Although this year’s Thanksgiving plans may not follow tradition, one tradition stays the same…crushing your family in a fun family game night! There are an endless number of entertaining board games from Candy Land to Balderdash.  Here are some of the favorites according to BCPL staff!
 
Lisa Sensale, Youth Service Manager-Outreach, has found Pop! The Pig to be a family favorite. Her kids (ages 2 and 4) both enjoy playing, but for very different reasons. Her youngest likes feeding the pig and the oldest, of course, loves winning.  For Lisa, she just loves that they can all play together!

Barbara Hill, Member of the Library Board, suggests Dominoes for young players. Barbara and her 7 grandchildren are big on playing games. It is something special when everyone agrees on a game, but when it comes to Dominoes, there is no opposition! It is a great game to teach young kids as the rules are simple, and kids enjoy it.

 
Carrie Herrmann, Library Director, recommends Seven Wonders, a good historical card game. The goal is to build ancient structures, from the Great Pyramid at Giza to a Roman Temple to the Great Wall of China. You will need lots of table room as you build societies and fight wars. The game is great for ages 10 to 100 and keeps all players entertained.

Sheila Riehemann and Nadine Swinford, Circulation Assistants, recommend Rummy or Gin Rummy for adults.  Sheila says that the game is very competitive and has many adults accusing each other of cheating by the end. Nadine remembers, “My family used to get together one night a week to play Rummy and make milkshakes. We’re all very competitive and the games would get really intense.”  But truthfully, any card game is a good card game!

Jennifer Cheek, Public Relations, cannot pick just one game as there are so many her family enjoys.  The top pick for this week is Code Names which somehow manages to create so much laughter because of the single word clues. Taboo is the ole’ stand-by and most of the pleasure comes from holding the buzzer!  Jennifer’s favorite game to play with her kids when they were young was Life, but her son hated the game because he didn’t want to get married!  Sequence and Clue are also family favorites.

Deanna Pina, Teen Librarian, recommends Among Us and Jackbox Games for an electronic game night. Among Us is a great way of connecting with anyone, anywhere, and being able to play a fun game even in quarantine. It is a social deduction game that teaches, yet challenges, trust in a group. You can play it on your phone or computer for $5; cross play is allowed so if you play on your phone you can still play with people that are using a computer. Jackbox Games has a variety of games to choose from that are run on a TV and answers or responses to questions are submitted using your device to appear on the screen. D’s favorite game to play on Jackbox is Mad Rhyme City, a rapping mad-lib game that pits you against your family and friends. D says she loves winning with her rhymes that are silly and nice!
 
Lia Sansoucy, Public Services Assistant, recommends Killer Bunnies, also a great game for teens.  She notes that the game is not suitable for younger children; it has a bit of morbid humor that could be traumatizing. The goal is to collect the winning carrot- which is not decided until the end of the game. Therefore, you need to get as many carrots as possible, while thwarting other players by killing off their bunnies. Some cards are funny such as having a single bunny run over by an ice cream truck or things like that, while others are like a nuclear bomb where all the bunnies on the table get taken out – even the person playing that card.

 
You couldn’t possibly have a family game night without the classics. Kevin Wadlow, Reference Librarian, and his family can’t stay away from Monopoly. Candace Clarke, Youth Services Associate, recommends UNO. Emily Sexton, Public Relations Specialist, enjoys playing 21 questions. Taylor Rasor, Youth Services Associate, likes Bananagrams. Ginger Stapp, Early Literacy Specialist, likes a good old fashion jigsaw puzzle.

These are some of our favorites!  What are some of yours?

 
Amy Hendrix is a teen intern at Boone County Public Library, a senior at Ignite Institute, a nature enthusiast, and the best water skier she knows!