Fun With Board Games Online

If you were to make a list of your favorite indoor board games what would you include? Would chess be one of them? Or are you Life or Scrabble fan? There are a large number of board games that are classics and have stood the test of time. These people often have a large collection of them and they are always looking for something new. But, the fact is, that some games are must-haves. These games have transcended generations and we hold them dear to our hearts. This list has been compiled after aggregating results from several sources. Our global top 5 list is:

1. Monopoly: This is one of the world’s most well known board games. The game is a game of real estate, purchasing property, developing it and then making sure others lose their money before you do. This board game has a number of different versions to reach from young kids to the most sophisticated of all professionals. There are deluxe editions as well as fun loving Disney editions, sports editions, and even cat and dog-opoly! One or more of the various flavors of this game is likely to hang around for years to come.

2. Scrabble: Another classic that has diehard followers. A lot of people start playing scrabble to improve their vocabulary. In this game, the goal is to outwit the other player, scoring more points by creating more high-scoring words. A game that most people fall in love while they are just picking up the English language. Some of these hang around and make a career of it. The true testament that this game is truly global is that the current world champion hails from Thailand.

3. Chess: Chess goes as far back as the 7th century. The game is strategy at its best. It is one game that many will study, learn, and spend a life learning again. It’s a game you learn to love as you pick up more strategies with time. Chess has an extremely large following of people.

4. Checkers: is another popular board game. Everyone recognizes the black and red checkered board and it is one of the simplest of games to learn. It has been around since about the 1500’s where people began playing with far less interesting pieces.

5. Life: This is a relatively newer game in comparison to the other four. This is designed to be, well, like real life. Go through and make choices that will eventually effect what you can and cannot do in life. A game with plenty of options and each choice will take you in a completely different direction. This game and its different varieties such as the Simpson’s version continue to hold promise for many years to come.

Mike Singh is a successful webmaster and publisher of chess-made-ez.com . He provides the basic chess rules and excellent chess tips to take your game to the next level.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Singh

Why board games in the 21st Century? That’s like the 19th Century right? I’ve got a Wii, a PSP, a broadband internet connection and in iPhone. What else do you need?

Well, here are some reasons why I’d say you need to play more board games:

They will surprise you - If you’ve only ever played Monopoly, Risk or Scrabble, you will be in for a real treat when you break out some of the new board games that are out there these days. The games are more specialized, more strategic and quite often less reliant on pure luck. If you liked Monopoly and the building aspect, try Carcassonne. If you enjoy war games, there are tons like Battlelore and Memoir ‘44. And Scrabble - how about BuyWord?

Socialization - You can’t play a board game without at least one other person. And the good thing is, that other person isn’t half the world away. More, there are tons of award winning games out there that are best played with 3 or more. That means, well, a social life of sorts!

It’s not on that machine - After 8 hours at work, the last thing I want to do is sit down and play on the computer for another 5 hours. And it’s only because it’s given me tendonitis already (sit straight, take breaks and read and practice all the good ergonomics you can. No, seriously.) but because I just don’t want to deal with that monitor either.

Nothing stays the same - Board games always change. Each time you take it out, there’s something new. The luck of the draw will shift how you play the game and how your opponents do. Quite different from a computer game or worst, movie.

All this randomness ensures that each game is new, providing players a new experience in a similar setting. While the rules might hold the same, it is the changing board and rolls of the dice that make the game interesting.

Portability - Even if everything seems to be getting smaller and smaller - well except my waistline - all those electronic toys are still very much dependent on their batteries. Portable board games such as Citadels or Blokus will continue to entertain long after the batteries have run out for your other toys.

Cost - Now, this is probably the most important for many of us. A single board game like Citadels or Odin’s Ravens comes under the $20 range, less than the price of a single CD or console game. Long after you’ve grown bored of listening to the album, you will be enjoying these games.

So those are my reasons for playing board games. What are yours?

