Senior Andrew Shier and his family own upwards of 40 different board games.
The classic form of bonding between board games is taken to another level at the Shier household. Starting at a very young age, Andrew has partaken in any sort of card or board game that is known to mankind.
However, what started as a leisure activity grew into a strong adoration for the games. Andrew loves how he can separate himself from everything going on in his life and strictly focus on the objective of a make-believe storyline.
“[Board games] allow you to get immersed in something that’s temporary,” Andrew explained, “like you’re playing a character, or you’re going for a certain goal for a certain amount of time, so you can invest yourself in that. And in the end, it doesn’t matter. It’s just a way to lose yourself in a story for as much time [as possible].”
Having 40 or so games just in his house, Andrew knows all of the best games. He has played Ticket to Ride countless times. He knows the ins and outs of Pandemic. He has mastered the game Dungeon.
However, none of these elaborate games will ever top his all-time favorite, which is a classic across all boards: UNO.
“UNO is a fantastic classic,” Andrew said. “I love that game because it can be as simple as a really short game to a super competitive [one] depending on who you’re playing with, how long it’s going on for, and what rules you play with. I’ve always really enjoyed any basic card game.”
Of course, the objective in any card or board game is to win. Whether it be the first to run out of cards or the person with the most money and properties, everyone who is playing is gunning for the same goal.
In general, Andrew says he can be quite competitive. However, there are times when he simply plays a game for fun rather than for the thrill of being in first place. Even with this in mind, things can get quite heated in his family, specifically with the game Catch Phrase.
Catch Phrase is a game in which the players have an allotted amount of time to describe a word for their teammates to guess. With the frustration of teammates not figuring out the word quickly enough, paired with the increasing beeping of the buzzer, the game is intense, especially for Andrew.
“As the buzzer is going and as the beeping is getting faster, you’re getting more stressed out,” Andrew said. “And, at times, I’ve had it in my hands and the timer was almost out. I’ve almost lost, and [that’s when] the yelling starts, and the frustration starts, and the anger starts. Like, ‘How could you not have guessed that word?’ It was so clear what it was.’ We’ve had to stop playing multiple times. [Catch Phrase] gets pretty bad. The competitiveness gets the better of me.”
With so many board games in his house, it would be expected that Andrew and his family have scheduled nights every once in a while to convene with one another and play their favorite games throughout the evening. However, that is not how it normally works for them. Usually, someone simply suggests they play some games, and they spend the rest of the night laughing with one another and getting lost in the magic of the games.
Andrew is thankful for how close he is to his family, and it is primarily because of their love of board games. He views his family’s dynamic as more tightly-knit because of the countless nights they have spent together, laughing, shouting, and everything in between.
“I think [board games have] been generally a positive good for our family,” Andrew said. “We spend more time together, and we learn more about each other, and we develop a bond that I don’t think we would have otherwise.”
Almost every single one of Andrew’s memories regarding games with his family are positive.
Almost.
But when it comes to Euchre, Andrew cannot help but express his distaste for the complicated card game.
“We were on vacation in South Carolina, and we played a hand of Euchre,” Andrew said, “and at one point [when] we were playing, and it was me and my mom versus my dad and my sister. And apparently, there’s this rule where you can just kick your teammate out of the game and play it by yourself. If you win, you get [a ton of] points. So [my dad] was like, ‘Kate, you’re not playing anymore.’ And I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then he plays the hand, and he wins the whole game even though he was behind by a bunch. I didn’t understand how it worked; it was a very stressful moment.”
Andrew will never get tired of playing board games even when they are stressful. They are timeless pastimes that will never fail to bring friends and families together, and Andrew will forever love getting immersed in the storyline.
“You’re losing yourself, and you’re having fun in the process of the game,” Andrew said. “And I think that’s worth a lot.”
