Scrabble

I like board games and card games a lot. When you play them with the right people, they can be exciting, gripping, interesting, relaxing, engaging.... sometimes a lot more so than playing Mario Kart on the Wii or some other form of video game.

And there are a lot of types of board and card games, ranging from the very strategic to the ones that rely on dumb luck (which can still be very fun!). It's interesting to think about each board or card game as having different characteristics. They offer different experiences when you play them. Sorry! is the game of revenge, Risk is the game of world domination, Life is the game of, well, life, and Monopoly is just the game that never ends. And Scrabble? That's a game I feel that people either really like or really dislike. I last played it about two weeks ago if I remember correctly, with my cousins, and it was an interesting time.

It's weird because you're competing for points, but you also have to somewhat work together to keep the board alive. By keeping the board alive I mean building off free spots with longer words, not using 3 letter words that turn them into dead ends. (If you've played Scrabble before you should know what I'm talking about.) And from my personal experiences, I think Scrabble should be named the game of anticipation. Because it's turn based, you have a lot of free time to plan and plot, trying to turn that jumble of letters on your rack into a brilliant word. Sometimes you have to react to others who take the spot on the board you were about to use.

But there's nothing quite like that feeling of finally discovering the perfect place to land all your letters, the move that will score 30 points or more. And just hoping, praying that no one takes that Triple Letter square you're eyeing or the Double Word square on the side. You have your move set, and you casually glance over at the person whose turn it is to see where on the board they're looking. Your heart pumps as they reach for their tiles, breathing a sigh of relief when they play somewhere else on the board to scrounge 12 points. And all the while, you're just anticipating that awesome move, waiting to see the look on the other players' faces when you cash in 48 points. But you have to wait. And just hope no one takes your move.

What are some of your favorite board games?