What are some good board games or card games I can play with my sons (12 and 14) to keep them away from xbox?

Question

my boys are consumed with video games, its all they do for hours and I want to interact with them. someone said play board games or cards, any suggestions???

Answer 1

UNO was always and still is a favorite of mine. They also have themed card games like Marvel or DC comics where you role-play as a superhero or build a team of superheroes. Or you could try and practice up on your X-box skills yourself and play along with them. There are many 3-4 player video games, that way you can play with both of your boys at once. It all depends on their interests. What are their hobbies? Cars, girls (lol), ninjas, planes, skateboards? Find out their likes and dislikes and try and find a game (board,card, or video) built around a theme they would find enjoyable.

Answer 2

It may be tricky finding board games that:

1) Work well with three players

2) Would appeal to 12-14 year old male video game players

3) You would enjoy playing also

You've had a number of good suggestions. Here are two more to consider: I think they meet all three criteria pretty well.

Fire and Axe published by Ragnar Brothers and Asmodee Editions is a historically-themed game about Vikings exploring, trading, conquering, and establishing colonies during the dark ages in Europe. The artwork and cool plastic pieces will appeal to boys in the 12-14 age range. The game is strategically challenging, without being too complex. And despite the title it's not really about fighting and pillaging. Fire and Axe costs about $50 at a retail store, or $32-$35 (plus shipping) if you buy online. Before buying it, you may want to watch the video review linked from this page:

http://bookshelfgames.com/Permlink/Ep023...

My second suggestion for you to consider is Arkham Horror, published by Fantasy Flight Games. In this game you play 1920s era investigators in a fictional New England town. Horrible monsters are trying to break through from another dimension, and you have to stop them from destroying the world.

Again, I thought of this one in part because of the appeal of the graphics: great pictures of really hideous monsters. But you might like it for your sons because it's a cooperative game: everyone has to pitch in to stop the evil ghoulies. This game has a huge number of pieces, and the 24 page rule book can seem daunting at first, but it's not really all that complex to learn. Arkham Horror costs about $50 at the store or $35 plus shipping online. If it's a success with your family then there are expansions that run from $13 (cheapest discounted online) to $40 (for the most expensive at MSRP). Before spending that kind of money, you might want to watch this video review:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8t0urRy-Kbs

Other responses to your question have suggested looking on boardgamegeek.com. That's the single best source of information for board games on the Internet. But keep in mind that the perspective there is coming from dedicated gaming hobbyists. The links for Fire and Axe and Arkham Horror on BGG are (respectively):

http://boardgamegeek.com/game/12495

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/15987

Good luck!

Answer 3

sequence { board game]

Answer 4

There are many games that you can use I would first Suggest Ticket to Ride as a great choice and then you may want to look into games that are themed after some of thier favorite video games.. There is a World of Warcraft Board game, a Starcraft game and Doom the Board game. You can find all these games and every game rated reveiwed and discussed at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/

For a look at some videos talking about some games got to

http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/

Answer 5

Chess is a great game and actually is one of the rare games that helps you with problem solving skills. Most games can be anywhere from 5 minutes (if you do the 3 move checkmate lol) to 3+ hours. Good for long occupiance.

Mousetrap, though they may feel old for it, is fun too. You build the trap as you play.. The last mouse still not in the trap wins!

Connect Four is a classic game thatr is always fun. While it may look like Tic-Tac-Toe, it is a lot more challenging and stimulating.

Battleship is good if you have boys. Most boys (and tomboys) like army/navy/airforce stuff like Battleship.

While i know this isnt a board game, and most parents do not like the idea, hide in seek inside the house is a great way to entertain kids. If you need to, invite friends over. You can also do it outside.

Chinese checkers and checkers (i dont know how to play the second one) are pretty fun too.

If you havea good-sized yard, kickball, catch, soccer, and baseball are good candidates to get them away from the xbox.

Hangman is fun :D

If they play any instruments...incourage them to come up with their own songs..writing lyrics is a good healthy thing to do too.

If you need some more ideas email me ([e-mail]) :D

Answer 6

onu,risk,battleship,chess,checkers,in line,buy them a wrestling ring with superstars its not a board game though good for teens and people who like wrestling

Answer 7

That's a good question, i congratulate you for your concern for your sons! You can interact with them be playing word games, such as super text twist, boggle, scrabble, bookworm, etc.  These are available in your local bookstores, or you may find them online too if you can't keep your boys away from the computer.  Happy playing!

