Roll the dice and become chairman of the board
ONE of my earliest memories is of a holiday in Arisaig, Lochaber, notable at the start because we had to leave the road to drive on grass, a very big deal when every journey I’d ever been on to date was on proper roads.
But what really gripped me was a box marked ‘Compendium of Games’ in the car boot.
I gave it the full CoG title every time I agitated to play. And that was a lot.
Veterans of Scottish holidays where the weather is rarely compliant, my parents brought the compendium for those frequent ‘rain stops outdoor play’ moments.
It was packed with games that level the playing field – well, the board – between adults and youngsters.
It was possible to experience the dizzying thrill of ‘I’ve won this!’ seconds before a vertiginous plunge on Snakes and Ladders; the tantalising lead in Ludo vanishing on a tumble of the dice; the delight of a storming hop-skip-and-jump winner in Draughts…
And there I was, feet not even touching the ground yet able to best the Big People.
No doubt now and then tears ran down my face like the rain on the holiday let’s windows, for games – even simple ones of chance – teach tough lessons about fair play, winning and losing.
And board games are back, big time. their sales were worth £1billion ($1.4billion) in the US alone in 2016.
Meanwhile, UK hipsters are idling in cafes whose walls are lined, library like, with board games.
‘Fancy a quick Chinese Chequers?’ is back in.
old favourites ride this new wave – Monopoly thrives even while property ownership is a fantasy for many.
(My sister and I would, on dull Sunday mornings, break out a Monopoly set so venerable the car playing-piece had a man walking in front of it with a red flag. Unfamiliar with the rules, we split all the money 50/50, meaning the game would have gone on forever if Sunday School hadn’t intruded.)
Cluedo is still on the go despite the advent of DNA testing, but I fear Escape From Colditz – created by Major Patrick reid, who was held as a PoW at the castle – is a goner.
Still, there’s now Secret Hitler, in which you must discover who backs the Führer and who is agin.
Such role-playing games are hugely popular. No surprise in an era when insecurity and uncertainty reign. How nice to vanish into a world of counters and cards for an hour, dropping modern angst and surrendering to the whims of Lady Luck.
AND maybe games help you see – and even shape – the adult in the child. A mate I once played Scalextric slot-car racing with these days globetrots as a key element in the Mercedes Formula one team.
I play Game of Life: Adventure Edition with my youngest (just like me with CoG, he insists on the full title).
It’s about choosing a career and racking up points for a job, family and even pets.
I go for 9-5 on Big-Biz City Island, while he’s out for sun and fun as an exotic-pet vet on Surf Shack Atoll. Hope it turns out that way for him.
Now, I’ve got him beaten hollow if I can just spin a three here...