I have been thinking recently of board games like Clue and Monopoly. When I was growing up, we had a good supply of games...and Christmas or birthdays often brought a new addition or two. One supposes games made an easy gift choice for relatives we had only occasional contact with. Also I'm thinking my mother might well have bought into an argument that games could improve my mind. (Obviously, that didn't happen...but one can't blame her for trying her very best. LOL) I can remember playing games with my family (mostly my father--my mother, herself, had very limited interest in board games). I can also remember the fun of visiting one set of grandparents and playing Monopoly. We had a set, of course, but their set was old enough to have wood houses and hotels, not the cheap plastic in our set.

In my life, games have fallen by the wayside. It's been at least 20 years since I regularly played anything. I just don't have anyone to play games with anymore...

Indeed, I wonder sometimes how about the popularity of games these days. There must be someone buying them--I noticed just the other day a selection at Target. But I get the feeling that they aren't the entertainment choice they once were for most people...

Even though my board game days are--at best--on hold, and maybe over, I've acquired a few over the years. All found used and cheap, and most of them are ones I remember from when I was young. Some photos:

1. Pegity--a 5 in a row game. I seem to remember playing a version that had wood pegs when young.
2. Inside of Pegity box
3. 221-B Baker Street. A detective game. IIRC there are several cases included that one can solve just like Sherlock Holmes. Additional cases were IIRC available separately.

I have a weakness for Clue sets. It was probably one of the most commonly played games in my family. It was around for many years--it was something I was able to play when fairly young, and that was tolerable for older people, too. It was also one of the few games my mother was reasonably willing to play. (She never had much interest in games--I think the only board game she really liked was Scrabble.)

I have one vintage set, but I can't get to it right now. This is a modern set with a modern board. It doesn't feel right having a Clue mansion with a living room instead of a lounge. Or a theater instead of a library... Skimming the rules, it looks like other changes were made...and one wonders if the game didn't suffer as a result...

I'm not sure about this, but I think this version replaced the classic version--but it appears the classic version may be back.

Finally, a game with no personal history. But I'm guessing it has history for the 1970s when it was apparently published:

I know we had a copy of Sorry and played it, but don't really have too many memories of it.

I remember Game of Life, but don't think I ever played it. But it was a title still semi-common when I was growing up in the 70s/80s.

As for card games, I remember my paternal grandmother often playing cribbage. I think she also played--or once played--bridge.

Spades is the reason my four year degree took five years!

There is a Stephen King story "Hearts in Atlantis" in his book Hearts in Atlantis. In this story, a Hearts craze hits a college dorm--and some students flunk out or barely survive the term... (IIRC, there is no supernatural elements, but other stories in the book are more typical Stephen King.)

Lord Kenmore-have you ever played Clubs?

No. I never even heard of it before now. I have a vague recollection of playing some card games of some sort with my father. The one game I definitely recall is cribbage.

Then, of course, there was the uncle who trapped me into 52 Card Pickup, once...

Both of my parents liked Scrabble. I recall them playing it together when I was young. Later, we played it as a family game when I was a teenager. I can't say for sure, but I am thinking that it might have been quite frustrating, simply because the chances of me winning were about zero. (My father was almost certainly the winner. He was addicted to crossword puzzles, which undoubtedly helped.) Later on, though, I came to like it when it was just my mother and me. Strangely, we went through at least 3 of the standard sets--the first set was my father's, and he took it when he moved out. That was replaced with the second set (technically IIRC mine). The third set was acquired at a point near the end of my mother's life when set #2 was unavailable, and we really wanted to play Scrabble.

I'm thinking I may have one of the ones with a turntable base in storage. I certainly remember that style, which seemed like a nice idea. Although I like the old plain version out of sentiment.

I don't remember my grandfather's Scrabble set, unfortunately, but it's possible he had one sets made in the early years.

I know about Scrabble timers, but never used them. Indeed, I like a more leisurely pace with a chance to think. But, of course, if someone is too slow too much of the time, it's annoying for his or her opponents... (And if there are several players, and each takes too long, one may fall asleep before it's one's turn again. LOL)

Another memory is my chess phase. I got interested in the idea in sixth grade. My mother obliged with a learn chess book, and, IIRC, at some point a cheap chess set appeared. I don't really recall doing more than learning the basics of the game at that point. Then, the next Christmas, I got a small electronic chess game. I played with that a lot...but I pretty consistently lost (even though it was set to the lowest possible skill level for the computer opponent). The only time I remember winning was when I invoked the change side feature so that my hopeless position became the electronic game's hopeless position.

