Does A Surge In Web Time Mean Game Over For Traditional Play?
Posted by meredith on 07-10-2009
Earlier this week Anastasia responded to the recent Nielsen research finding that kids today "are living online" and it got me to thinking: With 11 hours a month spent online (on average), what offline pastimes are becoming endangered, or even obsolete in the wake? One answer that almost immediately sprung to mind was board games.
In the search to verify this hunch, I actually came across a 2008 survey from Hasbro that (shocker) pointed to just the opposite conclusion. Incidentally, the stats were re-reported just earlier this week in a local paper. From The Daily Astorian article:
..according to a recent survey conducted by Hasbro, nearly half (48 percent) of Americans believe that a family game night is the most enjoyable form of family bonding, ranking higher than watching movies (22 percent), cooking (19 percent) and playing sports together (9 percent). Additionally, three in four (75 percent) Americans would rather play board games than video games as a group activity at a reunion or gathering.
Of course, I'd take these numbers with a Monopoly-hotel-sized grain of salt (we know Hasbro has been focused on more lucrative commercial ventures as of late), but it does make me wonder whether there is still a place for physical board games in the average household. While I wouldn't bet on many standing weekly "game nights," (I think "Freaks and Geeks" perfectly captured the eternal lameness of this with the Weir family and the game Set), I can see the timeless appeal of an occasional visit to a stocked games cabinet — namely, an affordable, mentally stimulating, inclusive entertainment option. Not to mention the value of an hour of social activity that doesn't revolve around a screen.
That said, I'm not against the evolution of a"game night" that also includes a computer or, more likely, a game console. No doubt, a round of Guitar Hero could be just as much of a bonding experience (and cardiovascular exercise) as a rousing game of Scattergories. And Scrabulous (or whatever the legal version is called these days) is actually a great way to stay connected with Mom and Dad when teens go off to college. But, when the real deal is an option, my feeling is why not mix it up?
I'm curious what Ypulse readers out there think about the fate of traditional board games? Are they going the way of Dominoes?
Sorta Related
Playing together and staying together [BBC News]
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Categorized under: Tweens, Web
July 16th, 2009 at 10:49 am
My 14 yr old son is a major gamer, console, handheld and computer. Yet what does he and his best gamer bud want to do when there are more than three people around? Board games! When we have a party, somebody might bring SSB Brawl or Guitar Hero for a few rounds, but the highlight of the night will always be 'Order of the Stick', 'Curses', 'Apples to Apples' or the like. And my 9 yr old twins, also gamers, love chess.
There's something about playing WITH someone else face to face, that playing with faces glued to a screen will never match.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:54 pm
I am glad to see that dancingcrane has a child who still invests time in old fashioned gaming and non-computerized social interaction.
When my daughter was 3-years-old, I stuck her in front of a computer and marveled how she could play a computer game and manuever the mouse much better than my 50-something mother. And I encouraged it.
But she also begged for game night. 'Life' was a favorite for her,and we would play for hours. When she was about 10, we designated (at her request) a Sunday-night game night with a board game. We also invested in Nintendo and Playstation and Wii, but they didn't become substitutes for board games. Video/online gaming was something she could do when she was by herself to occupy a sense of boredom.
I wonder though what the parameters are that kids today are glued to the Web more. Is it because of how they've learned to dole out their time? Is it because they aren't free to roam their neighborhoods and play like generations before them? Is it because it's easier for parents to sit them in front of a console or computer to engage and entertain them? Or is it just technology itself and the enticement it provides? And what happens to them when it comes time to leave that behind and become productive adults? Have they developed the skill sets they need, like social interaction, to compete?