As a Gen-Xer, I grew up in a time when video games were still in their infancy. Sure, we had a local arcade to spend our allowance at or, if we were fancy, had an Atari 2600 at home stocked with such classic games as Pong and Pitfall, but board games were still something that could keep us solidly entertained. Some of my personal favorites were The Game of Life, Battleship, and Trouble (with it’s Pop-o-Matic feature!). Even as a kid, it gave me such a cozy feeling to be sitting on the floor with my brother in our living room, waiting for a chance to hear him say “you sunk my battleship!”, just like in the commercial!
So, it should come as no surprise to anyone that my second hand treasure hunting extends to vintage board games. At first, it was for the ones I remember loving or wishing I had, but once I started actively looking for them I started to realize how much more was out there. Plus a lot of the graphics on the games from the 1950s and 1960s are absolutely wonderful. I’ve had some pretty good luck in recent years, the best being when I found the exact edition of Stratego that my boyfriend had as a kid not more than a week after we were talking about it! Even more remarkable was that it wasn’t missing any pieces.
The result of this ever growing collection of board games has led to a New Year’s tradition: we mix up some cocktails, makes some snacks, and choose a stack of games to play while we wait for the ball to drop in Times Square, watching from the comfort of our couch. I like to joke that this is how real New Yorkers spend the holiday, as the last place any of us want to be on December 31st is Times Square! It is absolutely my favorite way to ring in the new year.
It does seem like game nights are making a comeback, though. I suspect part of it is nostalgia on the part of folks of my generation, though it may also be part of a desire a lot of us of all ages have to slow down and simplify in a world where we’re hit with a barrage of information and blinking lights 24/7. Plus it’s really fun! So I encourage everyone to revive the tradition, grab that box filled with colorful game pieces and “pick one” cards. Make a bowl of popcorn, put on some fun tunes and experience the giddy feeling of the Pop-o-Matic giving you the exact roll you need to bring your last piece home.
