I love games. Let me tell you why…
My life began as a pretty average kid growing up in a pretty average Canadian city. I played hockey in the winter, hide-and-seek and tag in the summer, and rode my bike for hours around the neighborhood. I went to school, made friends, got into a few scraps, and got grounded by my parents more than a few times. And like most other kids, I was exposed to board and card games.
One of my earliest memories of gaming was Sunday afternoons at my Grandparents’ house. It was a ritual; every Sunday afternoon neighbors, friends and family would gather at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, set up card tables, open a few (well more than a few) Labatt’s 50 “stubbies”, and play Euchre for hours on end. It was socializing and entertainment all rolled into one. There was never a schedule, and no one ever RSVP’ed; people just dropped in whenever they could. Oh ya, and there was a black-and-white TV in the corner with a rabbit ears antenna, but I don’t ever remember it being on.
Fast forward 35 years (wow, am I that old?) and I look at how the world of entertainment and communication has changed. Today my kids (who are now 16, 14 and 13 years old) and I can spend Sunday afternoons watching one of over 300 televisions channels, download almost any movie or TV series ‘on demand’, or play one of thousands of online, console, or computer games. In our home we have multiple TVs and PVRs, cell phones, iPhones, an iPad and several computers. Each of these devices has the potential to entertain and connect us.
Don’t get me wrong, my family is not constantly ‘wired’. My wife and I received some very good guidance when our children were young about how to manage the ‘screen-time’, and we set limits from the start. Further, the purpose of this article is not to evaluate whether being ‘wired’ is good or bad; social scientists have been looking at this question for years (see Steven Johnson’s book, “Everything Bad Is Good For You” versus Teresa Tomeo’s “Noise” for the two ends of that debate).
Rather for me the more important question is, with all these electronic entertainment options what’s the attraction to a board or card game? Why would I choose non-electronic entertainment over electronic?
My answer is based on a personal observation. I find when I face any type of screen, I lose touch with the things and people around me. When I’m engaged by an online game, or a great movie or TV show, I’m not interacting with others in the room. Even at work I find myself zeroing in on the content of my work, and zoning out everything and everyone else around me.
I see this with my family too. When one of my kids is in front of the Wii or World of Warcraft, I can see it on their faces; they are totally engaged in the plot and the activity of the game, and oblivious to what’s going on around them.
“So what?” you may ask, “What’s wrong with immersive entertainment?”
There is nothing wrong with immersive entertainment as long as it doesn’t replace healthy, active ‘human’ interaction. If family night is always about being in front of a screen, then I think we’re missing something.
In the 70s when people gathered to play Euchre at my grandparents’ house, it wasn’t about the Euchre. It was the conversation about how their job was going, how their parent’s health was, how proud they were about something one of their kids did last week, and what their plans were for the future. It was about their lives.
There is just something different about the way people interact when they are around a table, versus sitting side-by-side facing a screen. The interaction is richer, the communication stronger. We hear each other with our ears and our eyes (i.e. non-verbal communication). When I play even a one-hour board or card game across the table from someone new, I feel I really get to know them. I can’t say the same when I’m sharing an electronic experience.
This happens in my home too. If I get my family around the table for a game of Fresco, Dixit or Zooloretto, it’s not about the game. It’s the conversation about what is going on in their lives, what their plans are, how they’re feeling. And for those of you who are or have been parents of teenagers, you’ll know how rare it is to have times and conversations like these. Like the Mastercard commercial…. “priceless”.
So why do I love board and card games, and why do I play them with my family? The answer is, “It’s not about the game…”
Stay young – keep playing games!
Tim O'Connor
