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Gathering of Engineers

Ludographic considerations from the Silicon Forest

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Family gaming

Gaming in my family is a bit hit and miss, we don't play many games at home. However, that is as much to do with busy schedules as much as anything. With two boys playing soccer, all three of us refereeing, games sessions 2-3 times a week, frequent late nights at work and other school commitments, finding time can be hard.

Cathy, my wife, isn't a gamer by any stretch of the term. She plays games under suffrance normally, although she will take a swing where she'll request to play something, but it's only once in a blue moon, and then only at the fairly light end of the spectrum. Her favorites, if she has to play, are TtR (multi-player) and Flower Power (2-player). She's happier with a book, and some music. Preferably with some chocolate, too.

Graham, youngest son, is the main instigator for playing something, and the main reason that Cathy plays - he has to be mollified every now and again. He'll play most games, and picks up the mechanisms quite quickly, even if the tactics or strategy are a bit lacking. He's played and enjoyed Wizard Kings, M44, Carcassonne, Schotten Totten, Odin's Ravens, Doom and Yinsh. In fact he beat me first time out in Yinsh. I don't let him win, and the first time he beat me at Odin's Ravens he was on clound nine for ages. More often he's too busy playing video games (if he's not off at soccer) but we get some time at the weekends.

Catriona will play if there's a game going on, normally, but generally won't request a game. She likes Bang! (in fact they all do, but I can't stand the game), Perudo/Liar's Dice, and won the one game of Settlers we played. One game I picked up from Essen was a Japanese card game, as she does Japanese at school and is very interested in it. She immediately grabbed it and is off trying to learn it (it has English rules with it), and hopefully she'll be able to teach us and play.

Colin, oldest son, will join in when available, but is mostly busy with his buddies, at church or soccer, and playing video games. He helps me out at the library games sessions I run, teaching people the games. He enjoys most games we've played, including Metro, Lost Cities, TtR, to name a few.

Around the house I don't push playing games too much. If someone wants to play then I'll certainly set something up, but it's not worth the negative Brownie points to push it. With several games sessions per week it's not a big deal anyway.

Christmas is one time when people are looking for something to do, and games get played a lot, New Year's Eve as well. Last year I got a Crokinole board and it was very popular with everyone. Coloretto is one for everyone, and the previously mentioned Perudo. I just go with the flow.....

8 Comments:

  • At 7:50 AM, Blogger Jonathan said…

    What ages are your children?

     
  • At 8:26 AM, Blogger Myk said…

    I realized after posting that that would have been useful information! Colin is 17, Catriona 15, and Graham is 13.

     
  • At 2:02 PM, Blogger Jonathan said…

    Thanks! It's pretty interesting how it all works out when one person in a family is an "obsessive" gamer and the rest aren't. My daughter is 4 and we play games off and on (sometimes good stuff and sometimes bad but she enjoys it all) and my wife likes to play an occasional game.

     
  • At 3:59 PM, Blogger Chris Brooks said…

    Start 'em young, that's what I say! Make it seem like perfectly acceptable social behavior (why, of course every family does this Jacob, why wouldn't they?).

     
  • At 8:14 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    It's been disappointing to watch our boys swing away from gaming when they were very interested when younger. Justin (16) is swinging back to being a player but would rather play with others than his sibs.

    KC and I don't play near enough at home but it has been a hectic year for us. I enjoy pulling out 2-player games in the evening after the kids are down for the nite.

     
  • At 11:17 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    crokinole is a great game and has such a rich history!

    http://www.archive.org/details/Crokinole

     
  • At 11:20 PM, Anonymous Ernie P said…

    You missed this one anonymous!

    http://www.experts123.com/q/what-is-the-history-and-background-of-the-game-of-crokinole.html

    and this one!

    http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/521/crokinole

     
  • At 1:52 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Great article! Don't forget this history one guys.... http://www.archive.org/details/Crokinole

    Accomplished fiddler and step dancer, Julie Fitzgerald, was allegedly the first family member to confirm the infamous “Eagan-Fitzgerald Cabal“, a term coined by famous crokinole player and analyst Eric Miltenburg of Toronto. In the World Crokinole Championship’s very backyard in Tavistock, in early July 2010, Fitzgerald explained in great detail to Bill Gladding of the Tavistock Gazette the importance of her family’s contribution to crokinole’s history. Fitzgerald stated that many of Thomas Eagan’s descendents still play dominant crokinole, but are now scattered across the continent, with some in the Greater Toronto Area, the Ottawa Valley, remote areas of Northern Ontario, British Columbia, and San Francisco. The family do not participate in the World Crokinole Championships, because they consider the level of competition inferior to their own and concentrate on developing their family’s skills. Fitzgerald boasted about the family’s political connections and stated they are developing crokinole software with an unnamed technology company in Sunnyvale, California. Unfortunately, the story was never published in the Tavistock Gazette. Bill Gladding and Julie Fitzgerald have since denied any conversation taking place. However, Julie’s sister Kerry and brother Tom have confirmed they were in Tavistock with Julie and that she spoke to Gladding on two separate occasions on July 2 and 3, 2010.

    It's also going mainstream! 2010 WCC champ Justin Slater, was the first to secure a major sponsor in his exclusive arrangement with O'Neill Canada. Justin is also rumoured to be "the face" of Nova Scotia crokinole manufacturer Muzzies Canada, once he attends university there in the Fall of 2010.

     

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