My sister and I were very close when we were young. Despite the six-year age gap between us, I was a quick learner and could play games meant for older kids even at the age of three. This often meant that my nine-year-old sister could make up her own rules to ensure she wasn't bested by a toddler. When she was old enough to stay home alone, she became my built-in babysitter. What better way to entertain a child for hours than to play games?
At that time, the Atari 2600 was hugely popular, but we didn’t get our first one until many years later, just before they were discontinued to make way for the 5200 and 7800. Our family didn’t have a lot of money, so my mom discovered the joys of yard sale shopping. This was before thrift stores became as common as they are today, at least the ones people would actually shop at.
Yard sales, flea markets, junk markets, and trading posts were regular occurrences and treasure troves for a struggling family. New toys and games were reserved for Christmas or birthdays. Why spend $8 or $9 on a new game when you could buy the same game for $1? Aside from the tattered box, the contents were usually as good as new. These inexpensive investments became our go-to activities when we were bored, stuck inside on rainy days, or had no money for outings.
The family games, which excluded me due to my age, were Monopoly and Scrabble. Monopoly, intended for ages 8 and up, is a classic board game where players buy, trade, and develop properties to bankrupt their opponents. Scrabble, also for ages 8 and up, involves creating words on a game board using letter tiles to score points. I wasn’t interested in these games because their boards lacked the bright colors of the games my sister and I played together.
When my parents began to go out more, usually to places like the dog track or local restaurants, my sister and I would pull out the board games from the closet. These were the perfect times for her to rule supreme and beat me at games I only half-understood. We would sit in our small dining room with nicotine-stained yellow curtains that my mom made, at our round Formica table, on black iron straight-back chairs with pleather-covered cushions, playing my sister’s interpretation of the rules.
WABB blared from her top-of-the-line (sarcasm) Soundesign stereo system from K-Mart, located in her bedroom two rooms and a corner away. Our snack layout usually consisted of the cheaper version of Doritos, cheese-flavored Tostidos, along with French onion dip. Our beverages were generic sodas, not store brands but white-labeled products simply labeled COLA, GRAPE, DIET, or ROOT BEER in big, bold letters. GRAPE would fizz in three different colors as you poured it, but the liquid was always purple.
In my adult life, I've often talked to people about the games we played as children. Two games that frequently come up are Candyland and Chutes & Ladders, which my mom either never found or didn’t think we needed. Candyland, designed for ages 3 and up, is a simple race-to-the-finish game with brightly colored paths. Chutes & Ladders, for ages 4 and up, is a game of ups and downs, where players climb ladders and slide down chutes.
However, I became a fierce competitor at Yahtzee, intended for ages 8 and up. The Yahtzee cup was too loud for my liking, and my sister would shake it vigorously, knowing I hated the sound. Despite that, I loved the game. Our box was old and faded, with a bit of discolored hot glue stuck to it, which my sister convinced me was dried pee from when I was really little. I was gullible enough to believe her.
We also played:
Payday: For ages 8 and up, this game simulates a month of financial transactions.
The Game of Life: Also for ages 8 and up, this game involves navigating through life’s milestones.
Connect Four: Intended for ages 6 and up, this is a strategy game of aligning four checkers in a row.
Operation: For ages 6 and up, this game involves removing "ailments" from a patient without touching the edges.
Cousins' Games
My cousins had the Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud board games, which seemed more fun than the ones we had. Perhaps it was because they were TV games, giving me the impression of interacting with actual game shows, or maybe it was just a case of the grass being greener on the other side. They also had Simon and Perfection, but they wouldn't play those with me because I would get so anxious that I would have to pee, I actually had an unfortunate and unforgettable accident while playing Perfection.
Now that I’m almost 50, I wonder how many of those original games still exist in my sister's house from when we were kids. What do you say, Becki? Wanna challenge me now that I know the rules to all those games? 😉
Comments
Post a Comment