Boardgames don’t have to be battlefields (as the title of this article suggests):
What is it about these games that makes us behave so differently, that can provoke and push us within minutes of taking part? Jill Bellinson, a psychotherapist and the author of Children’s Use of Boardgames in Psychotherapy, believes that it is the structure of boardgames; they offer a safe haven where we feel comfortable expressing the less palatable aspects of our personalities - anger, aggression, competitiveness.
“It’s not a time to be collaborative, even if you are playing in teams. Boardgames can stir up competitive feelings but they’re also a secure space for those emotions,” Bellinson says. Which is why they’re such an invaluable tool in her therapy. She has spent hundreds of hours playing boardgames with children, gaining valuable psychological insights. “They are a window into what children are experiencing; their feelings about control, rules, structure, success, power can all play out in a boardgame…”
Good suggestions at the end of the article for what games to play and why. What boardgames did you play growing up? What games do your kids enjoy?
The family battlefield: how to survive boardgames - Times Online