The game of Life

When I was doing some early Christmas shopping I came across an updated version of the board game The Game of Life. This version is called Twists and Turns, and along with some high tech additions, the object of the game has changed - "the winner is not the person with the most money, but the one who earns the most 'life points' — a mix of wealth and life experiences".

I chose not to buy the game as I had a preference for something requiring a little more strategy. After reading quite a few game sites and reviews, I chose Ticket to Ride. As the family will agree, a big success at our Christmas gathering and I'm sure it will be a family favourite for a long time. Great game, a little luck and many different strategy angles, good for 2 (pretty good)-5 (better) players (but no more). Beautiful game pieces and city based game makes it appealing. I've got ideas to purchase newer editions and other creative and strategic games for the family for the future. Since playing the game a few times, we bumped into old friends over the holidays and sure enough, their family are huge fans of the game too !

The kids did get the original (or slightly updated) version of Life from friends for Christmas and it is quite a lot of fun, but it's still mostly luck rather than strategy. However it does bring up some interesting topics of conversation with the kiddies, like taking the family route rather than taking a riskier route to advance your career. Losing your job in the game doesn't quite capture the impact of the same in real life however.

It is true that luck does play a major part in how our lives unfold, and some people are always saying he's so lucky etc. I have the opinion that we make our own luck. I'm not necessarily talking about lottery type of luck, but we can try and put ourselves in a position to be lucky. Be aware of what's going on around you in life and business and don't be afraid of taking a calculated chance.

Back to the board game topic...what if we take that updated board game to an even greater sense of reality. But what would be the point ? We're not going to torture ourselves by playing a game that reminds us of all the terrible things that can happen in our lives, are we ? But perhaps we could learn, like kids learning from these more innocent versions, what is most important in Life and how to win !

This is how you win.

• Your get yourself a good, well rounded education.
• You...
• Save some money for the proverbial rainy day...
• Live a life of adventure,
• Take trips
• While paying close attention to your career path,
• And finding a soul mate,
• Then raising children so they know the rules of Life and how to win,
• You score points by accumulating friends; stories and experiences; inner peace; and making sure your children have the opportunity to succeed and build a legacy.

Or scratching that idea and perhaps coming to the sober and simpler conclusion that Life is best enjoyed when you don't consider every move, or the end result as a must win situation. Just have some fun playing along and enjoy the ride. That's worth teaching to your kids (unless they're hoping to play professional sports).