Over the past few years, some games from my childhood have resurfaced and my kids have enjoyed them. There are a lot of new games on the market that are pretty innovative and we’ve found some really fun ones such as Rollick, Speak Out and Wordsmithery. Sometimes, though, the old standards are worth revisiting. You will almost certainly know the ones on the list of games we’ve enjoyed here, but your kids might not be familiar with them. It’s fun way of sharing some of your childhood interests while offering something that is new to them.
I found a couple on our shelves and then was looking in a board game store and came across some long-forgotten gems! Although the names will likely not be new, they might spark an idea to get them out or have a look for them.
First off is Simon, an electronic Milton-Bradley game from 1978 in which players memorize the pattern of the coloured panels. This game is either adrenaline-building and offers a fun challenge or is incredibly frustrating because it doesn’t give you a lot of time to react! One of the interesting things I noticed about Simon is that I’ve always thought of it as exercising the visual memory, but playing it again, I was reminded of the different sound tones of each colour, so it actually utilizes the auditory memory as well. Fun or frustrating, depending on your perspective. Loud, no matter what your perspective!!
The second rediscovery is Clue. It was first manufactured in 1949 by Waddingtons. I remember playing Clue as a kid and at that time, wasn’t much of a games person but do have positive memories of that one. I think we had a 1960s version. A few years ago, I noticed it in the same game store as Simon. It has an updated look (that tends to happen over the course of a few decades!) which I don’t actually find appealing and has swapped out the charater, Mrs. White, for a new one, Dr. Orchid. The premise is the same though – a “Whodunnit” that requires close attention, process of elimination and strategy. L, who enjoys detective shows, likes and is very good at Clue.
Fun fact: Clue was inspired by the Agatha Christie novel, And Then There Were None which we found out when M read it this past fall.
Next up is Battleship. Battleship is a great game of logic and process of elimination. Players read the grids and columns and keep track of their missed guesses to try to figure out where their opponent’s ships are located.
UNO. A small card game of colour, number and symbol matching. It may seem strange to list such an obvious and well-known one but it’s so simple, relaxing and transportable that it’s worth a reminder.
Monopoly. Yes, another well-known one that requires little introduction. A lesson in finance, investment, arithmetic and perseverance, this is a loooing, but fun, board game. G has always loved this game and has his own additional version, Millionaire Monopoly.
Connect Four. This is just such a simple, clear game of focus. I’ve noticed they have lots of travel versions. Does anybody else remember the loud clank when the bottom was released at the end of a game and all the chips fell?
Rubik’s Cube. S took to this fast! He was very motivated to solve first one side, then the entire thing. He then moved on to other Rubik’s products beyond the “cube.” A friend that we used to carpool to basketball with, was a competitive “cuber” and had ranking times. Really. I hadn’t realized there were organized Cubing competitions, but there are. It’s a thing!
S keeps his main Rubik’s Cube in the wooden chest beside the couch and makes a point of scrambling it and quickly solving it each day. He says it helps him keep it fresh in his mind.
Scrabble. Well, it’s Scrabble! It’s just kind of a classic. We’ve had a lot of fun over the past couple of years playing the online game Word Chums so the concept of making words and having certain points for words using the old, standard Scrabble board game was familiar.
Old Maid. I loved this! I was never particularly great at games as a kid and didn’t have an interest in playing long, involved games, so Old Maid was the perfect, light game. If you feel like playing more rounds, you can, but you’re not making a full afternoon commitment, like with Monopoly.
The second version is not really a modern version (1978!) but it is the version that we had growing up and I think it’s just a lot more fun-looking than the newer versions. It actually has Jumbo sized cards.
Atari. Your kids might be very interested to see what original video games looked like and experience playing them. My husband got a great deal on a new version of the retro Atari, with games from the ‘70s and ‘80s. It was a hit. What was interesting is that the dated, fizzy, flat images looked so unimpressive to me. Nostalgic, yes, but very boring. The kids, on the other hand, were over the moon. They played these games for a long time with their Dad. We FaceTimed in our oldest son and they ended up picking one up for him for Christmas.
The Ontario Science Centre had a “Game On” exhibit several years ago, highlighting the chronology and development of video games and offering an opportunity to try them; it was a lot of fun. All sorts of old consoles, controllers, etc were also on display and it was a popular section! What I noticed was how many children and teenagers were engaged in the old, very basic games.
Of course, some of my favourite games continue to be from Family Pastimes Co-operative Games – you can read about that here –(although I’m not sure these fit the Retro category quite yet!). Instead of sinking each other’s Battleships, you can work together to get everyone ploughed out after the Snowstorm:).
All in all, my family’s response to being introduced to older games has been one of enthusiasm. I guess it’s another example of how new isn’t always better. I’m glad we’ve pulled out some older games over the years.
How about you? Have you pulled out any old favourites with your family or bought updated versions of past games? Do you have a favourite game from the past?
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Is Snakes and Ladders too boring to mention, haha? Oh and yes, I sure do remember the clank of all the Connect Four pieces being released from the bottom and then sometimes flying all over😃!
Hi Lori. No, Snakes and Ladders is not too boring to mention at all. I think those basic “roll the dice” games are just really nice sometimes. And good point about the Connect Four pieces flying all over. I think we have a travel version several years ago and those little discs really fly;). Thanks for your comment.
Hi Erin, how about Tiddlywinks? My kids loved it and my grandchildren do too. We also have a variety pack of games that has things like Chinese Checkers, Parcheesi, checkers and quite a few others. They like the idea of several games in one.
Yes, Tiddlywinks:). I remember that as a frustrating game;). Those variety pack games you mention are great – I can imagine that would be fun to get out with your grandchildren because there are so many options. Thanks Barbara!
Yes, Operation and Hungry Hippos have been favorites! Of course, Hungry Hippos is very loud!!! Thank you for these other suggestions. Some of them seem like quieter options so might good to try! I had completely forgotten about Clue.
Oh my goodness, Hungry Hippos!! Yes, we had that too and there is a new version, although I have to admit, I didn’t rush out and buy it when the kids were younger,lol, due to the noise. Thanks Allie!