In this day and age it is important to ensure that our children are not spending too much time on screens. Therefore, we have introduced a screen-free hour before bed in our house which means that the children need to fill it with something other than vegging out in front of the television. This is much easier with younger children, but the older ones need something a bit more grown-up feeling to make it feel like they are not being hard-done by, and actually it can be a time for fun before bed. Therefore, when I heard about The Game of Things for those ages 14 and over I thought it would be just perfect for playing with our Teen.
About The Game of Things
The Game of Things is for a more grown-up audience as it has a few cheeky themes. In every round players have to write their response to a topic that begins with THINGS, and then a statement to be answered. The game does not have any right or wrong answers so you can make it as silly (or naughty) as you wish. After all, the object of the game is laughter! It is aimed at those ages 14 years and over and requires a minimum of four players. What you have to do is swap the answers, read them out loud and try to guess who said what. If you really need to have a winner then you can score points for getting this correct and even eliminate each other. With over 300 hilarious topics to choose from, everything is included to keep the fun going and going, all contained in a handy wooden box.
How to Play Game of Things
First of all agree who is going to be the Scorer. They will need the score pad – but can also join in with game play so can have all the things that the other players have too. Every player will need a pencil and a response pad. Then all the topic cards are placed face down in a pile in reach of all of the players. Next you need to decide who is going to be the first Reader – whereby they will simply turn over one of the topic cards are reading the THINGS topic statement. Everyone writes down a response (and it doesn’t even have to be true).
About the Reader in Game of Things
The Reader keeps the gaming moving and does not let people linger too long when putting down their responses. All responses are double folded and given to the Reader. The Reader not only reads the topic but the responses given. These can be re-read if required. Whether the Reader guesses who has said what will depend on whether it would give them an unfair advantage by knowing the handwriting. In fact because it is just for a laugh I don’t see why, if everyone can read clearly, you couldn’t just swap the answers between yourselves and all read one out – and call it and guess who everyone thinks it belongs to!
Adapting the Game of Things
- Children under 14 can also play the game, parents just need to be mindful of the topic cards and remove ones they deem to be unsuitable (and also consider their answers accordingly).
- Although part of the fun is guessing who said what, I think the game would stand alone with people giggling and shouting out their answers (also saving on paper). This is ideal if you have less players, people who struggle with reading or writing, or even those who have had too much to drink.
Our Verdict of The Game of Things
I think that it is a good game for those who want to feel a bit more grown-up. First of all I had to go through the cards to see which weren’t suitable for our 10 year old to play. As our oldest is at University we needed a fourth member! On first flicking through the cards I felt that a lot of the answers COULD be naughty (THINGS…you shouldn’t bite) but that equally you could answer them another way when you considered who you were playing with. Other questions might need a bit of explanation – such as THINGS…you shouldn’t say to the First Lady. Then there were some that possibly should be completely removed as answers most likely would err on the inappropriate side (THINGS….you shouldn’t do when you are naked) – depending on the age and maturity of the child playing. In fact none of the topic cards I felt were rude, with the adult nature only being implied by the answers which could be given. If you had an adult as the Reader they could make the call as to whether the Topic was suitable or not for those playing as they are turned over.
On the other hand, playing the game with a bunch of adults (especially in “party mode”) puts a whole new spin on the game – and you may even be surprised about some of the answers they come out with!!! An easy game to set up, understand how to play and clear away: Definitely a good laugh!
Available on Amazon RRP £32.99
I was sent the Game of Things for Purposes of review. All words and opinions are honest and my own.