I wouldn't presume to have my kids watching Kurosawa, but we have at least enjoyed a lot of classics lately like Amadeus, Casablanca, and a lot of classic musicals like The Sound of Music. Nothing that isn't very normie, but still stuff that gets bypassed easily.
I don’t want to call it some grand parenting scheme but from a pretty early age I started exposing my kids to movies that aren’t pa of some huge media franchise. They’ve really developed a taste for movies, as opposed to jumping into fandoms.
I have heard many times how the schools don't allow kids to talk about Jesus, and just last night at my son's public school concert they sang several sacred songs.
The people who fret most about these institutions only know what they hear about them on talk radio. It's unconnected to reality.
I think it was the lack of downtime, and the constantly evolving rhythm of the game. The changing situations and variety in auctions did so much to keep him engaged.
Apropos to the below post, my family played Modern Art as a bit of Easter gaming. This was the first time for our younger son, who indulges us by playing stuff but doesn't love board gaming. But this game was wildly successful. He was engaged the whole time, and never complained about the length.
Even huge complex games with a reputation for being better digitally, I prefer them in person. Stuff like Through the Ages and Ark Nova? I LOVE playing those in person.
As a corollary to this, I think my favorite genre of game is any kind of open interaction, contained to roughly 60-90 minutes. These are a step above party games, but aren't all-afternoon affairs. The games above are good examples, as are I'm the Boss, Bohnanza, and card games like The Gang.
The tactile sensation of ANYthing is seriously underrated in our digital environment. I will concede that it is much more convenient to have so many digital options, and it has allowed me to engage with stuff a lot more. But having something to hold is a pleasure I think some people are discovering.
The more board games I play online, the more I prefer games that feature interaction that makes it kind of hard to play electronically. Cosmic Encounter, Modern Art, Lords of Vegas, Catan...give me things that work best in person.
When you're really good at the things you keep doing, no one minds much if you keep doing them.
Strong month! T&E, El Grande, Lords of Vegas, Cosmic Frog...consider me jealous.
Did you know that water is just one molecule away from being hydrogen peroxide??!?
R.E.M.'s Monster is the most "used stuff" album ever. This is not a criticism.
It's a me problem, to be clear. But we are conditioned by the sort of music we grew up with, and I did NOT grow up with much music that emphasized rhythm and beat.
Years ago, one of my struggles in getting into hip-hop was that I was used to picking out melody and traditional verse-chorus-verse structures over rhythm. I'm a little better now but it still requires a lot of focus to get into it. N'Dour (and a lot of world music) has the same challenge for me.
I wouldn't presume to be ultra-familiar with N'Dour's work, but the couple of years I lived in Senegal gave me an affinity for his work. Whenever I hear him I'm like the Leo DiCaprio meme, pointing at it.
It's hard to raise the discourse in any field these days, let alone one with such a firehose of mediocrity as board gaming. You are fighting the good fight, hang in there!
This is an endlessly wonderful thread.
Anything involving Milhouse is very popular with my kids. "Everything's comin' up Milhouse" is a common quote for us, and the sequence below is one of our favorites.
Souveniiirrrs, noooovelties, parrrrty trrricks...
This actually sounds delicious. how did it turn out?
Arrives on March 5 in Early Access, and it includes MULTIPLAYER.
Buying this game will be the last thing I get done in 2026.
Seems extremely on-brand for our present time to condense a time of reflection and humility to be as brief as humanly possibly.
A photo of an ice cream machine with a sign reading, "Anything is possible with ice cream." Beneath that is a hand lettered sign reading, "No ice cream".
2026 basically
First new TMBG album in five years (!) so I'm pretty excited.
I can't own too many games like this, but I think everyone needs a few games that completely fill the table with chits, boards, and cards. It's like how everyone has a few 3+ hour movies that they love.
It's extremely okay, not hilarious or anything but it's got potential. I was baffled that there was only a single episode.
What's the best ever name for a baseball player, and why is it Rollie Fingers?
My son’s HS did this last year, very funny show.
My favorite one I've heard (though never used myself) is "I don't negotiate with terrorists."
I don't remember precisely. I think the losing team just outride loses?