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What are the best intellectual games for kids?
I'm tired of my son's playing videogames all the time. What are interesting board games I can play with him?
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First, you have to define your terms. What is "all the time?" And why is his playing video games such an issue for you? Is it the content of the games? Is it that you think he is spending too much solitary time while you're a girl who wants everybody to need 24/7 social contact like girls do? He's a boy, not a girl. Boys like to do things, since that is how they bond, not socially interact (though there are lots of video games that do require interaction with others in real time) in the way girls do---through lots of yakking and self disclosure. Think about that.
Or would you rather he be out running the streets getting high and shoplifting out of boredom like many of my friends in my old neighborhood did back in the 1970's?
Or is it simple resentment that he isn't interacting with YOU? I mean, does anyone under the age of 40 really play board games anymore? Compared to a video shoot 'em up, which often requires the employment and formulation of spatial reasoning, leadership and the ability to conceive and execute plans, board games seem pretty damned lame.
The best thing you can do,. since you seem to be so dead set on ripping his console away from him, is get him into a music program, which is exceedingly good for his overall intellectual development. You can find studies about this online. Send him to guitar lessons or whatever instrument he would be interested in pursuing. Be prepared to spend lots of money, though.
Btw, there are some benefits to playing video games. Look them up online.
Btw, I think video games are lame. And so are board games. But it appears, at least at first blush, you're getting upset at something that really isn't all that big a problem. And all that does is undermine your credibility as a leader in your household because then you start looking like the housewife version of Captain Queeg.
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Today's video games are the board games of the past. Your chances of getting your son away from his video games are as good as trying to freeze water in the oven.
Now I do agree that many of the video games our children play appear to be less than intellectual as they are mainly games of war and destruction. Even these games have their redeeming value as besides requiring skills with the weapons to get to the next level. They also require thought and planning.
If your son is good at many of these games then might be possible to interest him in a board game such as stratego though I would not hold my breath. Board games do not hold the excitement that a video game does.
As much as I agree with you that children should not sit in front of screen playing video games all day. I also have seen my son, who is still a gamer, go from playing video games from the day we brought the first computer into our homes to the present day, become a firefighter paramedic at a major international airport. He also has a degree in emergency medicine and is considering going back to school for his RN.
Being a paramedic requires thinking on your feet and getting it right the first time. He has nine lives saved as of his last shift. That's nine people that were either dead when he arrived or were dying that were alive when he got them to the hospital.
I think I can credit his ability to think fast to many of these games he has played in his younger days and today. I believe this for I too am a firefighter and I watch these young kids react to situations. I always thought I could think fast but these kids today react faster then I ever did and they are almost always correct in the actions they take. I don't think it is anything they learned in school. The one common denominator is they are all gamers.
To bring all this to a conclusion: I agree with you on the intellectual value of the games. I just do not agree that it is a total wast of time as I believe he is learning other skills. I recommend you monitor his gaming and try to find other games that might interest him that you find suitable; that may have the redeeming value you are looking for.
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You don't mention how old your son is, so that would factor into my suggestions. I'm going to assume that he's somewhere between 8-16. You're not going to find any of these at a Wal-Mart, but if there's a good board game store nearby, or if you can find a good online store, you're golden.
One of my favourites is Munchkin (in one of its many, many forms). It's a card game that's based off of Dungeons and Dragons, so if he's into RPGs that might be a draw for him. It's got a real sense of humour to it. Here's the website: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Bohnanza is another favourite around my house, and usually anyone who plays it gets hooked after the first round. It's really hard to explain this one, because it sounds like a stupid premise, but it's way more fun than it should be. Basically, you get fields in which to plant different kinds of beans. Each kind of bean is worth different amounts of money when you harvest it, and you get more money the more beans you have. It involves a lot of trading, bluffing, extortion, and is just generally hilarious. They don't have a website, so here's the Wikipedia entry: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
For a longer game, there are three that I would suggest.
Shadows over Camelot is a co-operative (sort of) game for 3 or more people. You're all knights of the round table, working to complete quests and keep evil from ruling the land. Sometimes this means working together, but sometimes one player can be a secret traitor. We've played this with friends a few times and it's got great replayability value. The rules are seriously long and look complicated, but once you get the hang of it it's very immersive and a lot of fun. Their website: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Zombies is a really cool game with infinite replayability because the board is different every time you play, especially if you buy the expansions. Each player adds to the map and has to battle zombies along the way to victory while throwing the other players to the dogs. [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Primordial Soup is really neat, and it's slowly becoming our favourite game. You have amoebas, and you need to move, eat, mutate and survive. The board is fairly simple (no fancy artwork) and the pieces are all painted wood shapes, but the strategy involved gives this fantastic replayability value. [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
This is a start. If I've got the age range totally wrong, or if I've missed the mark entirely, let me know and I'll see what I come up with. One of my favourite websites is BoardGameGeek, because they not only show you the manufacturer-specified number of people and age category, they offer a user-specified one as well. That way you don't buy a game for 2 players that's really best when played by 6. They also list the average user rating and any awards that game has won.
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You may opt to go with Scrabble. You and your child will enjoy this and the great part of this is that your child will also learn from it.
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