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ysabetwordsmith) wrote2024-03-21 01:55 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2024-03-21 01:55 pm
Entry tags:
Hobbies: Board Games
Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This batch features hobbies.
Board games or tabletop games date back at least as far as behaviorally modern humanity, and possibly quite a lot farther. They involve some sort of playing piece(s), often a playing surface (originally the ground rather than a table), a set of rules, and 2+ players usually facing each other over the game area. They exist in diverse forms all around the world, but with a lot of repeating features that suggest either they travel far and wide, or they predate humanity's dispersal -- possibly both. Note that this hobby actually breaks down into a bunch of subhobbies such as designing, collecting, and playing board games as well as offshoots like studying game history, game theory and mathematics, cultural import (like chess in Europe or mah jong in Asia), touring game shops or cafés, etc.
:D This hobby has a huge list of resources for adaptive / accessible / inclusive / diverse gaming. \o/
WARNING: Flypaper for eyeballs ahead.
Benefits Of Board Games
BOARD GAMES: THEN AND NOW
Some playing pieces attest to the deep age of gaming. These include flat 2-sided dice such as plumstones or cowrie shells, polyhedral dice such as knucklebones, and bundles of slim things to be dropped such as jackstraws. Some of these don't even require marking to distinguish them. We also have evidence of gameboards that can be played by drawing in the dirt, such as mancala, nine men's morris, and tic-tac-toe. The playing pieces of such games are commonly natural items such as pebbles that may be found anywhere. Thus it's useful to memorize several such games as they may be played anywhere with found items.
Game Rules: Find the rules to all of your favourite games
Official Game Rules to Board Games, Card Games, and More!
31 Fun Paper & Pen Games You Can Play Anywhere
A to Z List of Dice Games
Card Game Rules
Best Board Game Apps, Games, and Websites
Gaming Resources
Board Game Geek is the go-to site for gaming information.
-- Advanced search page
-- Board games by rank
-- BoardGameGeek Promo and Game Bits Store
-- Browse Board Game Mechanics
-- Dashboard (multiple features on one page)
-- Game Rules
-- THE HOTNESS: The top 50 trending games today
-- Videos (unboxing, reviews, playthroughs, etc.)
The Beginner's Guide to Tabletop Gaming
Board Games -- how to articles from wikiHow
Board Game Design Lab: Homepage
Getting Started in Board Game Design
A Crash Course in Board Game Development
How to Make a Board Game (a step-by-step guide)
Board game manufacturers – How to choose one?
Note that if you are a game hobbyist, there is great value in having a stash of random game pieces in your game closet. You never know when you'll need a missing piece, or folks will decide to throw a quickie game design competition. Keep a box of pawns, dice, play money, boards with maps or movement tracks, and other useful tidbits. They also make fun craft materials -- if you are deft enough, you can actually lift off just the paper face from a game board and fix it to the top of a table under sealant. Never throw away mismatched game pieces unless they are unusable. Of course, you could buy loose parts from somewhere like The Game Crafter, The Broken Token, or Board Game Modder. There are even game design kits from places like Apostrophe Games. But you could just as well hit some rummage sales and pick up partial games for a quarter.
Friendly Local Game Stores (FLGS) of the USA
The Ultimate Worldwide Guide to Board Game Cafes
How to Create The Ideal Gaming Room
13 Smart and Stylish Ways to Store Your Board Games
25 Types of Board Games Explained
Top 40 Cooperative Board Games
Tips for Hosting a Board Game Night
importance of inclusive games
Does your collection include at least one game that:
-- can be played simultaneously by players of different skill levels?
-- has a wide range of player numbers?
-- can be played in the dark (e.g. during a blackout)?
-- can be played by touch and/or favors touch-dominant players?
-- favors visual-native rather than text or verbal oriented players?
-- is designed for vision-impaired users?
-- needs no color vision?
-- requires no hearing?
-- is accessible for people with little or no dexterity?
-- involves little or no reading of English (or other local language)?
-- is accessible to players with mental / cognitive / emotional differences?
-- is very low pressure / stress?
-- comes from some other culture than the locally dominant one?
-- was created by someone(s) who is not a straight white Christian man?
-- cost less than $15?
Your game supplies should also include some basic adaptive equipment that can be used to modify standard games and/or devise something new on the spot to accommodate special needs. Useful items for your diversity box include:
* dice cups with rolling trays and/or an automatic dice emulator
* pip dice, tactile dice, and/or Braille dice
* dice with colors or geometric shapes instead of numerals
* tactile spinners
* a kitchen timer with raised markings that will sound an alert when it runs out (to replace hourglasses)
* a line-and-dot pen to make raised markings
* a jumbo black magic marker and white index cards for high contrast
* card holders and/or racks
* assorted grip straps and universal grippers
* basic craft supplies like tape, glue, paper clips, rubber bands, scissors, ruler, etc.
