Digital Father Podcast

Risk versus Video Games

My wife is very organized when it comes to making a pre-holiday shopping list. We shop it very carefully and, because it is a fairly lengthy list, we keep to it closely.

I did depart from the list for one item. I happened to see “Risk” in the game aisle, and thought it might be a good idea to bring in this classic warfare strategy game to the household.

Skippy and his friend attempted to set up the two-player game a few days ago. They were at it for quite some time, and by the time they were done, they had to leave and come back to it later. The board was taking up a lot of room, so I took it all down, much to the consternation of the boys and my Wife.

Having brushed up on the rules, I recalled that the rules for three were much easier to follow than the rules for two. I had figured the next day I would join in. The boys came home with a friend, though, and she sat in as the third while I supervised, adjudicated, and laughed. The game was great fun, and ran so long that I ended up stepping in for the young lady, who had to leave. I took over, and set about kicking a little butt. We broke then for dinner, and the boys ganged up on me. I was summarily beaten, and the boys lined up to go mano e mano (well, kiddo e kiddo).

Unfortunately, by this time, the game had gone on for nearly 7 hours. Now it was a grudge match, and the boys refused to give up. We ended up taking digital photos (Skippy’s new camera) so we can recreate the board again and they can see just who will be the victor.

I figured Skippy and I might try it out, play once or twice, and he’d learn a bit about strategy. I never thought this would be the X-Box killer.

I’m thrilled, and actually quite excited to see who wins. I also can’t wait to take on the winner. I also have to teach Wanda, who saw the excitement and wants to be a part of it. I may start with this link- How To Win At Risk (about.com)

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