Tao Wong Starlit Citadel- an online board games and role playing games store based in Richmond, BC, Canada.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tao_Wong

Among the old time classic games we have all of those which are organized under board games, these have been around for quite some time, some go centuries in the past which makes them all time classics. The way they are designed which requires constant thinking and planning are one of the few factors which make these games so desirable and addictive.

A brief research in board games shows remarkable facts about the history of board games, the oldest is said to date back to 3500 BC, this board game was called “Senet” which in ancient Egyptian translates to “passing game” ever since the first board entertainment games were invented they have evolved into more interesting forms which have been spread all over the world with the power of the internet.

One board game which became popular in the early nineties is called battle-ship. The fact that this board game became popular during this decade is not an indicator of its age though, this game was first invented in 1931 and was first published Milton Bradley which gave a new design and spin in the 90’s.

Today, this legend lives on the web were it is accessible to millions of people around the globe. The rules and instructions to this game are quite easy, it is played in a double board setting which is divided by a similar vertical board where players can keep track of the attacks they have made on the opponent through a square tracking system. The goal is to try to find the exact position of your enemy’s ships and sink them before they sink yours. When a player finds one ship he/she can keep on firing until a shot is missed, then it’s your opponent turn to try to take on your fleet.

The fleet consists of 5 vessels they are: an aircraft carrier which is often easy to take down due to its five square size, then we have a battleship which is somewhat easy to target because it covers 4 squares, a cruiser covers three squares, the submarine covers 3 and can be quite hard to find and last but not least we have the patrol boat which covers two squares and can be a nightmare if you have found all others but not this one. When played online you can play against the computer or against an actual player through social sites which makes things even more interesting and addictive.

http://www.TheGameCell.com provides free addicting fun online games such as addicting action games and adventure games among many others, visit us and have some fun!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ivan_A_Cuxeva

Board games have entertained children and adults for many years. Many board games have now been made available to play online over the Internet. Some of the most famous board games, such as battleships, monopoly and checkers can now be played online. You can even play against your friends over the computer. Personally I used to prefer the old fashioned way.

Board games can bring families together, a cosy night in huddled next to the fire logs playing a good old game of monopoly with the family. Not only is monopoly fun, but it also stimulates the mind and can help with a Childs education. You could set a night each week where you play monopoly with your family. Each member can take turns to be the banker.

Monopoly is a fun way to improve number skills for all members of the family and can be a good way to learning about investing and other useful skills that can come in handy later on in life.

Checkers is an ancient game that can now be played online. Many messenger services have the game built in now, such as the famous msn messenger. You can play against your online contacts free of charge. This is an old but famous game what can have you hooked in no time. Hours of our time were spent playing checkers as a family when we were all young.

Another famous game which has now been available for online play is battleships. Battleships can be very addicting trying to locate the others ships so you can destroy them. Co – ordinates are used. This game can be fun to play against a family member or friend.

Board games may be old and may sit on people’s shelves gathering dust in today’s world. With all the computer games around now, board games have become less popular amongst many families. However, for mind and even exercise stimulation, old fashioned board games will bring your family together and are much more constructive than sitting playing computer games all day. How about a good game of twister or a game of guess who? That’s more constructive for the family than sitting on a computer getting eye strain and head aches.

If you want to have enjoyable evenings with your family, board games are definitely the way to go.

John Gibb is the owner of Board Game guidance

For more information on Board Games check out http://www.Boardgames-sources.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Gibb

I have been asked before to tutor kids on chess however time is the enemy and I cannot fit this in to my schedule. I started playing chess at the age of 5 and to be honest, I did stop for a few years; well just to get married and then I started again. I believe chess is the best game in the world for kids to learn. It teaches patience, tactics, strategy, thinking outside the box, respect for an opponent but most of all, it is the most fun you can have with a slab of wood and marked out into squares and 32 pieces of plastic or wood shaped like wee horses or castles. And once you have purchased these items you can play as many times as you want free of charge, forever.

