The 6 worst board games ever made...

...and what you should be playing instead are compiled in this very funny article from Cracked magazine.  My favourite paragraph describes how Connect Four perfectly:

"Also, it's not a game. There's more multiplayer strategy in sudoku. Connect Four was entirely solved, twice, two decades ago. The first player either wins or is an idiot. There's a sequence of utterly unbeatable moves, meaning this isn't skill, it's extremely crude abstract pointillist color-it-in. Even without the unbeatable moves, it's built entirely around mutual spoiling tactics. You don't work toward cunning victory -- you repeatedly frustrate each other's attempts to get anywhere until one of you screws up and the other finally gets to win and leave. That isn't a game, it's a simulation of a failing adulterous marriage."

Can you guess which game came out as the worst?  C'mon, just guess. 

(Thanks to Robby for the link.)

Greed and gaming....

Check out this great little article Occupy Boardwalk: How Greed Changed Games in Collectors Weekly, and antiques and vintage blog.  In the latest post, Lisa Hix uses the current Occupy Wall Street protests as impetus to trace the moral degradation of gaming in early 20th century - leading, of course, to the greediest game of all, Monopoly:

And board games promoting virtue all but disappeared. Being calculating and ruthless was now the way to reach a game’s end goal—be that money, property, or a big promotion to the office on the corner.

My, how timely.   (Thanks to Mr. Brown for the great link.)

Learning to be a a bit more thankful...

Like any good hobby, board games definitely have their own culture.  A part of that is due to the crazy obsessiveness of your typical board game afficionados but it also has to do with the way board games as an activity naturally bring people together in such a social way.  Blogging about gaming culture and reading other blogs has the same effect and you start to feel connected to people all over the country and the world.

One board game blog that I quite enjoy reading is Board Game Reviews by Josh, maintained by Josh Edwards from Joplin, Missouri.  That's right, Joplin, Missouri.  I have to admit I was bit stunned as I read his latest blog post which was NOT a board game review this time but a description of his return home early from his vacation to get back to his house, or lack thereof.  You should read his surprisingly positive and even at times funny article about coming back to the destruction after Joplin's massive tornado.  You can also find out how to help. 

Our thoughts are with you, Josh, and I imagine you may soon be getting a lot of help rebuilding that game collection.

You tell me: blogs and websites...

You obviously take a look at this blog for info and rants.  What are your websites, blogs, online dabblings, board-game related or otherwise?  Add 'em to the comments and grab some readers!  If it's game-related, maybe it'll even end up in my blog-roll....

The board game family...

Been conversing with Trent, the head of "The Board Game Family" and just took a look their great blog. Definitely worth checking out if you are interested in great games for families or just games in general. They do great video reviews of family board games (Carcassonne is below).

Now I just gotta figure how they got those Funagain links on their site....