I played my father once. He had little background with chess--he only barely knew how to play IIRC. And yet he won. The only other time I recall playing with another person was with some guy I knew at college. Again, I lost.

For some reason, I lost interest in chess. May it have been my lousy ability?!? Although chess sets are interesting, and could be fun decoration...

Spades was big at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo when I lived in the dorms there.   We'd play bridge too, but I'd just make my partners angry with dumb moves.  Spades was a lot easier.

I remember games like Pit, which was based on being in the pit at the commodities exchange.  Lots of yelling in that one.  We also had a game called "Dig" where you had little mallets with sticky ends to pick up cards with letters on them (face down) and then try to use them to spell something.  The mallets lost their tacky surfaces fairly quickly, and that was that.  Another one I liked was "Across the Continent," which used small metal charms shaped like streamliner trains in various colors.  Roll the dice and make your way from one end of the country to the other.  It was a good geography lesson, and probably the first time I heard of many U.S. cities.

Our Scrabble game would probably be worth something today to a collector.  The "X" tiles were double stamped.  I don't know whatever happened to that set.  I only know one or two people who would want to play Scrabble. 

Backgammon was a big deal in the late '70s.  You could find sets everywhere.  I bought some kind of designer set at Marshall's, and also had a small travel set with magnetic pieces.  I've forgotten how to play, but it's easy to pick it back up.  I have friends who play, but in what they call the "acey ducey" version.  I have no idea what that is.

We never had "Sorry" or "Careers," but friends did.

LordKenmore:  Another memory is my chess phase.

I forgot all about Spoons.  I'll have to look that one up to remind myself how to play it.  I think the grandkids, or at least the older one, would like it if she could get the hang of it.  One Thanksgiving when we were away at a beach cabin we taught her Crazy Eights.   She required a lot of repeat prompting and/or correcting.  She might be old enough for Spoons now, but today's kids' minds don't work the same so we'll see.  Right now she's into pig latin, which I'm having a fun time with.

I was never good at Chess.  Just like Bridge, I couldn't think that far down the road and still can't. 

We didn't have Battlefield or Stratego, but we did have one called "Conflict."  I can't remember the premise, but the name of the game probably said it all.

She would put the game board on a lazy susan turntable to make it easier to use.

There is--or at least once was--a version that board with built-in turntable IIRC.

Although I've sometimes thought that having a large Lazy Susan might be better, since it could also be used for other games (and other applications).

Well, it's not just the youth of today who are isolated... I was pretty isolated when I was growing up in the 70s/80s. I had a few "friends" here and there...but the relationships tended to be shallow and flawed. Most interaction was at school IIRC. When our paths diverged, most often that was that.

My experience was different from what kids might experience today, of course--we didn't have the video games that they have now. (And my exposure was very limited to video games. I only knew about Pac Man by reputation!)

Trivial Pursuit was my favorite.

Funny story about the Operation game that involves me.  When I was little I was terrified of the dark and frequently had nightmares as well as sleep paralysis.  I don't know why (to this day I can't sleep in a room with the closet door open even a crack, nor will I allow any body part to stick out from under the covers..childhood fears run deep).  Well, my sister and I had an Operation game.  It was under my bed, and the lid was off the box.  Batteries were in the game.  It was cold weather as I remember a blanket being on the bed and it hung down almost to the floor.  I turned over in the bed and that game started buzzing.  I screamed bloody murder thinking the Devil was coming up through the floor with a chainsaw!  I laugh at myself now that I'm 46.5 years old, but back when I was 3 or 4, it was a traumatic experience!

We used to play cards on Saturday nights when daddy was home.  He liked Rummy, Tonk, and Rook.  Later on we liked Uno.

...but I guess Mr. Potato Head doesn't count as a board game, not even the one from my childhood that used a real potato.

An interesting video on why one should NEVER play Monopoly. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say "never"...but the video makes some good points.

The Mr. Potato Head concept has met the digital age in KTuberling. Although I'm guessing most people here won't be able to run it, since KDE software is designed for "Unix family" computer operating systems. I've run it with Linux.

Still, some might enjoy seeing this page about it. Quote:

KTuberling is a game intended for small children. Of course, it may be suitable for adults who have remained young at heart.

It is a "potato editor". That means that you can drag and drop eyes, mouths, mustache, and other parts of face and goodies onto a potato-like guy. Similarly, you have other playgrounds with different themes.

games.kde.org/game.phpQUESTIONMA...