow instructions. It’s an excellent way to teach children away from the usual pressures of the classroom setting and is loads of fun!

By ages 10 to 11, most kids can’t stop thinking about adventures, fantasies, and superpowers. The perfect board game for them is Battleship. They may not be able to have superpowers in real life, but at least let them live out their fantasies by introducing this exciting board game to them! This is also a great way to divert their attention from video games that tend to be too graphic and influence undesirable behavior among children.

There’s also a game for those who loves trivia regarding topics ranging from entertainment and sports to history and culture called 20 Questions. Players will be required to guess a mystery person, date, or place based on clues. A player who gets to answer correctly with the least number of clues gets to advance the fastest. There are also bonus features and surprise mystery topics that make for an exciting and fun board game. This is a great board game for those who are preparing for a quiz bee or just want to sharpen their mind!

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Posted by: moneycitymaniacs | December 16, 2011

Why Board Games are Great Christmas Gifts

Family enjoying each other's company. Image Credit: Nationaal Archief (National Achives of the Netherlands)/Spaarnestad Photo/W.P. van de Hoef

Are you at a loss as to what Christmas gift you should get for a loved one? Look nowhere else, because board games are easily your best bet. Here are four compelling reasons why  board games make perfect Christmas gifts.

1. They’re ageless classics!

Everybody from any generation knows that board games. Unlike other toys that are bound to go out of style in a matter of years, board games are here to stay. Video games for popular game consoles such as Wii and Xbox are popular now, but will they be just as popular two years down the line? By then, there might even be a new console out in the stores! On the other hand, board games like Monopoly won’t lose its magic and would be just as fun even ten years from now!

2. They impart the value of socialization and sharing, among others.

Board games are not just fun and educational, they also teach life values that the gift recipient won’t get anywhere else! Board games like Murder Mystery teach kids the importance of sharing and socialization. After all, they won’t get to enjoy their board games without the company of their friends and family!

3. There are age-appropriate games for everyone!

Spare yourself the trouble of trying to find age-appropriate Christmas gifts for your nieces, nephews and godchildren. There’s an age-appropriate board game for every age group. With a wide selection for every age group, you won’t run out of Christmas gift ideas for every kid you’re planning to give a gift to!

4. They’re not that expensive!

With your ballooning expenses for Christmas, of course you’re looking for a gift that’s both meaningful and inexpensive. Board games address both concerns. Board games cost a fraction of what most action figures and video games cost, so you won’t have to empty your pockets just for one Christmas gift—you can buy a handful and still have a lot of spare money for other Christmas gifts left!

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Posted by: moneycitymaniacs | December 6, 2011

Five Ways to Enjoy Board Games and the Holiday Season

Backgammon. Image Source: Eyes Wired Open.

With the kids coming over for the holiday break, it’s time to dust off the board games and start playing endless rounds of Risk or Clue. Board games are definitely an excellent way to bond with the family, along with other holiday activities you’re planning. But where do you find the time to play board games in the first place? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Play a round of Backgammon or Chess when getting to know the new house guests.  Is your college daughter bringing over a friend for Christmas? Did your relatives decide to celebrate the holidays with your family? This is a great time to play board games that allow for small talk and a little catching up for old time’s sake.

2. Creative party games are perfect for every Christmas party. Whether it’s a Christmas party for young adults or for children, there’s bound to be a game that will spice up the party. 25 Words or Less, Time’s Up, and Barbarossa are only a few examples of board games that never fail to entertain.

3. Why go to Las Vegas when all the fun and company you’re looking for is right at home? Casino games are a great opportunity for adults to talk to each other, just chill and have fun on the porch.

4. With the winter at its peak, you’d best stay indoors with the family. You don’t have to bore yourselves out; there are several indoor games to play. Memory games and Roulette are only a few indoor games that are excellent for the family.

5. Don’t forget the kids! The holiday break is easily the best time to reconnect and bond with the kids, before everything gets busy again and everybody goes back to their regular lives. Kid’s games are definitely great for bonding and getting to know the children.

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Posted by: moneycitymaniacs | November 22, 2011

The Longest Family Board Games

Time. Image Source: Idea Champions.

Time flies when you’re having so much fun. When playing board games with the family, the fun can be a little too over the top that you tend to lose track of the time and only realize how long you’ve been playing when it’s time already time for dinner! If you choose to play any of these games with your family, prepare for hours of family bonding!

1. Was there even any doubt that Monopoly would make the list? The record of the longest running Monopoly game, according to Hasbro, is 1,680 hours! That’s an awful lot of playing time for a game that supposedly only takes 90 minutes to play.