* some sort of moldable compound such as Makey or Sculpey
* assorted magnifiers
* quiet fidgets in multiple different styles
* tabletop privacy screens
* a flat board, wide shallow box, lap desk, and/or clip-on wheelchair desk
Accessibility in Tabletop Resources
How to Develop Inclusive Board Games (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Meeple Like Us
-- About Us
-- Accessibility Guidelines
-- Board Game Recommender for People With Disabilities
-- Masterlist of Game Scores for Inclusivity
-- Meeple Like Us Accessible Gaming Teardowns
-- The Meeple Like Us Top Ten Best Board Games 2019 Edition
-- Promobilia and the Accessibility Stack for Board Games
-- Recommended Board Games for Visual Impairments and Total Blindness
-- Sponsor on Patreon, support accessibility reviews!
What kinds of adaptive games are there?
Planning for Adapting Board Games (+ FREE Planner)
Tips and Tools for Adapting Games
Adaptive Tools for Cards
Switch Adapted Games for Sale
Board Games for Vision-impaired Players
Adaptivities: A New Way to Play
Adapting games for quadriplegics
Adapting Board Games for Neurodivergent and Disabled Kids
Tactile Board Games For the Blind
Amazingly these prices are comparable to standard games. Most adaptive equipment is grossly overpriced.
A Buyer's Guide to Visually Accessible Board Games
Games for Blind People or Blackouts
Inclusive Games from Terramagne
The Best Board Games for ADHD Kids and Teens
Board Games for Therapy and Counseling
Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "board-game"
Board Game Book Lists
Make these Crafts Inspired by Classic Board Games
12 DIY Board Games So You're Never Bored
20 Fun And Exciting Ways To Repurpose Old Board Games
Board Game Crafts -- Etsy (games, game pieces, loose parts, game-related craft supplies, etc.)
Board Games -- Zazzle (mostly customized game stuff)
Meeple Crafts & Party Supplies -- Zazzle
My Top 10 Board Game YouTubers
9 great Youtube channels to watch full playthroughs
Board games or tabletop games date back at least as far as behaviorally modern humanity, and possibly quite a lot farther. They involve some sort of playing piece(s), often a playing surface (originally the ground rather than a table), a set of rules, and 2+ players usually facing each other over the game area. They exist in diverse forms all around the world, but with a lot of repeating features that suggest either they travel far and wide, or they predate humanity's dispersal -- possibly both. Note that this hobby actually breaks down into a bunch of subhobbies such as designing, collecting, and playing board games as well as offshoots like studying game history, game theory and mathematics, cultural import (like chess in Europe or mah jong in Asia), touring game shops or cafés, etc.
:D This hobby has a huge list of resources for adaptive / accessible / inclusive / diverse gaming. \o/
WARNING: Flypaper for eyeballs ahead.
Benefits Of Board Games
BOARD GAMES: THEN AND NOW
Some playing pieces attest to the deep age of gaming. These include flat 2-sided dice such as plumstones or cowrie shells, polyhedral dice such as knucklebones, and bundles of slim things to be dropped such as jackstraws. Some of these don't even require marking to distinguish them. We also have evidence of gameboards that can be played by drawing in the dirt, such as mancala, nine men's morris, and tic-tac-toe. The playing pieces of such games are commonly natural items such as pebbles that may be found anywhere. Thus it's useful to memorize several such games as they may be played anywhere with found items.
Game Rules: Find the rules to all of your favourite games
Official Game Rules to Board Games, Card Games, and More!
31 Fun Paper & Pen Games You Can Play Anywhere
A to Z List of Dice Games
Card Game Rules
Best Board Game Apps, Games, and Websites
Gaming Resources
Board Game Geek is the go-to site for gaming information.
-- Advanced search page
-- Board games by rank
-- BoardGameGeek Promo and Game Bits Store
-- Browse Board Game Mechanics
-- Dashboard (multiple features on one page)
-- Game Rules
-- THE HOTNESS: The top 50 trending games today
-- Videos (unboxing, reviews, playthroughs, etc.)
The Beginner's Guide to Tabletop Gaming
Board Games -- how to articles from wikiHow
Board Game Design Lab: Homepage
Getting Started in Board Game Design
A Crash Course in Board Game Development
How to Make a Board Game (a step-by-step guide)
Board game manufacturers – How to choose one?
Note that if you are a game hobbyist, there is great value in having a stash of random game pieces in your game closet. You never know when you'll need a missing piece, or folks will decide to throw a quickie game design competition. Keep a box of pawns, dice, play money, boards with maps or movement tracks, and other useful tidbits. They also make fun craft materials -- if you are deft enough, you can actually lift off just the paper face from a game board and fix it to the top of a table under sealant. Never throw away mismatched game pieces unless they are unusable. Of course, you could buy loose parts from somewhere like The Game Crafter, The Broken Token, or Board Game Modder. There are even game design kits from places like Apostrophe Games. But you could just as well hit some rummage sales and pick up partial games for a quarter.
