After feeling bored during this time in self-isolation because of COVID-19, I quickly realized I needed to do something to pass the time. I went in my closet and rediscovered some games full of memories. These are some games I would recommend playing to get through the break.

“Monopoly” – ★★★☆☆

Going back to a classic board game like ‘Monopoly’ was a great way to pass time with my family. It is a property trading game where players try to acquire monopolies of properties to charge more money to bankrupt their competitors. The object of the game is to not go bankrupt before your opponents. There were some issues with competitiveness, cheating and complicated rules, which interfered with the gameplay. Each game lasted anywhere from an hour (with a shortened version) to multiple days. Aside from some cheating and complicated rules, this is a good game for families to pass time.

“Pandemic” – ★★★★☆

Currently, ‘Pandemic’ seems ironic to play, but it gave me some control in this time of the COVID-19 outbreak. The objective of the game is to overcome up to four different viruses and save the world. Players save the world by finding cures and working together to contain the outbreaks. After playing it a couple of times, I kept wanting to pull it out again. Each game brought many stressful situations depending on luck and strategy. While this is a challenging game, it brought people together, as it relates to this time in quarantine. Each game lasted about 45 minutes, but it felt like hours. I recommend this game to a small group of people older than eight who want to find some control in a time of uncertainty.

“Sorry” – ★★★☆☆

Although ‘Sorry’ is a little bit of a throwback, it is an easy and simple game to play. It is mostly dependent on luck, and the goal is for players to advance their pieces around the board to their home base while their competitors attempt to interfere. This can get competitive because rivals can switch pieces and hurt other players. After a couple of games, it is possible for people to be at each other’s throats. I recommend this to younger people because it is a fun, quick and simple game that encourages a lot of competition.

“99 or Bust”  – ★★★☆☆

Recently, I started playing ‘99 or Bust’ with my family. It is a simple and fast card game where players put down numerical cards with the objective to not go over the number 99– here are the rules. It is a great game to play with family, especially siblings. It is fast-paced and easy to catch on, but it becomes a little boring after a while. Overall, it is a fun and easy game but has the potential to become dull after a couple of games.

“Cards Against Humanity” – ★★★★☆

‘Cards Against Humanity’ is one of the largest growing games in the country according to the LA Times, and it is a hysterical game to play. This is the perfect game to distract people from the break because it is hilarious by nature. The object of the game is to pair cards together in the funniest, most provocative or most clever way. This was a fun game, but it contained a lot of age-restricted material, so my younger siblings could not participate. In general, it was an amusing game, but I recommend it for ages 14 and over.

“Wits and Wagers” – ★★★★☆

The final game I recommend is ‘Wits and Wagers’. It is a family-fun trivia game where competitors bet on their answers to questions. The objective of the game is to get the most points through guessing and betting on the right answers to the questions. This was an enjoyable game because there are a lot of unexpected answers to the questions and people joked around with their answers. The only downside was the fact that cheating was easy because the answers were on the back. Overall, I recommend this for the whole family because it is an amusing and simple game, but it is easy to cheat.