Long before video games there were other types of games, and still are of course, if somewhat less popular now in comparison. I have lots of fond memories, as I am sure many of you do too, and I still indulge in some occasionally.

If like me you were born over 60 years ago, then you no doubt grew up playing many board and card games, as well as make believe games with toys etc. That last could even be model train sets and car racing sets etc. And it would still have been the case somewhat for many, 30 years ago.

I grew up playing the usual card games, probably starting off with Snap and Go Fish, and then as I got older, moving onto Sevens and Canasta and Poker and beyond ... not forgetting solo efforts like Solitaire and Free Cell, etc.

My favorite card game for many years now, is Wizard, which some of you will know, but possibly many don't. It is one of those great games that ends up in lots of laughs. For me it involves the best aspects of a few card games, especially Trumps. It is a normal pack of cards with a few extras.

Another fun card game for me, is Naval War, which is not your traditional cards, but has its own specific set.

I was also introduced to Mille Bornes, by some American cousins when they moved to Australia, which is a lot of fun, and also not your regular card game set.

As most would know, there are oodles of card games out there, many of which I have tried and even enjoyed to some degree.

And it isn't much different for board games either.

I would have probably started out with Snakes & Ladders, and then Chinese Checkers, and then Checkers and Chess and Monopoly of course. Battleships and Mastermind were other favorites. I went on to play plenty of others, like The Game Of Life which I was introduced to by a neighbor. Then of course, the likes of Cluedo and Scrabble and Mahjong. I then went on to such classics as Risk and the more evolved and similar Shogun. Totopoly, a horse racing board game was fun. Settlers Of Catan is probably the most recent board game I've been introduced to by a friend a few years back.

I also played Reversi a lot, which some of you might know as Othello. A bit like Checkers, and in my case I played it on a dedicated handheld device, so one of my earliest video games I guess.

One of my favorite games doesn't really have a board, but does include cards and a big plastic sheet ... plastic paper mat essentially, which could loosely be called a board ... very loosely. It is called Rummy Royal, and part of the game involves a poker game, and the whole thing is about chips and a pot and a kitty. I was introduced to that in a youth group.

Other games that do not involve cards or a board, but were lots of fun, were also introduced to me in the youth group, and some were later made into sell-able games by someone. One involved pieces of paper and an evolving story that you passed onto the next person, where they only saw a few words (paper being folder over) on which to base their continuation of the story. That game involved a lot of laughs, often belly-aching at times, because they could be that funny when read out aloud at the end ... often it was a struggle to read because you were laughing too much at the weird and wacky story that had evolved, often making fun of other folk in the group ... in a friendly way.

Another was what I think later became Balderdash, where one person would find a weird seeming word in a dictionary, write down the definition on a piece of paper in their own words, then tell the group the word, and each person would then likewise write their own guessed at definition. All the definitions would be kept secret, and then shuffled, and one person would read them out, and you would vote for the one that seemed most likely. You got points if you guessed right or someone voted for your wrong definition. Once again, could be a lot of laughs.

Another game involved leaving the house and going on a sort of treasure hunt, that involved clues and the first person to get to the final destination or find the ultimate prize. A bit like a car rally and could be short or long, maybe even involving a meal.

And to top it all off, I've even designed my own board games, one in particular which I still play a few times a year for more than 25 years, with family and a few friends. It always results in lots of laughs, and I've been told many times, I should publish it.

EDIT
I forgot to mention real life sports, which are games many still play ... Tennis, Soccer, Football, Golf, Cricket, Basketball, Netball, Baseball, Squash, etc. And others involving animals or vehicles. Then there is Hopscotch and All Over Red Rover.

I have been playing Bridge for 46 years now. Don't plan to stop

I've played Hearts for over 20 years. Still love sitting at the table with friends. Same with D&D, though we often play with older rulesets and a lot of home-brew. No need to spend $200 on new books just because they want to revise already-good rules.

A very popular game, especially amongst older folk, and is featured in many books and movies.

I think I tried it a time or two many years ago, but it never caught on with my group of friends. I think you have to move in the right circles for some games. Yep played Hearts many times, but never D&D, though I did create my own D&D type board game at one point. I've always loved Fantasy, but I think the cost of D&D and the seeming complexity were deterrents for me and friends. Once again, it is no doubt the circle of folk you hang with.

And most of them are/were "multiplayer".

