Families
Hanabi
30th December, 2021
Hanabi is one of my favourite card games. It’s got a lot of good points:
- It’s a cooperative game - all the humans versus the game itself - which removes the stress of player-versus-player competitiveness.
- The game owner will not dominate the other players, both because it’s co-operative and involves some chance.
- There’s little setup required and the rules are easy to understand.
- The game feels different depending on the size of the group playing.
- There are suggested game variations, so it has longevity.
Writing about games is a bit like writing about sex - I can describe the mechanics, but you won’t understand why it’s fun until you participate. With that said: in Hanabi you see everyone’s cards but your own, and must work as a group to arrange them in order by colour. Each turn you can give people a little information about their cards, but there are limitations; not everyone will have enough information to always play 100% safe. You’ll have to make some educated guesses about what to play.
A Memory Elephant
11th November, 2021
You put the elephant on the table inside your front door - the one with your house keys, takeaway menus, and a stack of unopened post. And now you can leave notes for each other. It’s nicer than a whiteboard.
The utility of this gift is probably dying out: family group chats have made it obsolete. Plus, with the pandemic, I expect it’s more likely that there’s always someone at home.