• What are
  FAVORITES?
  Bookmark any page of our site conveniently in this one area.
  
  Sign In or Register so you can take advantage of all of the features of After Fifty Living

I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s watching my parents play board games with their favorites being backgammon, Scrabble, and cribbage. When I was old enough, I started playing these games too. Playing cribbage taught me how to add and to see numerical combinations quickly while playing Scrabble taught me to spell and come up with different possible word combinations from the tiles available to me. I didn’t care for backgammon because it seemed to rely on luck and the roll of the dice rather than on any particular skill.

After my brother, sister, and I left home, my parents continued to play board games, especially after they retired. They played backgammon and cribbage frequently and even kept a running tally of their wins. They didn’t play Scrabble that often but, when they did, they used “The Official Scrabble Dictionary” as a tool which replaced the standard dictionary we used when we were kids. When my mother died, my father had no partner at home to play games with anymore, although he still played when we visited him. A few years ago, however, I discovered an online version of a game similar to Scrabble that is free and easy to use. We have been playing this nonstop now for almost three years. My father often beats me soundly but the games between us that are most exciting are the ones that are close. Sometimes the tension really builds when it is down to the wire with only a few tiles left and only a few points separating us.

The online version of the game is, in some ways, easier to use than the old-fashioned board game. You are allowed to move tiles around on the board to easily check different word combinations. The program tallies up your score on the spot and there is also a system where the players are given rankings based on their win/loss record. A built-in dictionary in the program will tell you if your word is valid or not and you can also reference a list of acceptable two-letter words.

Besides my father, I have a few friends who love the game too. I live on the east coast of the U.S. and play with friends in Canada, New Zealand, and Japan. We don’t have to be online at the same time to play—we just make a move and check back later to see whether or not it is our turn again. There’s also a little chat box next to the game board so that we can have a conversation as the game proceeds.

I don’t know why this online game is so compelling. Does it take me back to my childhood? Not really. Is it simply a pleasant distraction that gives me a little satisfaction every time I put down a new word? Perhaps. Probably the best thing is that it gives me the means to interact daily, not only with friends who are thousands of miles away, but also with my 82-year-old father who still has at least 25 more years experience playing the game than I do. He says he likes playing because it’s challenging and keeps his mind sharp. Since we live in different cities, I’m glad I’m able to play and keep up with him in cyberspace. I’d really be happier, though, if I could simply beat him at this game a little more often than I do.

_________

Editor’s Note: Rachel tells us that the online games she currently plays are available through Facebook apps and include Lexulous and Wordscraper.

Leave a Comment -

Guidelines: We welcome your thoughts, but for the sake of all visitors to AfterFiftyLiving.com, please refrain from the use of obscenities, personal attacks or slurs. All comments are subject to our terms of use and may be removed. Repeat offenders may lose commenting privileges.