BORED by Cluedo, or do you find Scrabble too slow?
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You’re not alone.
According to the Bega Board Gamers (BBG), a local club interested in tabletop gaming, they were never games to begin with, only tests of your patience.
Luckily over the past 10 years board games have undergone a renaissance.
Now there are genuine games, games of grand strategy and espionage, of deception and teamwork and battling against the clock.
Build a civilization, help the USSR win the Cold War or work together to rescue people from a burning house; there are endless themes to current board games.
According to the website Board Game Geek over 2600 new board games were published last year alone.
Computer games are extremely popular at present however board games have many advantages over electronic entertainment.
While the social aspects may seem obvious it goes beyond a group of people sitting around a table.
Many games require negotiation, bluffing, deception or even dependence on one another, all natural human interactions that even the finest gaming AI fail to simulate satisfactorily.
“I’ve never laughed until I cried during a computer game, but with the right board game and people we can all end up in tears,” said Simon Clark, BBG member.
Also while a few computer games require strategic thinking, those chasing true mental gymnastics should try some of the new Euro games where luck plays no part and the rules are obvious and open to being ‘gamed’.
Board games are great for kids too because they can teach the ability to think ahead, the relationship between actions and consequences, the capacity to make difficult decisions and many complex maths skills.
Further, with the rise of cooperative board games where everyone plays against the game, winning or loosing together, teamwork and knowing how to make the most of everyone’s strengths are learned.
What's more if your teenagers never look up from a screen and only grunt at you try inviting them help you survive a zombie apocalypse, on the table.
This Saturday is International Tabletop Day where people are encouraged to unplug, get together and interact over a game.
The BBG are inviting people to come out on Saturday afternoon to the Bega Country Club, Tarraganda, and experience the amazing new world of board games.
The day kicks off at 4pm to allow those with children to attend and goes till late with door prizes kindly donated by Valley Gifts & Toys.
For more information phone Simon Clark on 0423 522 585, look the group up on Facebook or go to www.tabletopday.com.