Gaming for Tweens and Teens at ConnCon 2011.

On the Saturday event at ConnCon 2011, there will be special sessions running for the 10-16 year old set.  Beyond CandyLand has been focusing on younger gamers, this session will have teachers running games that the older kids will enjoy playing.  Perhaps while you and your younger one are playing with us!  Games for these sessions are as follows:

8 AM until Noon will be Lisa Sutherland teaching Pyramid, a fun game about the Curse of the Mummy.  Better for the younger tween.

1 PM until 5 PM will have Eric Summerer teaching Nuns on the Run, which would probably be enjoyed by a mix of ages.

7 PM until 11 PM will showcase Lisa Cho leading Bisikle, a zany dexterity racing game, good for all ages.

Also, your teen can check out any game from the extensive library of 200+ games.  While teachers may not always be available, the librarian may be able to answer some basic questions and get you on the right path.

The daily pass for this event is $25.

 

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ConnCon is coming!

It’s that time again kids!  We will be hosting a family boardgame session at ConnCon again this year.  We will be there March 19th from 1-4 pm.  This takes place at the Stamford Holiday Inn.  Drop me a note if you are coming, there is no charge for attending this part of the convention.  Parents must stay with their children or a free puppy and several espressos will be doled out.

Also, there will be a special teens and tweens gaming session on March 19th as well.  When I find out more, I will post it here.  Hope to see you there!

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Buying games

I love shopping, well most of it.  I like wandering down aisles, poking at things, seeing what is there.  Unfortunately, most places don’t have a game store that will accommodate that need.  I have a couple of small shops that stock some games, but not very much.  Even the so-called educational stores only stock games that would put your whole family to sleep or get them back on the Wii.

That leaves online shopping.  Not as much fun, but at least you can get your hands on games that are worth dropping $50-60 for.  I typically start off at BoardgameGeek, checking out the nominations for Children’s Game of the Year in Germany.  Just because a game didn’t win, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check it out.  In fact, you should!  Poking around that site is always worth some time to get ideas and see what new games are coming out and then hoping to find them here in the US.

Language can be an issue, especially with games geared towards older kids.  That’s why the Geek rules.  People will let you know how language dependent a game is.  I just bought a new game from Germany that requires no reading at all during game play, and it is a blast.  The rules are usually translated into several languages and it is always fun to try to translate the titles of games with your kids.

So go and do a little research online and poke around the different internet retailers to see what they have to offer.  Check out a few as the prices vary wildly as do shipping costs.  Many stores have a magic number that will reduce the shipping charges to zero.  Most of these shops are small enterprises and if you get confused, give a call, I bet you may find an actual person on the end of the line who actually likes to play games as much as you do!

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