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A blog I follow does a 10 on Tuesday entry and I thought perhaps it would be fun to join in and do somethign a bit different... a bit late (the whole weeks is that way when Monday is a holiday) but here is my 10 on Tuesday (on Wednesday).
My family never had a television so we played a lot of games together- still do, actually. We did have a Nintendo, which was hooked to a Commodore 64 monitor, which, incidentally, my parents still have and use. We played Super Mario and Legends of Zelda most frequently but I am limiting this list to non-computerized games.
1. Rook. Rook was a favorite when all the cousins got together at hunting camp. We could sit and play for hours. My oldest cousins introduced it to us when they were in their early teens. Most of the time, when my brother and his wife come to visit, we play several hands of Rook.
2. Rummy. I don't know when we started playing Rummy but we have been playing it since elementary school at least. This was another camp favorite but it doesn't require a big group. My grandmother and I often played this game during the summers when my mom was in grad school and we went camping with my dad and my grandparents.
3. Rummikub. This is also a rummy game but played with tiles. I like this game because you can strategically rearrange tiles as long as you leave three in each set to use your own tiles. I was very good at seeing these possibilities and would inevitably rearrange the entire board before going out. Of course, this could also lead to some colossal mistakes which could ruin a game if you couldn't remember how to put things back. I haven't played in years but we really enjoyed it and we all still have the tile sets.
4. Uno. Does anyone not play Uno? Seriously? They have so many versions out now- I think Robert and Carrie bought Uno Attack for Mom and Dad for Christmas. It's a crowd favorite at Thanksgiving. It's a very simple game and even the young children can play it.
5. Skipbo. On camping trips my brother, mother and I would sit at the trailer table and deal out great stacks of cards and play until someone got rid of all of them. There is actually quite a bit of strategy to the game since you can play your discards to the table later.
6. Scrabble. This is not a game I played with my brother at all but one I sat and played with my mother. She and my grandmother had a good natured rivalry over scrabble and there was always at least one game per visit. Sometimes I joined; sometimes I watched. I haven't ever become as good a player as my mother- she's got all those 2 letter and Q without U words memorized.
7. Yahtzee. My grandmother kept this game in her stack and my double cousins, brother and I would often sit and play triple Yahtzee at Grandma's kitchen table. If nothing else, it was a good way to practice math skills. Dice rarely roll well for me but Yahtzee has so many rolls that it all evens out in the end.
8. Solitaire. There are many many versions of solitaire and we learned to play a great variety. It was a good game because it didn't require interaction with your siblings which, you know does have some benefits at times. My cousin and I sometimes played double solitaire where you can play on the other person's cards but it wasn't a frequent thing. I even learned a hand held version which didn't require any table space for those times when I wanted to hide in my bunk while we were camping.
9. Clue. My strategy for this game only worked with a good hand and a long game. I was rather linear in my logic and my brother might guess before I'd figured it out. Still it was a fun game and not one in which you could cheat(a consideration when playing with young siblings).
10.A combination of Murder in the dark, Snake in the Grass, Hide and Seek, and Tag. My brother and I played this game with out double cousins. We played all the games individually but we'd also turn off the lights start touching the "snake" and then disappear into the darkness. In this game the snake didn't have to stay on the floor but we were supposed to stay within the room. The idea was to be as quiet as possible and stay out of reach of the snake- it was particularly hard to figure out when the game was over. Another variation was played in the woods below my aunt and uncle's house. It was our version of Calvin ball I think. ;>) As a teen I played war games in a similar fashion. We'd all wear camo or black, sneak into a park after dark, scatter and then try to be the last one standing. I actually had someone step on me once and not see me until I spoke and grabbed their leg.
Great memories.
My family never had a television so we played a lot of games together- still do, actually. We did have a Nintendo, which was hooked to a Commodore 64 monitor, which, incidentally, my parents still have and use. We played Super Mario and Legends of Zelda most frequently but I am limiting this list to non-computerized games.
1. Rook. Rook was a favorite when all the cousins got together at hunting camp. We could sit and play for hours. My oldest cousins introduced it to us when they were in their early teens. Most of the time, when my brother and his wife come to visit, we play several hands of Rook.
2. Rummy. I don't know when we started playing Rummy but we have been playing it since elementary school at least. This was another camp favorite but it doesn't require a big group. My grandmother and I often played this game during the summers when my mom was in grad school and we went camping with my dad and my grandparents.
3. Rummikub. This is also a rummy game but played with tiles. I like this game because you can strategically rearrange tiles as long as you leave three in each set to use your own tiles. I was very good at seeing these possibilities and would inevitably rearrange the entire board before going out. Of course, this could also lead to some colossal mistakes which could ruin a game if you couldn't remember how to put things back. I haven't played in years but we really enjoyed it and we all still have the tile sets.
4. Uno. Does anyone not play Uno? Seriously? They have so many versions out now- I think Robert and Carrie bought Uno Attack for Mom and Dad for Christmas. It's a crowd favorite at Thanksgiving. It's a very simple game and even the young children can play it.
5. Skipbo. On camping trips my brother, mother and I would sit at the trailer table and deal out great stacks of cards and play until someone got rid of all of them. There is actually quite a bit of strategy to the game since you can play your discards to the table later.
6. Scrabble. This is not a game I played with my brother at all but one I sat and played with my mother. She and my grandmother had a good natured rivalry over scrabble and there was always at least one game per visit. Sometimes I joined; sometimes I watched. I haven't ever become as good a player as my mother- she's got all those 2 letter and Q without U words memorized.
7. Yahtzee. My grandmother kept this game in her stack and my double cousins, brother and I would often sit and play triple Yahtzee at Grandma's kitchen table. If nothing else, it was a good way to practice math skills. Dice rarely roll well for me but Yahtzee has so many rolls that it all evens out in the end.
8. Solitaire. There are many many versions of solitaire and we learned to play a great variety. It was a good game because it didn't require interaction with your siblings which, you know does have some benefits at times. My cousin and I sometimes played double solitaire where you can play on the other person's cards but it wasn't a frequent thing. I even learned a hand held version which didn't require any table space for those times when I wanted to hide in my bunk while we were camping.
9. Clue. My strategy for this game only worked with a good hand and a long game. I was rather linear in my logic and my brother might guess before I'd figured it out. Still it was a fun game and not one in which you could cheat(a consideration when playing with young siblings).
10.A combination of Murder in the dark, Snake in the Grass, Hide and Seek, and Tag. My brother and I played this game with out double cousins. We played all the games individually but we'd also turn off the lights start touching the "snake" and then disappear into the darkness. In this game the snake didn't have to stay on the floor but we were supposed to stay within the room. The idea was to be as quiet as possible and stay out of reach of the snake- it was particularly hard to figure out when the game was over. Another variation was played in the woods below my aunt and uncle's house. It was our version of Calvin ball I think. ;>) As a teen I played war games in a similar fashion. We'd all wear camo or black, sneak into a park after dark, scatter and then try to be the last one standing. I actually had someone step on me once and not see me until I spoke and grabbed their leg.
Great memories.
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