Kids and chess just go together. It is a natural way for children to utilise their energy which has been bottled up sitting in school all day. It gets their brain working. Did you know that kids are getting more dense than at any other period in history. This is because they are not taught to think. They have computers and calculators to do their thinking for them. I don’t think they realise the joy you get when you resolve a problem all by yourself without using an electronic crutch to help you out. And this is where chess and kids are perfect partners.

Throughout a chess game many challenges, problems, irritations and much more will arise and the child will have no alternative than to try and work out a solution. If he or she does not, it’s no big deal, they have tried and that is the point. The experience will be stored in their memory and will be used to good effect the next time a similar situation arises and that is not only for chess. These experience will help them resolve life’s challenges.

I was a shy kid growing up in Glasgow, Scotland and went to an inner city school. I could not fight to save myself. To compensate I relied on a lot of the problem solving experiences from chess games which gave me some confidence in my own capabilities. I would say to myself “they may be stronger than me but I could stuff them at chess”.

Children should be taught chess, they will not always win but but they will not always lose. It is an imitation of life. An opponent of mine, when we were kids, used to accidentally knock the board over if he was losing or he would leave the table saying he had to go in for his tea. Guess what, I have just been told by his wife that when he gets beat at any board game against his kids he still makes excuses not to finish the game and storms out. Chess is for kids and hopefully it will teach them to take defeat in their stride. Put it down to experience and learn from it. This will be an invaluable attitude for any child to learn and they will be able to take this characteristic through to adulthood.

The author has been playing chess for over 40 years and you can view his winning chess strategies at http://chessstrategy.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barry_Newton

It must have been a crushing blow. It was 1934, the depths of the Great Depression. Charles Darrow was unemployed. But, he had an idea. Actually, he had a board game. He called the game Monopoly. He liked the board game and felt it was his ticket to financial success and out of the desperation of the depression. Darrow had taken his game to the famous Parker Brothers game company to publish and help him sell.

The Parker Brothers had agreed to look at the board game for Darrow. They were not impressed. Formed in 1883, by 16-year-old George Parker, the game publishing company had been making and selling games and puzzles for 51 years. During that time they had seen success and failure. Parker Brothers knew the game business. They knew what worked and what didn’t. They knew what sold and what didn’t. Representatives of the giant game company found 59 reasons why they did not think Darrow’s game could be successful.

Charles Darrow simply didn’t agree. He believed. He decided to publish Monopoly himself and market it through department stores. He had 5,000 copies of the board game printed.

Hope was scarce during that harsh Christmas of 1934. Money was even scarcer. And, Monopoly was a hit. Nearly all 5,000 copies of the board game sold. Within a year Parker Brothers was publishing the game. It was the best selling game in America by 1936.

Monopoly is now published in 89 languages and over 200 million copies of the board game have been sold. More than 500 million people have played the game. It has also been adapted as an electronic game. Monopoly is firmly entrenched as the best selling board game of all time.

Monopoly is a relative upstart compared to other popular board games.

The oldest known board game is called “The Royal Game of Ur” or the “Game of 20 Squares”. This game was discovered in a 4,500-year-old tomb in southern Iraq. This game was played throughout the Middle East for perhaps 1,000 years or more. In fact, the rules of the game have been found in cuneiform tablets. Game aficionados can play this ancient game yet today, even though it has long ago faded from popularity.

Perhaps the oldest board game still popular today is chess, which first appeared in India by the sixth century A.D. By the year 1,000 it was being played throughout the Middle East and in Europe. The rules and game board design have evolved somewhat over the centuries, but the game is still very much the same as the ancient Indians played it. They could hardly have dreamed, however, of the world-class chess match play or the electronic versions of the game we enjoy today.