2. Risk, the board game classic that started way back in 1959, poses the challenge of world domination. With several strategies and missions to accomplish, no wonder this game take around 2 to 3 hours to play!

3. Carcassone has had several versions released, including Carcassone: The Discovery as one of the latest editions. The rules are simple enough, but it’s the addictive quality of gameplay and the endless possibilities of exploring difference geographical areas, vast greenlands, and oceans that make the game so addictive!

4. Trivial Pursuit is one of those trivia games that several others have tried to imitate and failed. With hundreds of questions to resolve, Trivial Pursuit is a fun learning activity for everyone in the family! Just make sure you do a little bit of research before you go ahead and play a round!

5. With the many expansions of the Settlers of Catan, including the recent Starfarers of Catan, it’s no wonder it’s become a household name of families who love sci-fi and fast-paced board games! As a game for 5 to 6 players, Starfarers of Catan is excellent for sharpening one’s skill and strategy.

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Posted by: moneycitymaniacs | November 10, 2011

Board Games are the Top Choice of Kids in Annual Awards

The classic children's game, Operation. Image Credit: Milton Bradley.

Every year, the Canadian Toy Testing Council holds the Children’s Choice Awards to determine which toys are a certified hit among children. With the Children’s Choice Awards, parents can find out which toys kids love, manufacturers can produce toys better suited to the preference of their target buyers, and children will know what other children their age love.

In this year’s Children Choice Awards, 500 children were asked to try and test a variety of toys that have won them over. Although at the top of the list is the high-tech LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet that allows children to flip, stretch, draw, and play using a stylus and a table, most of the kid’s choices are both low-tech, educational, and simply fantastic!

This year’s Children Choice Awards is a victory for board games, as several choices are board games. Games like Snack Attack!, Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game, Gallop!, and 10 Days in the Americas are only some of the board games that found their way into the list.

According to the executive director of the Toy Council, Liliane Benoit, the trend this year is return to traditional board games or toys that have stood the test of time. The emphasis on quality family time and interaction is apparent in the choices of the kids this year.

The games are categorized into age groups—from 24 -30 months, 3-6 yrs, 3-4 yrs, 7-10 yrs, and many other age groups. The Canadian Toy Testing Council has been assessing the functionality, durability, design, and value of toys since 1952. CTTC lets children test the toys for around six to twelve weeks and then evaluate the toy with the help of home testers, before finally giving a rating.

Functionality, design, durability and value? These are definitely four qualities that kids and parents will find in board games!

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Posted by: moneycitymaniacs | October 27, 2011

Learning Made Fun and Effective Through Board Games

Alphabet. Image Credit: Public domain.

Some kids find learning the tradition way boring and tedious. If it’s done in a manner that does not pique their interest, the lessons will most likely not be absorbed or will be forgotten by the child. Thankfully, board games have totally reinvented the way lessons can be taught—in a way that’s both fun and addictive to kids!

In fact, even ESL can be learned without having to sit through extensive learning drills and exercises, through a new board game called “English is Fun!” The board game, combining the elements of audio, print, and video, presents exciting and challenging questions that aims to help teachers facilitate ESL teaching and to facilitate learning for students.

There are three categories for the card game: Give Me Grammar (for sentence structure, tense, verbs, etc.), Express Yourself (for idioms, conversational words, and expressions), and What’s the Word (for vocabulary enrichment). For the DVD, there are three segments consisting of Look and Listen, Spell It Out, and Everyone Play. The Look and Listen features everyday conversations, followed by encouraging questions directed at the viewer. Spell It Out will help address students’ difficulty in spelling, while Everyone Play is a quiz bee of sorts for different players.

Of course, the board game can’t stand on its own and will require supplementary resources, which can be acquired from other educational board games.

Puzzles and word games are great for helping students widen their vocabulary and know the meaning of words. Comprehension, general knowledge, and word association are some of the aspects that these word games can help students with.

Logic games, for one, will help children with their deductive and inductive logic. Strategy logic and deduction games, such as Inkognito is set in interesting contexts that will provide a fresh break from traditional teaching methods and learning materials.

Children don’t have to hate school and learning. In fact, letting them learn with board games is a great start for them to eventually love and have a passion for learning.

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Posted by: moneycitymaniacs | October 6, 2011

Video Games Vs. Board Games: the Clear Winner

Video games vs board games: the clear winner

Looking for a new way to spend time with your friends? Or maybe you and your dorm mates just want a quiet celebration after a particularly stressful week? Perhaps you haven’t quite thought of it, but you might want to ditch an all-nighter session of video games. Instead, you might want to go out to your nearest café and enjoy the night with your board game of choice.

