Lakeshore Game Night: Board Game Rental Service
Lakeshore Game Night is a board game rental and home delivery service. They have a collection of classic games, as well as several newer ones, and games for all experience levels. Currently, they service Muskegon County, and parts of Oceana and Ottawa counties.
By Jared Leatozw
People have always loved playing board games. The earliest board game known to have existed is Senet, and was played over 5,000 years ago by the ancient Egyptians. But perhaps the most well known and widely played board game is chess, which is a derivative of the 7th century Indian game chaturanga.
As mankind continues to move towards adopting digital technology to handle just about every aspect of our lives, the board game hobby appears to be on the rise. With places like Barnes & Noble and Game Stop clearing their valued shelf space to display them.
Board games seem to be particularly popular with the millennial generation. Although, I count myself among this generation I can’t seem to pinpoint a reason why this is. However, I know why I personally love playing board games.
I love board games because it allows me to take a break away from email, push notifications, social media, text messages and more. It allows me to interact one-on-one with family, friends, and complete strangers in a very authentic way. Which is why I started my business Lakeshore Game Night.
Lakeshore Game Night is a board game rental service that delivers the games right to your house. As far as I know it is the first of its kind.
In this article I want to cover some of the reasons families should be playing board games together. Almost all of the games mentioned in this article are available to rent. For more information about Lakeshore Game Night visit: lakeshoregamenight.wordpress.com
Keeps the kids off of their devices
Tell me if this sounds familiar. You go to a restaurant and you see a family of four all checking their devices. The mother might be checking her work email, the father is making fantasy football draft picks, the teenage daughter is posting to Snapchat, and the youngest son is watching cartoons on YouTube.
Just about every time I go out to eat I see a variation of this exact scenario. A family that is completely disengaged with one another. Seeing things like this makes my heart sink, because to me this is a missed opportunity to be engaged with the people in your life. Whether it be through conversation or… you guessed it board games.
There are lots of great games that are small enough in size, and have a very low time commitment that can be played at dinner with family. Whether it is before you receive your meal, or some time in between bites.
Board games are a great way to get involved with your kids, and it can be a great way to disengage any sort of defense mechanism they put up between you and them, and have an authentic experience with them.
My family loves to play 5-Minute Dungeon/ 5-Minute Marvel while we wait for our food. The game plays fast, it is frantic, and lots of fun. This is a real-time party game, and one round really does take only 5-minutes to play.
Party games are usually easy to play at a restaurant since they usually have the least amount of components to keep track of. A game like Exploding Kittens or The Mind are also good picks as well.
Practice reading skills/ engage their imagination
Want to improve your child’s reading skills? Some games are more narrative driven, which is a great way to get young and middle grade players interested in reading.
Not all games are competitive. Some games are more narrative driven, which is a great way to get young and middle grade players interested in reading. These games are typically cooperative in nature and require players to read bits of text to advance a story.
For older players (parents and teens) games like Chronicles of Crime, Big Trouble in Little China, and Folklore: The Affliction have great narrative stories.
Some of these games could potentially be played with young adult players, but it is advised that there is parental supervision, these games may have more mature themes and language that not all people will find appropriate.
For middle age players and younger Z-man Game’s Choose Your Own Adventure series is a great option. These games are based off of the popular book series of the same name. The board game attempts to mimic the structure off the books, while also offering an additional element of engagement through dice rolls and stats.
If you prefer a looser approach with your gaming you could try playing a tabletop RPG. Dungeons & Dragons is one of the more popular titles in this genre of gaming, but gaming systems like Fate Core are great as well. These games will help to engage your child’s imagination, and if they are old enough to run a game, they get to do a bit of creative writing as well.
If you are intimidated by D&D or Fate Core’s rules try Muscles & Miracles. This game is free, doesn’t require any sort of special dice, and the rules fit on one sheet of paper.
Improves problem solving skills
Board games that are more strategically focused require you to find creative solutions in order to win the game.
One of the things I find appealing about board games is how it helps with my problem solving skills. Board games that are more strategically focused require you to find creative solutions in order to win the game.
Go to classics are Monopoly, Risk, and Clue. However, there are some new favorites that would fall under what is known as a Euro board game. You may have heard of some of these games or seen them for sale at Walmart, Target, or Meijer. Examples of these games are Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Kingdomino.
Most of these games work great with young adults and older. However, for younger players I recommend King of Tokyo, Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters, and My Little Scythe.
With the exception of Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters these games requires players to compete with one another. However, in this game players must collaborate with each other to figure out how to beat the game. This game is similar to another modern classic – Pandemic.
Reduces screen time and stress
Board games are a great way to get away from screens, if only for an hour.
This is perhaps one of the biggest reasons to play board games. It reduces time in front of screens. Whether it is the potential to develop text neck, have shortened attention span, or being bullied online. There are a myriad of other reasons why spending too much time in front of a screen (computer, television, or cell phone) could potentially be bad. Board games are a great way to get away from screens, if only for an hour. Taking a break from these things is great for adults, but it could also be a great way for kids to destress from everyday life, and not be so focused on the problems of the modern world.