Online Games
Ever since I heard Tim Ferris interviewing Jane McGonigal on his podcast, I’ve been curious about online games. Ms. McGonigal is a brain scientist and she had a terrible head injury and ended up coming out of it SuperBetter! She created an app that helped her recover. She also talks a lot about how games can help us stay connected to our loved ones. That has led to me playing Words with Friends with family members and it’s true – I do feel more connected.
The other main online game I play is chess via chess.com. I’m always looking for new challenges and it’s also neat to play people I know – so, come find me @ https://www.chess.com/member/albertkaufman and we can play together. For 10-minute a-side games, I’m generally rated between 1350 and 1410 if that helps you decide whether or not you’d like to play.
There are many places to find new games, of course. Usually, I get recommendations from friends, but after playing a while I usually tire of the game, but some have stayed with me from my childhood. I grew up when pong first came out and I remember our family gathering around the TV to play and how amazed we were to be able to hit a ball back and forth and young children. I imagine even my parents were amazed and amused by pong.
A place I’ve gone looking for games is https://plays.org/games/. They have everything from silly games like one where you throw a banana at apes to lots more complex games. They also have games for children. I eventually have stumbled on a whole set of board games and found Battleship! It looks like you can find ways to play one another or against a computer opponent. I love the sound effects! I’ll have to go and see if they have some of my other childhood favorites like Risk, Stratego, and the Game of Real Life. So, if you’re headed out camping or to a beach house and are seeking ways to keep entertained but not through a TV, this looks like it could be a very useful site.
And now it’s time to get back to the game of my life! How to beat this 100-degree heat in Portland, Oregon. Part of me enjoys the loopy Summer heat, but I know I’ll have to figure out some ways to stay cool, too. If you decide to jump in, enjoy the games – leave a comment if you find a game you want to play me in or even if you just find something interesting or notable.
Have a great Summer!
Albert
PS – Snakes and Ladders, anyone?
https://plays.org/battleship/