Another very old, yet immensely popular board game is checkers, also known as draughts. A form of checkers was being played by the Egyptian Pharaohs as early as 1600 B.C. This game has also evolved over the centuries. By the 12th century the game was adapted to the 64-square chessboard. Four hundred years later the rules involving capture were added, yielding essentially the same game we play today.

There is simply no way to tell how many copies of chess or checkers have been sold or how many people have played these games. If the numbers were known, they would have to be truly staggering.

Popular Board Games Share Common Traits

Other top selling board games include Yahtzee, Scrabble, Mahjong, Trivial Pursuit, Battleship and the Risk game. Most of these games were developed during the 20th century and all are still big sellers and tremendously popular.

These popular board games share some similar traits. Most of them involve specific strategies of play. When these strategies are employed successfully, the games are fun, challenging and intensely rewarding as players attempt to capture portions of the board and/or each other. Another common element in most of these board games is chance, or luck. Luck is introduced usually by drawing cards or rolling dice. The element of chance opens up possibilities for even more strategies of play. A final important trait of these games is that in one way or another they reflect the lessons of life. They teach competition and sportsmanship. They teach strategy and the lesson of never giving up.

Perhaps that is why Charles Darrow was so attracted to Monopoly. He believed that success comes by employing sound strategies to following a dream and never giving up. We are glad that Darrow didn’t give up. We are glad he didn’t throw the board game with 59 things wrong in the trash bin as he left the Parker Brothers plant in 1934.

About the author: Royce Armstrong is a successful freelance writer with a business and banking background who believes consumers should get the best value for their money when shopping for board games, family games and learning games.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Royce_Armstrong

FACT: Entertainment costs are going up.

In case you have been under a rock lately, gas costs you about $3.30 per gallon (about $45 per filling on an average car). Movies cost between $7.00 and $10.00 per person. That’s before you get your munchies. Oh, that will cost you about $10 for a large popcorn and a drink…but you get free refills on the popcorn. You want to go out with your special other for dinner and a drink? That will run you about $50 or so.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a night out as much as the next guy…but my wallet hates it every time.

Do you have kids? If you want to have a night out, don’t forget the babysitter at $6.00 per hour per child.

Some Quick Math

Alright, I am an Average Joe, with an average income. My wife is unemployed right now. We have two kids. So, let’s say I want to take my wife out for an evening without the kids to dinner and a movie.

Let’s see…how long will we be out? A movie averages about 2 hours. For dinner, expect 20-30 minute waits (it is Friday night), take 45 minutes to eat. That’s just over three hours. But wait, I haven’t driven anywhere yet. Figure in about another hour for driving - we live in Orlando and everything is 30 minutes away. So, we need to cover about four hours.

Babysitting

Babysitting - I am out $6.00/hour for four hours. That’s $24. Wait…I have two kids. I might get away with $40. That’s before I even walk out the door!

Dinner

That dinner, if you eat at an average dining establishment (Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Chili’s, and the like) will be about $30 when you include tip. No Alcohol - just Tea.

The bill is now $70. Let’s go see that flick. It better be good!

Movie

So, we decided to go see a big action picture. Think Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or Matrix. That means you go to the IMAX and get the goodies (we can skip that on the romance or comedies). So, we maxed out with two tickets at $20. Those goodies rang up to $10…and we got our free refill. As a side thought, these epic action movies are not usually two hours - They are longer by about 30-40 minutes. Better ring up another $10 for the babysitter.

For the movies, we spent $30.

Gas

If you are going somewhere, it probably isn’t on a motorcycle. That car needs gas. If you drive an hour, expect that gas to cost about $10.

Add ‘Em Up

Here’s the damages…

• Babysitting - $50
• Dinner - $30
• Movie - $30
• Gas - $10

So, to take my wife out to a movie and dinner cost us $120. Are you kidding me? Read that again. $120. And, for just over two of those hours, we are not interacting with each other. We are watching a giant movie screen.What if I had taken the two kids to the movies? Remove the babysitter, but add $20 to the meal and about the same to the movie. It’s the same $40. Oh, and you don’t get to interact with the kids during the movie either. So either way, you spent $120 for an evening of very low interaction with your family that you cherish and love to be with.

