Got Game?

Crush of the week: Board Games

I'm convinced that there are only two types of people in the world. Those who play board games and those who don't. By my crush you know where I fall. Some of my fondest memories growing up are the hours I spent playing Operation, Monopoly, Life, and countless others. I wonder if the tweens & teens of today are still doing this or are they missing out by spending time online/with video games/Tivo'ing their 300 channels of reality tv(not that I would ever knock TIVO). I really hope not because I think playing bg's are good for instilling a healthy dose of competition, a huge sense of accomplishment when one is the victor, and even the disappointment of losing eases children into the reality that we don't always win em all in life.

I feel that my love of board games is even weaved through my writing. When I was eight I loved spending endless hours in my b/f/f Debbie's family room. Mostly I loved going to her house b/c her parents bought pop and mine didn't so I would get totally loaded on sugar & caffeine. But they also had a huge array of board games where my family just didn't really get into them. We would curl up on the horrible, but very cool at the time, shag carpeting and pull out "the game of all games", my personal favorite, Clue.


This isn't the box for the 1972 edition that we played, but you get the idea. I had a hard time finding good pictures. Anyway, I could play the game for hours or at least until Debbie got bored and wanted to jam out to a Go-Go's record. I fancied myself a young Miss Scarlet. I'm not sure why b/c I'm not dark-haired, or sophisticated. I just saw her sucking on that long cigarette holder thing (not that my asthmatic ridden lungs would ever tolerate a cancer stick) and I wanted to be her.


I couldn't ever be persuaded that anyone other than the evil looking Colonel Mustard was responsible. I just knew the "old decrepit grandpa" look was a cover-up for a murderer! His choice of weapon? Always the candlestick. The room? Duh, the library! I loved marking down my guesses on the little brown notepad and pulling the cards out of the tiny confidential envelope for the reveal.

I'm still a sucker for a good mystery. That's why I try to incorporate at least a little mystery into all of my writing. If I get stuck in a scene I try to make a mental confidential file with all the clues inside. I try to think of what weapon (action) the suspect (my character) would use to and how they would use it (the room) to produce the desired situation (committed the crime). Does that make any sense? I'm a little tired tonight. For example, let's say that the dasterdly Colonel Mustard committed the crime using the candlestick in the library. So if my main character, let's call her Debbie just in case my bff tuned in to read this post, so Debbie(my main character/suspect), wants to piss her boyfriend off (the crime). How would she accomplish this? She could make out(action/weapon) with his bff(the room). Her boyfriends bff goes back and tells him and Debbie's bf is totally PO'd (Debbie's desired situation). Clear as mud? Anyway, it helps me when I get stuck.

So what was your favorite game? What helps you when you get stuck?
If anyone has the 1972 version of Clue in their rummage sale pile somewhere you can send it to me and I'll love you forever! :)

Happy Friday!
hugs,
Steph

All that matters is what's inside...as long as your outside is wearing the tiara.REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN, coming from Berkley Jam in July 2007
www.myspace.com/stephhale
www.classof2k7.com