While video games are easily the more popular choice for college students, board games are making a quiet comeback. After all, video games take a lot of time and effort to sustain—not to mention dangerous. There have already been quite a number of deaths resulting from playing too much video games—one from South Korea and another from the UK. Both instances, and all the undocumented deaths due to video games, make a compelling case for board games.

Video games are inherently designed to create as little conversations as possible. Board games, on the other hand, are by nature designed to engage people into conversations. Board games require the participation of at least two people face to face.

Just think about it: as you and your friends play Scrabble, you try to come up with the best combination of words and at the same time laugh among yourself about the insane permutations of the letters you’re given. Board games also provide the opportunity for catching up with friends, without compromising the quality of the game. That’s definitely hitting two birds with one stone!

For stretch of hours, video gamers ought to stare at the screen and practically suspend reality. Board games, on the other hand, create an opportunity not just for conversations but also for other enjoyable human activities—such as drinking, eating, and even gossiping if that’s your thing! Such is the problem video games don’t have a solution for. While board games can very well be paused, taking a break in the middle of a video game might as well result to a total loss!

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Posted by: moneycitymaniacs | September 21, 2011

Strategy Board Games

Carcassonne Board. Image Credit: Elentin via Wikipedia.

Looking for a great strategy game? Here are some of our favourites!

  • Carcassonne is a challenging, thought-provoking strategy game can stretch on for hours. Develop your decision-making abilities and outsmart your opponents as you assume the role of a land developer.
  • Monopoly is a timeless classic, and another sure-fire investment in trivia entertainment.  More than 200 million copies of Monopoly have been sold world-wide, making it one of the best-selling games in history.  The best part? A basic version of Monopoly retails for only $21.99.
  • Risk is a board game produced by Parker Bros. that was originally released in 1957 as ”The Conquest of the World” in France.  The object of the game is to achieve “world domination”. Players control armies with which they attempt to capture territories from other players, with results determined by dice rolls.
  • Based on the popular game Settlers of Catan, Settlers of Canaan is a beautifully-illustrated strategy game where players compete to become the first tribe to settle in Canaan.  Trade resources and outwit your opponents to reign victorious.
  • Mah Jong is an addictive game with an ancient history.  Challenging, entertaining and beautifully-designed, this four-player game is popular around the world.  Similar to Gin Rummy, Mah Jong is an easy game to learn but difficult to master.  Invest in this game for $29.99 and help develop crucial strategy skills.
  • Ticket to Ride is a popular board game that takes place in Europe.  Players collect train cards in order to build routes that will grant passage from one country to another. There are various ways to win points in the game.  Creating the longest route, successfully connecting countries together and creating the longest continual route are all sources of bonus points, and the player with the most points collected at the end of the game wins.  This is a great strategy game that will make the hours just seem to melt away!

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Posted by: moneycitymaniacs | September 5, 2011

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Monopoly

Monopoly Board. Image Credit: Parker Bros.

The History of Monopoly

We have talked about the many different versions of Monopoly before, but we have never provided our readers with an historic background into this classic board game. Here is everything you ever wanted to know about Monopoly – from past to present!

Monopoly first appeared in 1904, and it was invented by Elizabeth (Lizzie) J. Magie Phillips.  Aiming to create a game that would help people understand the negative connotations in conglomerating land into private monopolies, her game was first called “The Landlord’s Game”. It first became commercially available in 1924.

In 1941, it is said that the British Secret Service commissioned a licensed Monopoly manufacturer to create a special edition of the game for American WWII prisoners of war who were being held by the Nazis. These special editions contained hidden maps and compasses, as well as real money and other escape objects.  They were distributed to American POWs through fake charity groups that were set up and operated by the secret service.

How to Play Monopoly

The Monopoly game board contains forty spaces with twenty-eight properties (such as coloured streets, railroads and utilities).  There are thee “chance” landings, three “community chest spaces”, a “luxury tax” space, “income tax” space, free parking and a “jail”.  Players must navigate the board and acquire property and income. The player with the most property/income at the end of the game wins.

Monopoly can accommodate anywhere from 2-8 players, and it can be a lengthy game, taking anywhere from one to three hours to complete.

Monopoly has proven to be quite the collectible. Many different special edition versions of the game have made their way onto the market over the years, including a Star Trek version, a Simpsons version, and various sports-related versions.

Monopoly is one of the most popular board games in existence. It is estimated that more than 250 million copies of the board game have been sold since its commercial debut in 1924.

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