The Final Posting

Well here we are, and what a journey it has been. Although I have come to the end of my blogging, I certainly will not stop with my board gaming. Board gaming has allowed, and will continue to allow me to take a step outside of the 'real world' and engage in activity where I can relax and enjoy. I hope you have all enjoyed reading about my board gaming adventures, and I really encourage you to take some time out and try if for yourself....it's really quite fun!!

The references used in my blog helped to provide evidence as to what I took out of my board gaming experience.

Caillois, R. & Barash, M. (2001). Man play and games. USA: First Illinois Paperback Inc.

Creek, J & Lawson-Porter. (Eds). (2007) Contempory issues on occupational therapy. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hasselkus, B. R. (2002). The meaning of everyday occupation. USA.

Lervick, L. (2006). Life is a board game. Canada. Trafford Publishing.

Lugtan, S. A. (2008). Competitiveness. Retrieved on the 26th October 2011 from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/competitiveness/

Twain, M. (1876). The adventures of tom sawyer. USA: Emptitude Books.

These are the people that I commented on:

Gracie Prisk
Georgina Hewson
Heather Robertson
Heath McDonough





 

Story Five

It really was the last thing I felt like doing after a hard day at the library. We had organised the evening for about a month now so it would be wrong of me to bail....even though I really felt like it! Board gaming night, usually it would be an occasion that I would jump at and get right into...but not this time. This time it felt like it was going to be a drag.


Boardgaming and pizza night was something that we didn't usually do, but when we did it was always good fun. My sister and I arrived, and no time was wasted as we went straight into the game of cranium. There was 5 of us there so we decided to go for girls v boys. Despite my earlier negative attitude towards the evening, I was actually getting quite excited about playing and had with me my competitive spirit. I rolled first and we ended up only moving one space. There we had to answer a data head question which none of us knew. This was not a good start at. We stayed in that spot for the next 3 rounds as we just couldn't answer any of the questions. The boys were well in the lead and we were falling so far behind it would almost be impossible to catch up. However, boys being boys and getting quite big headed, they ended up staying in the same spot for 4 rounds as they were not very talented when it came to drawing. This gave us a chance to race ahead...and that we did. Not only did we just passed them..we were well and truly in front.


This is why I love boardgaming, the sense of victory is just riveting!

The Need for Board Gaming

I think it would be important for to first discuss the need for meaningful occupation, as this essentially could be what board gaming is to some people. Hasselkuss (2002) defines this as "Meaningful and everyday occupation are dimensions of living that are of the utmost importance to quality of life for each of us" Our occupations are what defines us and shapes us to the people that we become.

Now I'm not saying that board gaming is going to have that much of an impact and go as far as to say that it 'defines' and 'shapes' us. However it can provide people with an oppurtunity to engage in an activity and social interact with other players. However in my opinion I find that most important need for board gaming is that it takes us away from our usual occupations. It gives a some time out and provides us with the oppurtunity to engage in something thats different from work or study. Mark Twain (The adventures of Tom Sawyer, p.16, 1876) once wrote, “Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.” I see board gaming as a treat or a reward after a hard days work.

Twain, M. (1876). The adventures of tom sawyer. USA: Emptitude Books.

Hasselkus, B. R. (2002) The meaning of everyday occuation. USA.

Story Four

It was about 7am and I heard mum's footsteps coming down the stairs, that was my cue to get up. I walked out of my room, caught mum's attention and we both new it was time for a round of the bean game. It was my turn to prepare the hot drinks while mum set up the game. Half the time the drinks were left unfinished and cold, but it almost became tradition to have them there while we were playing. As mum was dealing up the cards I was trying to think up a game plan. She had already bet me the past 3 times, and I wasn't going to let that happen again!


I looked at my cards, and was quietly stoked with what I had, although I did not give this away. I wanted try and maintain my 'normal face' and trick her into thinking that it would yet be another victory for her. As she was the dealer, she had the privilege of starting. Watching her place down her first cards got me all excited, my hand had way higher cards then hers! However, I thought this too soon, as to my surprise she wipped out not 1 but 2 cocoa beans!! That's an instant 2 coins! Watching the smirk on my mum's face made me a little bit mad and quite competitve. There was no way I could let her be the reigning champion four times in a row. I had to do something, and fast!


Now I usually don't like to cheat, and I'm all in for fair play. But this time, I had to take matters into my own hands or I wouldn't stand a chance. Without her noticing, I rearranged my cards in my hands, making my next move a very good one. Not only did I do this once, but the four times! I figured what mum doesn't know can't hurt her, and I was too involved with winning to feel any sense of guilt. As the game came to an end I looked at both of our coin piles, it was going to be close, but I reckon I may have done it. As we were numbering off our coins and our piles were getting smaller, I could tell that the three time champ had been defeated. I knew I should've told her about my wee cheat.....maybe next time.

Ambience
I think that it's fair to say that the essence of board gaming is play. Caillois and Barash (2001) define play as “Summing up the formal characteristics of play we might call it a free activity standing consciously outside ‘ordinary’ life as being ‘not serious,’ but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly. It proceeds within its own proper boundaries of time and space according to fixed rules and in an orderly manner. It promotes the formation of social groupings which tend to surround themselves with secrecy and to stress their difference from the common world by disguise or other means”. Board gaming can act as an escape from the real world and becoming into another character that best suits who you would like to be at that time.

Board gaming itself can create many different types of atmosphere depending on the game being played. Let's take cluedo for example. It's a game full of mystery and secrets, therefore the ambience of this game is most likely to be competitive and unpredictable. Within in this game discussion is usually based purely on what the murder cards might be rather then engaging in every day conversation. I think that's why I like cluedo so much, it creates an environment where I can take myself out of the pressures that the 'real' world has to offer. I tend to aggree with the definition made by Caillois and Barash (2001) where they state, "...a free activity standing outside 'ordinary' life..."

Caillois, R. & Barash, M. (2001). Man play and games. USA: First Illinois Paperback Inc.