Your Favorite Board Games: What Are They?

Theatre

One Book One San Diego

Above: A classic "Battleship" box cover.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Kids these days play only with tiny glowing screens, but I remember when the whole family came together to wage war - I mean play - on the plastic battlefield of Battleship.

The San Diego Museum of Man’s “Counter Cultures: The Secret Life of Games,” which showcases unique games from around the world, has inspired us to look back on our own favorite childhood games.

We want to know - what are your favorite games from back in the day?

(Click on the links below and check out some hilarious old-school advertising)

Did you enjoy the brainy pleasures of Scrabble and Taboo or games of chance and luck like Uno?

Did you hone your dealings with the opposite sex by playing Dream Phone?

Did a childhood passion for Operation lead to a career as a heart surgeon?

Were you prudent or unwise in your life choices in the Game of Life?

Or was it really all about Twister?

What are your favorite childhood games?

bardsfingertips | June 18, 2010 at 12:24 p.m. ― 1 year, 11 months ago

Hero Quest was a fun pseudo D&D game that allows enough interaction and creativity for loads of fun. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/699/heroquest

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luxart | June 18, 2010 at 12:45 p.m. ― 1 year, 11 months ago

Some responses from Lux Art Institute staff: Operation, Hungry Hungry Hippos (although one staffer almost choked on one of its marbles as a child as she was pretending to be one of the hippos and put the marble in her mouth!), Pop-o-Matic Trouble, Mouse Trap, Go to the Head of the Class, Mall Madness, Scattegories, and Candyland!

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Angela Carone, KPBS Staff | June 18, 2010 at 1:17 p.m. ― 1 year, 11 months ago

Oh, Pop-o-Matic Trouble, I forgot about that one! I remember getting a little violent with that one and popping it over and over again as a kid... I wonder what that says about me.

I was also an Operation fan and played a lot of Yahtzee with my grandmother.

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oring | June 18, 2010 at 11:16 p.m. ― 1 year, 11 months ago

Monopoly and Risk. I think the allure was that they always took a long time to play, thus a late night was certainly at hand!

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zuladrbousekbright | June 19, 2010 at 1:23 p.m. ― 1 year, 11 months ago

I couldn't help but notice the Battleship game box: Notice the woman and daughter in the background, doing dishes.

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aztec69 | June 21, 2010 at 3:27 p.m. ― 1 year, 11 months ago

In the mid-60s I was introduced to Allan Calhamer's classic boardgame Diplomacy at SDSC. In the forty-five years since then I've travelled all over the world to play that game in more than forty-five countries. It's one of the great games of all time.

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