By Rory Dulock | Staff Writer
If there’s one night I look forward to during the week, it’s game night.
It’s safe to say I’m a fan of all types of games: charades (which I am REALLY good at), video games, board games, dominoes, dice games and, of course, my personal favorite, card games.
I know — card games seem like a boring thing to consider one of my favorite pastimes. Yet, I really think they would become the best game night option if people would take a moment to look past the simplicity and recognize the other benefits card games have to offer.
Everyone should learn how to play card games because they can teach people how to strategize. They are also played universally, so they can be used as an easy bonding mechanism.
First, card games are a fun and simple way to teach people how to strategize. For example, Spades is a trick-taking card game that requires careful strategizing. The objective is to carefully bid how many pairs of cards a person thinks they will win based on the hand they were dealt. Sound simple? Well, there’s a little more to it than that. Throughout the game, a person has to decide which cards from their hand they want to put down in order to meet their bid. If not, they lose points, and their opponent will win. Obviously, strategizing in card games is not the same as strategizing in real life, but nevertheless, it is still fun.
Second, card games are a great way to teach people how to work together — or even to work by themselves. Fortunately, there are a lot of card games that require a partner. For example, Nerts is a competitive version of Solitaire in which groups of partners strategize to get rid of their stack of cards first. Throughout the game, communication among partners is key. However, there are other card games that can show someone how to work by themselves in a timely manner. Solitaire, which was mentioned previously, is an example of this gameplay.
Lastly, card games are played universally, so they can be used as an easy bonding mechanism. While I have placed emphasis on how playing card games helps with strategy and communication skills, card games are, of course, meant to be fun. Luckily, a vast majority of people would agree with this, given how popular and common it is to play card games. With so many people who are familiar with them, why not take the opportunity to bond?
There have been multiple occasions where I have bonded with people just by playing card games. One time, I was stuck at a delayed tournament for several hours and had the opportunity to connect with others by playing cards and learning new games in the process. Even by playing the same card games with my family repeatedly, we continue to get closer. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s to never be afraid to ask someone to play a good ol’ classic game of War!
So the next time game night rolls around, don’t hesitate to push for card games. Simply mention all of the benefits card games have to offer, and why would anyone oppose playing?
