I have so many nerdy hobbies that it can't be a surprise that I also love to play board games. When I was a child we played several games growing up, Clue, Careers, Monopoly, Parcheesi, Carom, Sorry, Life, Chess were some of my favorite board games. We also loved to play Ping Pong, Basketball, Football and Table Top Hockey. Looking back the noise we made playing that hockey game on the kitchen table had to drive my parents bonkers. (Thanks again Mom and Dad!)
In high school I discovered Avalon Hill war games. Panzer Blitz, Gettysburg, Tactics II, Kingmaker and of course, Diplomacy. (The only game guaranteed to destroy friendships in less than the duration of the game itself) In college D&D was growing in popularity and with my active imagination I fell in love with that game. (Go Rowlf! - Palladin / Cleric with a killer hammer)
After work become the driving force in my life I gave up most games until I got married in my very late 30's. Children games became fun again, Chutes and Ladders, Enchanted Forest, Labyrinth, Connect 4, Battleship and Uno were the games of choice. Later, Ticket To Ride, Pandemic, Monopoly, and Stratego were fun distractions until the boys moved out and my daughter discovered boys.
What's next? Hopefully a season of time where our kids will bring their growing families and friends over so that together we can discover the next generation of great board games.