I’m sitting here playing a game on my phone. My nephew likes to play this game also. It’s a puzzle game called Flow.

And I’m thinking about how good I am at this game. Like, look at the puzzle a couple seconds and then just complete in one stroke.

Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself; but also catches me off guard sometimes as to how easily I solved this puzzle.

And I’m thinking about how my nephew gets a little frustrated with things that don’t work the first time, or things that he doesn’t get right the first try. And I’m thinking about what I would tell him: practice, make mistakes and learn from them, watch and listen to others when they give you advice, and play for a very long time.

Wait… HOW LONG have I been playing this game…?

*checks metaphorical calendar*

ALMOST 10 YEARS!

That’s my nephew’s whole life. This game has been a thing his whole life. There’s never been a time this game hasn’t existed for him. When he’s in high school this will be one of the earliest and oldest games he’ll remember. Which makes it akin to my earliest game memory: Candy Land.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

To my nephew, and many other kids these days, videos game and apps are their “childhood board game.” Just like boards games were my “card game.”

When I was younger we played board and card games. But board games were definitely the better, more fun games. In fact, they were basically the ONLY games, besides tag and hide-and-seek.

And for my parents and grandparents, tag and other outdoor games were a thing. But the sit-down games were mostly, if not completely card games. And we’re talking games using a standard deck of playing cards: Ace, 2-10, Jack, Queen, King. No special Uno cards.

And now, one day, my nephew will actually say something like, “I’m bored? Who wants to play my favorite childhood game, MINECRAFT?”

-Diggs out

P.S. – I’m not sure I articulated it very well. But just think you’re bored and start going through your board game collection. But instead of board games on a shelf, it’s apps on your phone.