Married with Board Games: An Introduction to Converting Your Spouse

I love board games. My boyfriend loves board games. We're a happy couple, 'nough said. Okay, maybe that's not all there is to it...but it helps.

 

So why doesn't everyone play board games instead of sitting silently in front of the TV or spending an intimate evening with their phones? My theory is that they haven't found the right games to play. In this blog thread I will suggest games for couples to play together to introduce the idea of gaming and hopefully start a life-long hobby. 

So. Without further ado, why should you be playing games?

It's a Fun Way to Spend Quality Time

My first memories of board games were of playing different family games each year on New Year's Eve. We'd just moved away from all of our extended family and instead of getting bummed on the holidays, we started some new traditions of our own. Fast forward 22 years or so and I still play family board games every New Year's Eve (and almost every other day of the year...not the point). 

It is an incredible way to spend time together talking, laughing, and playing. You can learn a lot about someone when they feel threatened in a game of Risk...maybe some things you didn't want to know. Joking aside, there's nothing quite like having the undivided attention of a person to whom you are giving up your time to be with.  Put the phones away, turn off the TV, and really be with people.

Everyone Else is Doing It

Okay, so maybe this isn't a great reason to do most things, but it is definitely a reason to finally embrace gaming. The board game hobby has absolutely blown up in the past fifteen years. What used to consist of 80 versions of Monopoly, Magic the Gathering (and the smell that came with it...), and the weird kids who played Dungeons and Dragons has now grown into a thriving market of people with all sorts of different interests and gaming comfort levels.

There are conventions, Meet Ups, and clubs sprouting up all over the world to celebrate a love for everything board games. This means that you will have instant friends who like the same things you do as soon as you sit down to play with these people. And we're an open group, we want everyone to play board games, the more the merrier. This also means that you won't have to drop hundreds of dollars to adopt the hobby...though you'll probably want to (it's called.acquisition disorder...yep, it's so serious gamers gave it a clinical-sounding name). 

Let's just review. Playing board games is a fun hobby, that will help you make and spend more time with friends, and you can do it for free (though you'll probably become addicted and NEED to buy that expansion or that new release or that promotion or every game from that designer you like....my precioussssss).

Need I say more?

Now that you're thoroughly convinced that board games are for you and your significant other, stay tuned for a weekly post about game suggestions and lists of must-plays. Until then, check out the communities at BoardGameGeek, the Dice Tower, and Reddit for some good conversation and insight.

Play on, playa'.