Games People Play

Staying in is the new going out. As celebs such as Nicole Kidman switch from preening in front of the mirror to games to sharpen their wits,we decided to check what is in store for us back home. Student and game aficionado Harman Thind has stocked up on enough games to bide him through the seasons. “I’ve been a fan of board games since I was five years old and still play every weekend with my family,” Harman tells us he has a 15-year-old monopoly set,the latest version of Jenga (in which you have to pile sticks one on top of the other) and Super Boggle amongst others. “Bought most of them from Budhiraja,Sector 17. But you could go to any good game store and buy them,” says Harman,who keeps up to date with the latest,while there are others who still prefer the old favourites. Ragini,who’s working with Hamari Kaksha,an NGO,is an avid fan of Pictionary and Scrabble. “I am awful at drawing but my guessing prowess makes me a good team member. These games are a staple at all get togethers and are loads of fun,” she says,and rightfully so. For researches have proved that word games help improve one’s vocabulary,expressiveness and memory,thus improving communicative skills and even preventing mental problems later on in life.

Nina,a student of Vivek High School,too has been keeping track of the state of art versions of classic board games. She boasts of a rather large collection of them including the Credit Card Monopoly,World Monopoly,a battery operated Cluedo and Tarzan Jenga. “My sister and I just keep getting the latest versions. While,I also have the old games like Life,we hardly ever play them,” she tells us.

If you thought games are only for the young ones,you have to meet,Paramjeet Kaur Dhanao,a housewife,and her friends. As we enter her Sector 8 home,we’re literally transported into another world where she and her friends are intently involved in their game of Maha-Jong. A Chinese game for four players,“it is similar to the card game rummy,except it’s mentally more stimulating and one can make many more combinations of it,” Dhanao explains,adding that she started playing in ‘62 and with the company of her friends,she still does not tire of it. This,while Nina gives us a ready reckoner of the games one can choose from — the electronic version of The Game of Life – Twist & Turns,Fifa World Edition of Monopoly,Truth or Dare Jenga,Heist,12 Ladies Mind Game,WHY Mind Game,board game versions of popular TV Shows like Want to be a Millionaire? and Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?. “Can buy these from the local stores or online,” Nina says that for the mathematically inclined,Integra8 and Square Off are the tops. Take your pick!