And, before I offer the solution to the problem, let me ask you one more thing. How much does it cost the next time you want to take your family out? $120. Do that once per month and you spent almost $1500 in a year.

Designer Board Games to the Rescue

But, I don’t want to sit at home and play those dumb games. I have been playing those since I was a kid.

Certainly, as a parent, you don’t want to keep breaking out the standards, like Monopoly, Scrabble, Life, Sorry, and the like. You are correct. You have been playing them since you were a kid. You can put those away, because I have a better offer.

Have you heard about designer board games? These are a new breed of board game that is popular in Europe and starting to take hold here in the US. The catch…you won’t find them at Toys R Us or Wal Mart. They aren’t that mainstream yet. You need a hobby shop or someplace like that. That means you have to become one with your inner geek and go to a sci-fi or hobby shop to find these games. Or, you can shop online through a board game store or find them on eBay.

From a difficulty level, they land somewhere between Monopoly and Chess, so they will keep your attention.

Why Designer Board Games?

Here’s the breakdown. These games are designed to be highly interactive. Some games, like Settlers of Catan, have players interacting with each other the entire game. For the family, a common gameplay mechanic is no player elimination. This means you don’t have players going bankrupt or long, drawn-out endgame battles like you do when you play Risk or Monopoly. This is great for the younger kids.

They tend to be wrapped around a theme, have nice artwork, and they take about 1-2 hours per game. So, you can play multiple games in an evening.

But, What About The Cost?

Let’s remember the cost of our family night out…$120. Got it? Focus on it…this is important.

One game, like Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, or Ticket to Ride will set you back about the cost of that babysitter - $40. So, you want to get two games, so you are not playing the same one over and over again. This will cover about 3-4 hours of time (same as your evening out) So, for two games, your cost is $80. Hmmmmm. That’s interesting. We are already ahead.

You Make Your Savings The Next Time You Play

It cost us $120 to go to the movies and dinner. It cost us $80 to have a night with the family and our games. Toss in $20 for pizza, so you don’t have to cook - so call it $100 even.

How much is it the next time you have night out at the movies? $120. How much is it the next time you have a family board game night? $20 for the pizza.

Your Friends Can Enjoy The Games Too!

You can even create a very fulfilling social life with board games. You can invite all the friends you want over to enjoy them together. Have one group play one game and the other group play the other. Then, switch. You provide the games…your friends provide the pizza. Your cost just went down.

If you wanted to, you could even loan out your games when you weren’t using them so your friends can enjoy their own game nights.

It’s Not Just A Board Game

The bottom line to all of this is that it is about relationships and richness of life. Your relationships with your friends and family are very important. These are the memories you have to keep - not the dinners and movies. It is the laughing, the joking, the strategy plays, the teams, and the personalities that come out around the game table. You just don’t get that with dinner and a movie.

Imagine the memories and skills you can teach your children by offering them uninterrupted one-on-one time without a television, computer, music, and that other stuff that just gets in the way.

An $850 Savings for a Rich Year of Gaming

You do the math.

• $120 per month for one dinner and a movie with your family.
• $60 per month for a new game and a pizza with friends and family

Your savings is about $850. That’s a really decent amount of movies from Netflix. That would also really help against the rising cost of gas. There’s even some extra money here for you to go to dinner and a movie once in a while. You also get a new board game every month, so you would start your second year with 13 games to choose from if you bought a new game per month (you started with two games).You Gain Friends, Family, and Community

The biggest gain you make does not have a dollar value - and never will. It is the time you get with your family, your kids, and your friends. You can expect your circle of friends will grow and expand because there is a large modern board game community being established here in the US.

Give designer board games a chance. Your entertainment and wallet deserve it.