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Thursday, August 20, 2015

Beyond the Books: My Favorite Game


I'm excited to be linking up with KissinBlueKaren for her really fun Beyond the Books feature.  Every week there's a new topic to talk about that makes us talk about ourselves a little more and I always love to see what everyone has to say.  This wee's topic is My Favorite Game.

There's a little something that most people don't know about me - I'm crazy competitive. I used to think I just really didn't like board games but what it really is is that I really don't like to lose.  I do okay at long winded strategy games like Monopoly or Life or games where there isn't really a clear winner like Apples to Apples but give me one wrong move in Trouble or Sorry and let's just say it doesn't bring out the best in me.

Emma, Eleanor, and Paul at an Atlanta Braves game about 5
years ago
Sports-wise I like watching football and baseball but I have a hard time watching games of my favorite teams if the score is close.  Baseball I'm generally okay but college football (War Eagle) is another story. I scream and yell and cover my eyes and fall backwards on to the couch.  Then I pace and yell some more.  Apparently I watch football just like my dad which is just one more bit of evidence that I'm slowly turning into him.

When Emma was much younger and playing soccer I ended up coaching her team.  Not because of a great love of soccer - though I do enjoy it - or great skill on my part - I have none - but because I understood the strategy and was competitive enough to focus on it.  I loved coaching soccer and we did really well.  While I was never a "it doesn't matter if you win or lose" kind of a coach I wasn't a "win or die" coach either so it worked out.


Then there are video games.  These are the only things I'm good at being bad at am I really really am!  My husband and I used to play Lego Star Wars on the Xbox but things got busy and we stopped.  We bought a WiiU for the Tornado a few months ago and I bought a Lego Pirates of the Caribbean and am hoping to revive the tradition.  Lately though the Tornado and I have taken to spending rainy days playing Super Mario which is pretty great!

So what about you?  Are you a game person?  Or are you like me and have to take deep breaths and remind yourself that it's just a game when your 5 year old is trouncing you at Candyland?  Don't even get me started about Chutes and Ladders!


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19 comments:

  1. GregAugust 20, 2015 at 6:32 AM

    My favorite game right now might be Wii Sports Resort- I just like flying around that island looking for waypoints and getting all the bubbles. And the wakeboarding and wave runner parts are fun too. I could live on that island :)

    Monopoly and Life are favorites around here too.

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    1. Katherine PAugust 21, 2015 at 10:42 PM

      I will definitely have to look for that game! We have one that is similar but doesn't sound like it's nearly as much fun!

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  2. KayAugust 20, 2015 at 6:46 AM

    Ah, you make me laugh. How interesting that you are so competitive. I'm kind of a dud in the competitive area. Which meant I was great for playing games with little kids. My favorite board game is probably Clue, but I can't even think when I last played it. And I love Trivial Pursuit. Now that one can get a little complicated with our extended family. We've now gone to playing as teams. Not to brag, but my useless bunch of weird little facts about things and especially my knowledge of books and TV/movies made me pretty much always win there.

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    1. Katherine PAugust 21, 2015 at 10:47 PM

      I love trivial pursuit! We haven't played it in awhile but it was always so much fun. My science knowledge could use a little brushing up though. I would love to share some of my competitive spirit. I definitely got more than my share.

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  3. KarenAugust 20, 2015 at 8:15 AM

    We have had a playstation or xbox in the house (upgrading almost yearly) since playstation 1. I can never get time on those things due to my 14 year old son.
    Coaching must have been really cool. I love to see kids play sports, it is such a good outlet.

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    1. Katherine PAugust 21, 2015 at 10:49 PM

      We have a PS4 but it really belongs to my older son. Kids can seriously eat up the video game time!
      I really enjoyed coaching. I got to know a lot of the kids and it was generally a lot of fun. It was nice to just be able to watch the game as a parent when I quit though.

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  4. Laurel-Rain SnowAugust 20, 2015 at 9:23 AM

    I have never gotten into video games, but all of my kids and grandkids have done so....I loved board games in the past, and even in the recent past, with family participating.