Answer 8

Monopoly has always been one of my favorites, but it can be time consuming sometimes.

Answer 9

there is 1 really good game that always brang fun to the family, it has real life situations: buying a house, dealing with money, do bad things and you go to jail.

there were many names for it but the most common was........................................

MONOPOLY

it always brings fun to kids old enough to realise that it isnt real money.

the only reason we dont play it no more is because the youngest stole all the money.

we should have sent him directly to jail.

Answer 10

Monopoly, Life, Cranium, Apples to Apples, Pictionary, and Charades are all still great favorites with many people.  If they like word games get them into Scrabble or Scrabble Express (fast version with dice).  Mancala is an excellent game for two people, very ancient, deceptively simple yet amazingly complex.  Checkers and Chess are also great for two people.  With card games teach them hearts - that can be a great family game.  Also begin to teach them card tricks - you will find books at bookstores and also many online sites.  Kids usually love to learn card tricks.  Have fun.

Answer 11

Our daughter is 15 and loves to play board/card games and so does my nephew who is 12.

We don't' play the traditional games (Monopoly, Life, Uno) with them - although there is nothing wrong with them; the kids get bored with them easily. We play a lot of strategy, economy, etc. type games.

I suggest the following:

Board Games:

Settler of Catan

Union Pacific

Power Grid

Ticket to Ride

Pillars of the Earth

Puerto Rico

Pirate's Cove

Volcano - with Tree House Pieces

Empire Builder

Descent

Card Games:

Five Crowns

Phase 10

Totally Insane Card Game - Like uno but on steroids

Figaro

Fluxx

Munchkin

Look at your local game store -not toy store for these games. The great thing about the local game stores is that they often have a game night where you can meet other people in your community and learn how to play some of these games. Most of them will order any game that you are looking for too.

If you don't have a local game store in town, look online at places like:

http://www.boardsandbits.com

http://www.funagaingames.com

You can find reviews of all of these games at:

http://www.gameboardgeek.com

Answer 12

I have 3 boys, 13,16,19.  They all really love to play Griddly Headz Hockey, Baseball and Nascar.  They like all the games but really like to play on the deluxe playing field of the game.  They love to throw the dice into the pit and challenge their friends to a sports challenge.  The pieces keep them laughing and when their friends come over they ask if they can play.  As a mom, I like the strategies and challenges. It really makes them think.The game really has a sense of humor and you don't have to like sport to enjoy these games.  If they are playing at the table, they never stay in their seats!

Answer 13

Me and my family are really into board and card games. here are some of our favorites:

Sorry

Skip-bo( every houshold in or family has a deck)

Aggravation

Parchesse

rack-o

phase 10

Cranium (but only if they are a lil older)

Answer 14

i think u should play dominoes or life.

Answer 15

My girls are the same ages and we play many games as a family.  They love to play poker and Tripoli and what I do is put 10 dollars at most in the pot then we divide the chips evenly and they can keep their winnings.  We play the new monopoly with debt cards instead of paper bills.  One of their favorites is a pirates of the Caribbean interactive DVD game which combines the board game with questions from one of the movies on your TV screen.

Answer 16

I know how you feel.  My sons are 18 &16 and sometimes it's hard trying to relate with them.  

Have you considered playing Xbox with them?  There are some great downloadable board games like Carcassonne on Xbox Live Arcade.  You'll be interacting with them on their "turf".

If not, try Apples to Apples.  It's a great light-hearted game for 4+ players.  Also, Blokus is a good strategy game that's easy to play.

Have fun!

Answer 17

Some good suggestions here.

One that hasn't been mentioned is a game called "Set"... it's a thinking game that's pretty cool...

You can read about it at:

http://www.setgame.com/set/

The same company also puts out other games as well, word games, letter games, etc.  

Quiddler

Five Crowns

Jurassic Jumble

Xactika

We already have "Set" and we just found Five Crowns and Quiddler in a store the other day, but haven't tried them yet.

Set is a game of matching colors, shapes, patterns and numbers, and it requires thought, which is a good thing.

When you go to that Set Game site, you can click on the links to the other games as well, at the left of the screen.

Wikipedia has an entry on "Set", and there's also a computer version.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(game)

Set is fun, and once you understand what constitutes a "Set", it then becomes a race to see who can spot a set first when the cards are laid out.

Have fun!