Friendly Local Game Stores (FLGS) of the USA
The Ultimate Worldwide Guide to Board Game Cafes
How to Create The Ideal Gaming Room
13 Smart and Stylish Ways to Store Your Board Games
25 Types of Board Games Explained
Top 40 Cooperative Board Games
Tips for Hosting a Board Game Night
importance of inclusive games
Does your collection include at least one game that:
-- can be played simultaneously by players of different skill levels?
-- has a wide range of player numbers?
-- can be played in the dark (e.g. during a blackout)?
-- can be played by touch and/or favors touch-dominant players?
-- favors visual-native rather than text or verbal oriented players?
-- is designed for vision-impaired users?
-- needs no color vision?
-- requires no hearing?
-- is accessible for people with little or no dexterity?
-- involves little or no reading of English (or other local language)?
-- is accessible to players with mental / cognitive / emotional differences?
-- is very low pressure / stress?
-- comes from some other culture than the locally dominant one?
-- was created by someone(s) who is not a straight white Christian man?
-- cost less than $15?
Your game supplies should also include some basic adaptive equipment that can be used to modify standard games and/or devise something new on the spot to accommodate special needs. Useful items for your diversity box include:
* dice cups with rolling trays and/or an automatic dice emulator
* pip dice, tactile dice, and/or Braille dice
* dice with colors or geometric shapes instead of numerals
* tactile spinners
* a kitchen timer with raised markings that will sound an alert when it runs out (to replace hourglasses)
* a line-and-dot pen to make raised markings
* a jumbo black magic marker and white index cards for high contrast
* card holders and/or racks
* assorted grip straps and universal grippers
* basic craft supplies like tape, glue, paper clips, rubber bands, scissors, ruler, etc.
* some sort of moldable compound such as Makey or Sculpey
* assorted magnifiers
* quiet fidgets in multiple different styles
* tabletop privacy screens
* a flat board, wide shallow box, lap desk, and/or clip-on wheelchair desk
Accessibility in Tabletop Resources
How to Develop Inclusive Board Games (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Meeple Like Us
-- About Us
-- Accessibility Guidelines
-- Board Game Recommender for People With Disabilities
-- Masterlist of Game Scores for Inclusivity
-- Meeple Like Us Accessible Gaming Teardowns
-- The Meeple Like Us Top Ten Best Board Games 2019 Edition
-- Promobilia and the Accessibility Stack for Board Games
-- Recommended Board Games for Visual Impairments and Total Blindness
-- Sponsor on Patreon, support accessibility reviews!
What kinds of adaptive games are there?
Planning for Adapting Board Games (+ FREE Planner)
Tips and Tools for Adapting Games
Adaptive Tools for Cards
Switch Adapted Games for Sale
Board Games for Vision-impaired Players
Adaptivities: A New Way to Play
Adapting games for quadriplegics
Adapting Board Games for Neurodivergent and Disabled Kids
Tactile Board Games For the Blind
Amazingly these prices are comparable to standard games. Most adaptive equipment is grossly overpriced.
A Buyer's Guide to Visually Accessible Board Games
Games for Blind People or Blackouts
Inclusive Games from Terramagne
The Best Board Games for ADHD Kids and Teens
Board Games for Therapy and Counseling
Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "board-game"
Board Game Book Lists
Make these Crafts Inspired by Classic Board Games
12 DIY Board Games So You're Never Bored
20 Fun And Exciting Ways To Repurpose Old Board Games
Board Game Crafts -- Etsy (games, game pieces, loose parts, game-related craft supplies, etc.)
Board Games -- Zazzle (mostly customized game stuff)
Meeple Crafts & Party Supplies -- Zazzle
My Top 10 Board Game YouTubers
9 great Youtube channels to watch full playthroughs
no subject
Yes ...
I'm really looking forward to trying out Lacuna, which is about placing markers to pick up little wooden flowers. It's supposed to be on the meditative side.
Re: Yes ...
>>I'm really looking forward to trying out Lacuna, which is about placing markers to pick up little wooden flowers. It's supposed to be on the meditative side.<<
Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun. We have a game that sounds kind of similar; Noctiluca. It involves placing a marker to pick up coloured die to fill jar cards. I don't know if it falls into the meditative category, but it does require some careful thought to acquire the right dice for the cards you have.
no subject
no subject
Re: adaptive gaming, I remember having to play chess [standard chessboard] with coordinates, b/c opponent couldn't move the pieces themselves. For a non-grid chess-variant board, I suspect the easiest adaptation would be numbering/labeling the squares* themselves.
*Which might not actually be square; variant chessboards can get pretty far out.
Also re: adaptive gaming, I wonder if there are any games designed for tactile-dominant persons? (I.e. something deafblind people would find entertaining, but the blindfolded hearing-sighted people would find very confusing.)
no subject
Wow this is incredibly cool! A treasure trove of resources! Those links will keep me occupied for a while!
Does your collection include at least one game that:
I think I can answer all the questions with yes - although for most of them, there's really only exactly one that fits. And when it comes to tools to support disabled players, I must admit we're sorely lacking. Maybe I can expand in that direction, thank you for the nudge!