Being On “Board” While Bored

By Tiger Shi
Web Content Contributor

It will soon be a month since I’ve returned home from San Marcos, from Texas State and from the invisible enemy: Coronavirus. As a matter of fact, the pandemic is the only thing I’ve ever heard about on the news. I was driven crazy by it and almost had enough of hearing it. However, it is useful to know a thing or so about what is going on out there. Inside my house, I felt like I was in prison but it is for my own good. 

To pass time, I’ve played Star Wars: Commander, a first-person shooter video game, political games and watched YouTube videos. That wasn’t enough so I brought out some old board games that were sitting in the closet gathering dust. I know this isn’t what most people do but I like to play board games by myself. Yes, I know I’m weird, but it is my kind of weird and I will show which board games I like to play alone.

Monopoly

I discovered Monopoly when hanging out with a friend. Being on summer vacation, there wasn’t much to do. That was before the Wii or anything like that was invented. We had LEGO sets and board games to keep company. 

Normally, Monopoly allows as many players as possible to play. I simply just switch spots around the board when it’s my “turn” again.  I did learn, shockingly, a little bit about economics through a Hasbro product. However, it was economics for its time being dating back to at least the 19^th century or early 20^th century. For all I know, it is based on the capitalist concept of economy which I like just fine. 

The Game of Life 

Like Monopoly, I also like this other Hasbro game: the Game of Life. I started playing it when my grandparents got it for me as a gift. It honestly isn’t much different from Monopoly except players don’t travel in a “square.” When I was little, I literally thought that was what things like car insurance or homeowners insurance were:  a slip of certificate-like paper. I also thought how cool would reality be if a 20,000 dollar bill exists etc. 

Unlike Monopoly, this game is much easier to play alone. All you do would basically watch your game piece, a car; go around in loops before ending up in the retirement area. 

UNO

Lastly, there is UNO. I first found out about this game through my first cell phone, a slider phone. Eventually what really got me to be a fan of it was when we played it regularly at a “board games” club in this Saturday Chinese school I used to go to since I was little. 

This card game is more fun than I thought playing solo. I would randomize the cards that each “player” have and then “switch spots” like I do playing Monopoly. I would say using this strategy has kind of helped me become a pro and it shows when I play against other people. 

Being in the 21^st century does have its advantages, I may have all the smart devices that I own to keep me company but there are also other methods like good old fashioned board games to keep me entertained. I could play with my family but they tend to be uninterested towards it in general. The least I could do is try to get my friends to play remotely using Zoom. For now, I will stick to acting my kind of weird: playing them alone. 

Featured image by Tiger Shi.