The games people play
A GOOD, OLD-FASHIONED PASTIME CAN BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY TOGETHER
Parents can attest that between kids’ and parents’ busy schedules, homework, after-school sports, and activities, it was often difficult, pre-pandemic, to carve out time for family togetherness. Then 2020 happened. With kids learning remotely from home instead of in school and many parents working at home, families have had a lot more quality— and quantity—time quality together. Consequently, games of all types have been flying off store shelves.
Family game night has long been a thing, and more and more families are now making this a regular event, ditching their electronic devices to set aside time for some screen-free family fun. Not only are games fun, but they can also teach valuable life skills and serve as an educational vehicle.
There are the classic games most parents will remember from their childhood, such as
Monopoly, Clue, Sorry, and Stratego, which are still available. However, today’s games market is booming with not only variations on the classics but a whole host of new options, as well.
In our family, we particularly enjoyed games that involved words and critical thinking. I guess that comes from being parents both earning a living as writers. We started out with Candyland and Chutes and Ladders when our kids were little,and then graduated to higher level games. I’m not ashamed to admit we have several variations of Monopoly, including an NHL-themed version and one based on the TV show, Supernatural. Among our family favorites were Bananagrams and Word Flip, but we also liked action games, such as Perfection and Hedbanz, which is a fun guessing game where you wear a card on a headband, with the card depicting an animal or common object, and you have to guess what you are by asking the other players yes or no questions. Now that the kids are older, they also gravitate to what some people might consider less appropriate, or “NSFW (Not Safe for Work)” games, such Cards Against Humanity.
Michael “Mick” Hershman and his wife, Lori, own three New Haven County-based toy stores named for their children:: Jessie’s Toys in Orange, Evan’s Toys Shoppe in Hamden, and Jordie’s Toy Shoppe in Guilford. In addition to having a large stock of games available on the shelves, Mick says that people are welcome to come in the store to learn how to play the games.
“There are lots of great games that are available to keep families together around the table and to keep brains stimulated,” he states. “There’s a wonderful game from a company in Connecticut and they’ve come up with some really good games for different ages [Slapzi, Tenzi, and Itzi,to name a few]. Those are great games that we have done exceptionally well with.” He adds that these are all interactive games that offer different game variations, with some being quite fast paced, where the game can be won by the speed of a player’s response or the card that is drawn.
Based in Riverside and Westport, Tenzi was the brainchild of Kevin Carroll and Steve Mark, who are to the game world what Ben and Jerry were to the ice cream industry during the early days. After designing a dice game that was instantly popular, the two former ad agency colleagues didn’t sell out to a large toy company but have kept making games on their own. The aforementioned Slapzi is a perennial best seller, and this summer, they launched their sixth game, Buildzi, which has already taken off.
Hershman notes they have also had great success in
their stores with a game, Genius Square, for ages 6 and up. “It is a great one- or two-person game that will have in excess of 60,000 variations on how to play based on how you start the game, so it will never be the same game twice,” he explains. “It’s based on spatial problem solving.”
Also popular are new classics like Rush Hour, which is over 20 years old and is still a great seller, and the Laser Maze logic game series, including Laser Maze, Gravity Maze, and Domino Maze.
Jen Fila, owner of Town Center Toys in Wilton, says board games have been particularly popular this year. “They are a great way to pass the time with your family while we are all spending a lot of time at home together,” Fila says. Her children are 11 and 14 and their favorite family game is Escape the Room from ThinkFun. “This is a game that can be played one time only but is worth it,” she contends. “We also like classics like Monopoly, Clue and Scrabble. Catan is also another great game for four players.”
Fila recommends cooperative games from Peaceable Kingdom for younger kids and notes that Race to the
Treasure was a favorite in her family. “Spot it and Clack! are also really fun, if you want to be a little more competitive,” she adds.
Nancy Erickson, manager of The Toy Chest, which has stores in Ridgefield and New Canaan, observes that games selling well for age 8 and up include Code Names and a new game, Covidopoly, created by a Wilton inventor. For ages 10 and up, good choices are Ticket to Ride and Catan, she says.
For younger kids, Erickson recommends family games like Qwirkle, Jenga, or Sequence while Zingo Bingo is great for preschoolers. “It’s like Bingo but with a Z and it is educational but fun at the same time,” she says, noting that customers are returning to the basics, hence the popularity of games right now: “During the pandemic, we have been selling tons of games because families are home and need to entertain themselves.”
So break out the Scrabble, Spot it or Slapzi, add some of your favorite snacks and drinks, and gather around the table to enjoy a fun family night at home. And let the games begin!