Yep, most were designed to be played with at least one other person.
That said, there have always been a good number of solitaire games too, and not just card games. You can play model trains by yourself for instance, and Jigsaw picture and other puzzles, etc. For example, Rubix Cube.

To this day, I still love playing a party of good old "Mensch ärgere dich nicht" (= "Patchesi" (aka: "Homeward Bound"), respectively "Ludo").
However, today I enjoy it most in the "Mauerhüpfer" (= Wall Hopper) variant.

Another childhood game, that I can still play (for hours, if need be), is "Mau-Mau" (= Crazy Eights).

"Rommé" ("Rummy") is another classic that I even play digitally on my tablet, when nobody is around to play with.

And that's just the first three that spring to my mind...

Basically: simple games with simple rules will never get old.

Both games carry the risk (no pun intended) to "overstay their welcome" on the table.
They most often simply drag on too long to stay funny and entertaining.

That's why I propose them very seldom on game nights, nowadays.

One tip in that regard, though: instead of the "grown up" variant of "Monopoly" - play the "Junior" variant.
Very easy rules, plays much quicker and is way more fun, even for grown ups (IF they have the right state of mind).

Yep, for sure. Thanks for the tip, as I have never tried the Junior version or probably any of the specific country variants, as I'd lost interest in the game by the time they came out.

My earliest attempt at creating my own game, was at school with graph paper, making mazes which you gave to a friend to solve and them likewise. I've always loved mazes, and eventually made my own great maze game, that has been entertaining a select few for more than 25 years.

P.S. Alas, all of my own games were created when I was a young man, before the advent of a home computer being commonplace, so anything that needed to be written was painstakingly typed up on a typewriter, often time and time again, for improvements and additions and corrections. Only that one most popular of my games, ever got the rules at least, typed up on a computer. Though there was an attempt with that game to get colored printouts with a huge computer that mapped streets and underground pipes for the water in my city. I had a friend who worked for that service utility and he knew a girl who was a computer whiz there, and she printed off a few wonderful looking examples, but alas nothing came of it, all too hard at that time. Then later I got sick and my life turned upside down, resulting in my drive being severely diminished. Maybe one day one of my kids will do something with it. I always hoped I would meet someone I could trust who had the connections and know-how ... chasing up patents and the like. Without a doubt it would be at least a million seller, providing you got to market first with the best version.

P.S.S. One of my other games, the D&D type board game, did inspire me enough to start developing a computer version, but I'm neither talented enough on my own or have the energy for the amount of work required, and that was just for a cross between text and point-and-click type game. A good internet friend with probably enough skill, once contemplated helping with the game, but he was working on a big project of his own at the time, and then his life also went through an upheaval, such that even his own project got put by the wayside.

That's a good game. However, if you like Reversi you should also give Go a try. That's a somewhat similar but in many people's opinion better board game. It requires two players but can nowadays naturally also be played against a computer. The best Go program I know is "Just Go", which is sadly only available in a steamy place.

Yeah, but I'd rather read a book then.

I only really started caring for (single player computer) games when I discovered Adventures, RPGs and strategy games. I never cared for Pacman or Space Invaders, Tetris, Platformers, etc...

Not heard of that one, and should probably check it out, though I haven't played Reversi for a few years now.

Thanks for the recommendation. :)

Nah, stop lying.
These were the dark ages.
Playing together without Steam or Galaxy (which weren't invented yet)???
Hah, what a ridiculous thought! Like wanting to "drive" without cart or wheel.
Impossible.

Oh, and hitting each other with sticks and stones does not count as "playing" either.

;-)

Tell me about it. So many things I like doing, especially reading. Just never enough hours in a day or a lifetime.

I was never a fan of Tetris and never bothered with Pacman much. Space Invaders wasn't too bad, and the occasional Platformer was okay enough to be enjoyable. My favorites have always been FPS ... think Quake, my favorite game, followed by a bunch of others like Duke 3D and Redneck Rampage and Blood, then Adventure and RPG would be next.

That said, I like quirky and relaxing and even puzzles to some degree and strategy of course and building games. In fact, my likes have only gotten broader as I get older, so variety helps keep things fresh for me. Not much into sports games, though I love racing ones and a few others. Walking simulators have their appeal, as do some Visual Novels. What I play is often a mood based thing.

While I am not really much into online multiplayer, I have always enjoyed a good round of Mario Kart or Goldeneye or Diddy Kong Racing etc with friends and family on the N64 or Wii. That happens rarely now though, and more often than not we just play cards or a board game together instead ... just to do something different and not look at a screen.