I remembered when I was in elementary school, we would be indoors playing board games whenever it was a rainy day. Kids were encouraged to stay inside during recess and lunch, and the hallways would be loaded with different board games. There would be a coloured mat that we can sit on and we had to take our shoes off before sitting on the mat. I remember there were games like Snakes and Ladders, Connect4, Scrabble, Battleship, Chess, Checkers, Trouble, Guess Who and Twister.

What was your favourite childhood game?

@Brent Druyts / Pexels

My favourite one is a Chinese board game called Aeroplan chess. It is a cross and circle game that needs to use strategy to win. The unique part about this game is that the chess pieces are mini airplanes, rather than the pawns or circles in other board games. This game is usually played with two to four players and they each choose a colour. Each person would roll the dice when it is their turn and then move their airplane in the same direction. The goal is to go once around the board and then park in your own runway. The first person that can park all four of their airplanes wins the game. Your plane could potentially be sent back to the start if an opponent’s plane lands on the same space. If you land on a space that is the same colour as your piece, then you can fly to the next corresponding colour space.

I also remember there was one game that goes on forever and never ends. My friends and I always just give up on it before anyone reached the end. Yes, if you haven’t guessed already, it’s Monopoly. Monopoly is fun at the very start when everyone is trying to own the land and collect rent. I like getting the chance cards and seeing what could happen to me. But as the game goes one, some people start to lose interest, it just doesn’t keep the energy level up anymore.

I have a classmate that is a big fan of playing Clue

“I like Clue because it is less up to chance. It has less random elements and it is way more about strategy. It is just a board game classic.”

Sophie Tomei

@Ylanite Koppens / Pexels

Here’s a list of some of the upcoming board games that are anticipated for 2023:

• Septima
• The Last of Us: Escape the Dark
• The Queen’s Dilemma
• Fit to Print
• Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game
• Daybreak
• Mother Tree

Will you try any of these new board games or stick to the old ones for nostalgia?