“I thought that title on a bookstore blog might raise a few eyebrows, and I’ll admit I wrote it just to be sensationalistic. Of course, you have to be able to read to play most tabletop games, so there is a hierarchy involved, but the point I hope to make is that playing tabletop games, especially as a family, can be as rewarding as reading to your kids. If you already consider yourself a gamer, I’ll probably be preaching to the choir here, but if not, please read on; I’m here to evangelize you toward a new way of life.
First, a refresher: I’m Ken Denmead. I run a blog called GeekDad (and am the publisher of GeekMom). I also wrote three books filled with projects for parents and kids to build together, and with two boys of my own, I’m very invested in the realm of figuring out how to have rewarding family experiences.
Powell’s asked me to do a return-stint as guest blogger this week, as we lead up to the first-ever International TableTop Day (ITD) on March 30, a newly created unholiday intended to celebrate and get the word out about the amazing range and depth of tabletop games that exist these days. ITD is the brainchild of Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day, both popular actors and online personalities. Felicia also runs a YouTube channel called Geek & Sundry, where Wil hosts a show all about tabletop games (indeed, watching the show is a great primer for learning about gaming). The holiday is an expression of both of their passions for gaming.
Probably the best place to start for those of you who are reading fans, but not necessarily tabletop gaming fans, is to give you a sense of why ITD is important. For many, many people, if you ask them if they like tabletop games, a common response will be, ’Oh, sure, we play Monopoly once in a while and have a good time, but we usually don’t finish.’ Such statements will send a shudder through the passionate gamer and drive them to fumble all over themselves to show you the light.”
Ken Denmead is guest blogging for Geek Week at Powells.com: http://powells.us/10GfOsh
(Source: powells)
