Wednesday, March 19, 2003
Games Night
Games Night, sponsored by the Los Angeles People Connection, is one of the most elaborate and playful game event I know of. Well-documented, even, with pages devoted to previous games nights and the games played therein.
During the last of our five meetings at Esalen, Sunday morning, we talked a lot about how to extend this experience of playfulness and creativity, trust and intimacy to family and neighborhood and probably the rest of the world. One of the ideas we talked most about was the Games Night. Once a month, maybe. With family, friends, neighbors, workmates. A night devoted to playing games just for the fun of it.
We talked about how we liked the board games - especially Curses and thepollgame - alot. But not as much as the other kind. And that kind, the pointless kind, without equipment, is really the hardest to get started. Especially in people's houses. So we talked about using board games, but in some kind of off-beat way. Like combining them.
For example, the deck of Curse Cards from Curses would make a game like thepollgame funnier than it already is. And the voting cards in thepollgame would make Apples to Apples significantly crisper. In fact, the Curse Cards and voting cards would make almost any game - Scrabble, Monopoly, Diplomacy - funnier, more fun, more like the kind of fun we had at Esalen, without any props.
I also recommended that our kind of Games Night be hosted by someone different each time. And regardless of who hosts, a potlucky relationship where people bring food and games and goodies to share is definitely worth nurturing. Who knows, with the way things are going, and coming, any kind of Games Night where people can get together and feel safe enough to play is an event you'll definitely be wanting to know about.
During the last of our five meetings at Esalen, Sunday morning, we talked a lot about how to extend this experience of playfulness and creativity, trust and intimacy to family and neighborhood and probably the rest of the world. One of the ideas we talked most about was the Games Night. Once a month, maybe. With family, friends, neighbors, workmates. A night devoted to playing games just for the fun of it.
We talked about how we liked the board games - especially Curses and thepollgame - alot. But not as much as the other kind. And that kind, the pointless kind, without equipment, is really the hardest to get started. Especially in people's houses. So we talked about using board games, but in some kind of off-beat way. Like combining them.
For example, the deck of Curse Cards from Curses would make a game like thepollgame funnier than it already is. And the voting cards in thepollgame would make Apples to Apples significantly crisper. In fact, the Curse Cards and voting cards would make almost any game - Scrabble, Monopoly, Diplomacy - funnier, more fun, more like the kind of fun we had at Esalen, without any props.
I also recommended that our kind of Games Night be hosted by someone different each time. And regardless of who hosts, a potlucky relationship where people bring food and games and goodies to share is definitely worth nurturing. Who knows, with the way things are going, and coming, any kind of Games Night where people can get together and feel safe enough to play is an event you'll definitely be wanting to know about.
Labels: events
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