    Here is MY BEYOND THE BOOKS POST

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  5. LolaAugust 20, 2015 at 10:09 AM

    We're big into baseball too. We always catch a few major and minor league games each summer. :)

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  6. raidergirl3August 20, 2015 at 11:04 AM

    Love games, all kinds. Board games are mostly just played at the cottage now, but I like cards too and don't get to play as much as I'd like. Trivia games are big around here (do you know about sporcle.com?) and we get pretty competitive too.
    I love watching sports, and our kids have helped in that regard. Boy 17 plays basketball (just sent him off to uni to play!) and I may have been more into a quarterfinal U17 girls first division soccer game last night than I should have been. But 15 year old daughter's #8 team beat the undefeated #1 team 1-0, so they were very excited.
    I remember one hot summer playing the old Mario Bros game in the basement to the entertainment of my young kids.

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  7. AnonymousAugust 20, 2015 at 2:05 PM

    I'm glad to see you're good at being bad, that's what I call positive thinking :D I don't really like games, don't watch sports, but used to play Monopoly and the likes when I was a kid :)

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  8. BrittanyLAugust 20, 2015 at 2:14 PM

    I am beyond competitive. I played soccer and a at really high level all up to about the time I was 20. It was a good team and I was captain. I know I could be bossy at points, but that was my need to win coming through. I also coached up until last year and like you I wasn't a win or die coach, but I will say it was hard to be on the sidelines when one of my girls missed a shot, etc...
    As for board games, it's been a while, but Life is still my favourite.
    I love video games but haven't played in a while. The Sims was always my go to. But my old laptop couldn't handle it anymore and I've yet to download them on to my new one.
    Happy reading!
    Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life

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  9. Heather @ Random Redheaded RamblingsAugust 20, 2015 at 3:20 PM

    I love Mario, on our Wii we usually go crazy competitive playing Mario Kart!

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  10. Trish @ Love, Laughter, InsanityAugust 20, 2015 at 3:41 PM

    Monopoly was finally banned in our household. With three girls four years apart in age, our Monopoly sessions (that could last all day long) usually ended brutally. I had to laugh when I met up with my dad and stepmom the other day and they gave me their copy of the game (they're downsizing).

    I love playing games but Scott couldn't be less interested. Before kids we did enjoy playing Mario Brothers, though! We should really break out the Wii with the girls!! Great idea. :)

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  11. UnknownAugust 20, 2015 at 10:20 PM

    I have fun playing board games but I forgot about our Wii! I would always have fun playing with the kids the party games so we can all play.

    Kathy @ My Nook, Books & More
    My Beyond the Books post

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  12. Kimberly @ Caffeinated ReviewerAugust 21, 2015 at 9:26 AM

    I don't play many games, learning techie stuff and trying out new techniques on the blog light me up. I love Nascar, Baseball, Football etc and root for the Philadelphia teams. I like Rugby too and miss spending every weekend watching my son play.

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  13. Literary FelineAugust 21, 2015 at 12:53 PM

    I enjoy playing games. At one time I really got into the Sims game, to the point I was playing it every waking hour. I am afraid to play it anymore for fear that old addiction will return. Cribbage is probably my most favorite game. My husband taught me how to play. He almost always wins.

    I'm not big into sports. I do enjoy going to soccer and baseball games, but I can't say I follow any particular team. It's rare I watch sports on television unless it's the Olympics.

    Have a wonderful weekend, Katherine!

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  14. carolAugust 21, 2015 at 3:15 PM

    We play board games/card games every Friday. We play anything from Euchre to Ascension to Ticket to Ride. Video games aren't my thing though.

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  15. ROAugust 23, 2015 at 11:22 AM

    As a kid I was a super competitive tomboy, but now not so much. My partner when we play the game Taboo practically beats me over the head if I can't figure out the answer fast enough, though, and she refuses to have me as partner for any card games. (lol) On my own, I'm safe playing Candy Crush. Video games - no, no and more no! (lol) Very fun topic! Love it. Hugs...Ro

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  16. La La in the LibraryAugust 23, 2015 at 7:49 PM

    I really like these real life posts. I am a big Words With Friends (mostly strangers) player. I love watching other people play video games, but I can't play them because they make me nervous. LOL. My son played soccer when he was younger and I really miss that. When the weather starts to crisp up, I start feeling nostalgic for those days. I do watch baseball and I am hated by my family during baseball season for loving the Red Sox! We live in NY and my father is probably rolling in his grave. I am like you, I yell at the television. I watch world Cup and Olympic soccer with my son, too. :)

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