Who’s Up For a Game Night?

As much as I love riding motorcycles, traveling the world, going on adventures, etc…I also love to stay home or go to a friend’s house for a simple evening. To me, that means good company, hearty laughs, most likely some yummy food, and some games.

I absolutely love hosting or attending a good game night. That’s one of the rare occasions that competition is healthy and valuable in my world.

So, I might be a little bit of a nerd. But I love to play a variety of card games, board games, or create our own. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were camping at least once a year and playing games around a campfire.

Now I enjoy the game nights without having to go anywhere or build a fire or sleep on a rocky ground and freeze in my sleeping bag. I have a couple of friends who are always down to play when we get together.

We can go from the traditional Monopoly, Yahtzee!, Rummikub, Skip-bo, Clue, Dominoes, Gin Rummy, Spades, etc. to some newer things such as Cards Against Humanity, an updated Yahtzee with a twist, and more.

I guess it’s no surprise I love the murder mystery parties as well where we get to play characters and try to figure out who the killer is and why. A good escape room is always a go for me as well.

More than just mentally stimulating and challenging, is the quality time those nights bring with people I care about. We often laugh harder than necessary and share memories as well as make new ones.

I also cherish the way the games give me new ways of thinking, new perspectives, new respect for the way others think and solve issues, etc.

When alcohol is part of the party, we have drinking games too. (It can get a little difficult to concentrate, remember, count, add, etc. when the drinks outnumber the rounds of games.) For example, Tic-Tac-Toe with shot glasses is pretty easy to follow.

Some of my best nights are spent around a table of people I enjoy being around, with some game or another in the middle of us. A whole lot of messy talk, but all in good fun.

Game nights have also helped get me through some bleak nights. For example, I was about a week post-op from my hysterectomy on July 4th of 2014 and a friend came over to keep me company. He played Connect 4 with me and my mom and just talked and laughed. I don’t think I ever shared how much that meant to me.

I wasn’t physically, mentally, or emotionally able to leave my house or do much of anything. Instead of letting me sit there alone, he made it a memorable and cherished night with a simple act of kindness.

I actually have about 5 different card games that I haven’t had the chance to play yet. (And don’t judge me if I accumulate more before I get to play any of them.)

Maybe it isn’t totally about the games after all. Perhaps that’s just one of the things that a small group of people can do together that doesn’t take too much energy, but allows for easy conversation and a relaxed setting.

(Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen a few Monopoly rounds get a little violent.)

While my life is incredibly full at this point, I suppose I wish for more game nights in my future. The kind that seems so simple, yet warms my heart in an easy and incredible way.

And when my time here is done, I hope there’s a few people who remember those nights with me and it brings a smile.