Friday, March 1, 2013

Game Playing

If I'm honest, I'd tell you that I'm not really a game player.  I like an occasional game of Domino's with the family or a game of Balderdash with a big crew, but I don't play video games.  I have no games on my laptop and my non-smart phone doesn't have any games either. If I have free time, I'd rather read or knit or watch a movie.  Games just seem too competitive to me and that fact alone makes it not that much fun.

My kids on the other hand like games. In fact, I've probably played more games with Miss A than I've played anytime before in my entire life.  From Chutes and Ladders to Junior Monopoly to Maniacal, this girl likes to play games.  The other night Mr C was finished with homework and it was too cold and dark to go hit golf balls (true story!) so he offered to play Miss A in Monopoly. He told her it would help her with her math skills to which she replied that she didn't need the help.  Love the confidence.

For the next hour and half, Mr C played Miss A in a rousing game of buying property, building houses, going to jail, and declaring bankruptcy. It was competitive; Mr C was buying too many of the places that Miss A landed on a regular basis and his rent price was way too high.  Miss A was gambling with her money on the fancy spots and landing in jail on a regular basis.  Mr C as the banker kept warning A to focus on the property she already owned, but Miss A was sure that "next best piece of property" would be the place that Mr C would go belly up!

At bedtime, I told Miss A it was time to pack it in.  They begged to leave the board game up so they could continue the next night and I agreed. (It's a life lesson I tell you, they are really only to be together in the house so long so why not.)

The next night after homework Mr C was ready to tackle Miss A again.  This time they let Miss M join them (she'd been at dance the previous night) meaning she was going to take up some of her sister's buying power. She also complained that her brother took the game too seriously and that no one would pay $900 for a one minute stop at Park Place.  Guess she's not a game player either. She wanted to play for fun and not property buying and asset accumulating.  In other words according to Miss A, "she's not really getting Monopoly!"

 Of course moments after these infamous words, Miss A was penniless.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ok - we have to get our kids together. I reluctantly played with Jim and Emma the other night. B was the banker (and this is a 6 year old who isn't good with numbers - so it was a challenge in that department too.) I like you have a lot of other interests that pull me away from the game area - and playing with J and E I was reminded why - they are super competitive and buy everything and trade and build. When I played growing up we rarely bought houses nor hotels. I think E and C and some friends might have a 'fun' game night sometime and we can provide 'treats' much more 'up my alley."