Board games catering to shorter attention spans
Filed under: Lifestyle, Toys, Family togetherness, 6-7 years
Ellie loves board games and so do I. We have a closet full of them and Ellie often pulls one out after dinner. We have spent many evenings racing through Candy Land, trying to get a winner before bedtime. Often, we make up our own rules in order to speed things up. Even if we have plenty of time to play, Ellie usually loses interest before the game is over. It seems that board game makers are finally getting the message that an hour spent playing Candy Land is about 40 minutes too long. They have begun introducing new games, and shorter versions of old favorites, that take only about 20 minutes to play. For example, Hasbro's Game of Life has been re-tooled to let players determine how long the game will last before they start playing. It's called The Game of Life: Twists and Turns Edition and uses a Visa card instead of cash and keeps score with a "LifePod". They have also created "Express" versions of Monopoly, Scrabble and Sorry.
I might consider purchasing one of the faster versions at some point, but for now, our made-up rules accomplish the same thing. We call them "Ellie's Rules" and not only do they speed things up, they make it easier for her to win. I don't always let her win, but a six year old losing a game of Candy Land right before bedtime is not my idea of a good time.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments