(#14 - #20) Goal and Contents
50 Fun Things to Take Game-Playing to New Levels!
I have known Sara and her husband Dave, the co-founders of Anrias Games for several years. Most recently, we have done some collaborations between Anrias Games and 50 Fun Things®, a movement I created to foster fulfillment, joy and connection.
Earlier this year, I hosted an interactive 50 Fun Things® session where we brainstormed ideas for inviting more play into our lives. A big part of this discussion centered on playing games. I picked out 50 ideas to improve or add novelty to your gaming experience. As a guest contributor to the Anrias Games' blog, I'll share these ideas with you. I hope these ideas will give you even more appreciation for games.
Games get us to think strategically and creatively. They open up our imaginations and teach us new skills. They inspire our collaborative team-spirit while also fueling our competitive side. I've broken them down into ten categories that align with how we approach game-playing. In the last post, I started with the categories of Introduction and Environment. In this post, I’ll share the next categories of Goal and Contents. I’ll share the remaining ideas in the next guest blog posts. Here are ideas 14-20:
Goal: (Think about how you win. Can this be done in a new or nuanced way?)
14. Take photos of your gaming and post on social media (e.g. a particularly funny set of words played onto the Scrabble board).
15. Involve food or snacks into the game itself as a reward (try out the Wyne Tasting Game, Brew Buddies or Witch Door (all available through Anrias Games), all interactive games with treats and refreshments.
16. Change up what other goals "winning" can mean for this game. Perhaps the goal is completely different than the usual goal (e.g. takes the longest vs shortest route around the board).
Contents: (What physical items make up the game? Game developers focus heavily on the mechanics of the game such using a dice or spinner to move a piece around a board, using cards, or setting a timer to end the game.)
17. Use a Lazy Susan to help you move a board game to be easily seen by each player (especially Scrabble). Just be careful to be gentle in turning it so the pieces don't fly off (that would be a different game entirely!).
18. From Anrias Games’ cofounder Dave Burgwald: "When my son was young, I got him started in a game we called Squiggle. Squiggle is a game where I would start and draw a line or a shape on the paper and have my son make a drawing from it. He would then draw a shape and challenge me to make a picture - it would then go back and forth."
19. Use a felt pad intended for puzzles as a way to gently move your game when you need to come back to it later.
20. Adopt pieces from one game into another game. Maybe the Monopoly shoe can be a conversation starter in PayDay.
Brew Buddies
Research shows that play supports our well-being, reduces stress, increases our brain function, skill-building, sense of connection and much more. Why not get creative and intentional with how you incorporate games into your life?
Which ideas will you use? Please share your ideas as a comment to the blog.
Coming in the next blog post to take your game playing to new levels: Rules and Behaviors.
Teresa Thomas is a speaker, facilitator and author whose focus is on catalyzing mutually beneficial connections for joy and fulfillment personally and professionally. She is the creator of 50 Fun Things®, a movement and tool which motivates people to dream and take action to live joy-filled lives.
What’s new at 50 Fun Things®:
Teresa has been playing with ways to bring 50 Fun Things online to be more accessible during COVID-19. She has also been customizing the tool for specific themes (such as employee engagement, inclusion and well-being). Check out some of the ways groups have used the tool on the 50 Fun Things blog.
