| Here's the first thing you can expect to hear when | | | | be stressed enough. There's no denying it that these |
| most moms and dads pull out the ol' Monopoly board | | | | days, most families simply don't spend enough time |
| for the first time... | | | | together. In this economy, you have stay at home |
| "Oh no!" | | | | parents looking for work, working parents looking for |
| "GROAN!" | | | | second jobs, teens getting part time gigs after school, |
| "Do we HAVE to?!" | | | | the kids at the day care centre most of the week, and |
| Between video games, cell phones, and our favourite | | | | the family dog wondering where everyone went. |
| TV shows, it's not the easiest thing in the world to | | | | When everyone finally comes home, mom has to |
| convince the family that, hey, spending time together | | | | balance the budget, dad takes a nap, the teens chat |
| can actually be kind of fun! Board games don't let you | | | | on their cell phones for a few hours, and the kids fight |
| blow space aliens to Kingdom Come, they don't let you | | | | over the Nintendo. |
| download the hottest new music videos, and they | | | | Recent studies have shown that most people |
| don't come with a fully orchestrated soundtrack but | | | | surveyed have fewer than two close friends whom |
| you do have something much more valuable: Human | | | | they feel they would trust with their lives. Nearly half of |
| bonding. That's a novel concept in this day and age, to | | | | those surveyed responded that they had literally no |
| be sure. | | | | true, close friends. It's no wonder. Kids are growing up |
| The way to see board games is not as a mere | | | | in households where everyone is too busy, too |
| entertainment medium. Monopoly, Mindtrap, Clue, they | | | | distracted, and they never just sit down and waste a |
| don't have that instant gratification you'll find in your | | | | couple of hours having fun together. How do you |
| Xbox, they don't attack the synapses without a | | | | expect them to really understand what human bonding |
| moment's hesitation. What they do is they allow for a | | | | is all about when it wasn't a major part of their |
| moment where a group of people sit down together | | | | upbringing? |
| and interact. | | | | Board games don't have the visceral excitement you |
| The whole point of a board game isn't even the game | | | | get from a shootemup video game, they don't |
| itself. The whole point of a board game is that it gets | | | | entertain you on a direct, visual level. A board game |
| four or five people down at the table, joking around, | | | | would truly be boring to play all by yourself. What a |
| chatting, getting competitive, arguing over the rules, and, | | | | board game does is it gives a family a perfect excuse |
| well, generally just having fun in one another's | | | | to sit down and bond. It gives you something to talk |
| company. | | | | about as you debate the finer points of the rulebook |
| Video games, movies, TV, they're all a form of | | | | and what you can do to sweeten the pot when trying |
| escapism. That's not to say they can't be worthwhile. | | | | to buy The Boardwalk. |
| Simple entertainment can enrich a person's life in its | | | | So if you want to actually enjoy a board game, have |
| own way, but all that stuff don't have the basic human | | | | everyone play it and don't take any excuses. Unplug |
| element you'll witness when you see a family sitting | | | | the phone, turn off the cell phones, switch off the TV, |
| around the dinner table with a deck of cards and an | | | | grab a few sodas from the fridge, and keep the |
| extra large pizza. | | | | conversation going. |
| The importance of bonding with your family can never | | | | |