Old School Game Night

Written by Stacey Gellert

Screen Time.  Whether you’re an adult or a kid, we all log in too much screen time in one week.  Screen time is any moment when you’re staring at a screen.  This could be your cell phone screen, TV screen, Nintendo DS screen, GPS screen, self-check out screen at the grocery store or computer screen (as I type this article).  I will admit, I do enjoy my own screen time, but screen time crowds out “face time” when we interact in person, as kids used to do around board games, card games, etc.

I am a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Buncombe County.  I have been matched with my Little Sister for 5 years and enjoy every minute.  I try to create activities with my little that are both fun and a learning experience, which isn’t always easy.  My Little and I meet twice a month and spend 2-4 hours of hang time together.  As she has changed from a little girl into a teenager, so have our activities.  She is even more involved in screen time, as texting has become a second language.  This is what prompted me to organize an “Old School Game Night”.  The one rule?  No SCREENS… all cell phones are turned off and the games played do not involve a computer or TV.

I myself have fond memories of my birthday parties with games my parents coordinated.  I thought every child enjoyed organized scavenger hunts and ghost stories using cooked macaroni as the “brains” at their Halloween parties.  Not until college did I find out how lucky and unique my birthday parties were.  As a Big Sis, I wanted to make sure my “Little” experienced the childhood games I did before they were lost forever.  I was a little nervous on how the kids would react without the beloved screen.  Would they rebel?  Would they find it difficult to play when not prompted by a cursor?  I’ve asked my Little Sister share her experience on game night and here are her responses:

The Game Night Group of Bigs and Littles

Did you enjoy game night? “Yes, very much”

Which game did you enjoy the best?  “The balloon volleyball, I’ve played it before and it was fun.”

Which game did you enjoy the least?  “I liked all of them and would play them all again.”

Would you play any of these games with your friends or family?  “Definitely, especially with my family.”

What type of games do you play with your family?  “Sims, Scene it and Monopoly.”

Would you attend another “game night”?  “Yes, it was a good group and good size of people.  We all got to play and take turns.”

Any last comments about “game night”?  “We should definitely do it again.  Get more pizza so we can play longer.  The smaller groups are better.  I’d play all the games we did all over again.”

So what happened when we took the screen away?  Well, I don’t think we’ll ever replace “screen time”, but I tried it, and we all had a great time at Game Night.    We created new memories for the Little Sisters, and lots of nostalgia for the Big Sisters.