While playing the pursuit game "Sorry!" sophomore Heather Trojack saw a side of her friend she'd never seen before.
"She was the meanest player I've ever seen," she said. "The minute that card came out she immediately got rid of someone on the board. Her anger and competitive side really came out."
A tradition since Spring 2006, Trojack and a group of her friends rent board games from the Brayton Hall front desk and participate in board game nights.
Although Trojack and her friends interact while playing "Sorry!," frigid winter conditions often leave students involved in leisure activities that lack social interaction such as playing video games and watching TV.
Social isolation has become an issue in American society. According to a study released in the American Sociological Review, a typical U.S. citizen has fewer "voluntary associations" today than in 1985. The voluntary association statistic means that people are more likely to confide in close family members or spouses than in friends.
Often overlooked by students in their quest for fun, board games can offer an alternative, inexpensive way to avoid "social hibernation" and decrease the occurrence of social isolation many Americans face today.
Trojack has embraced the idea of engaging in board game nights in an effort to make memories and bond with friends and classmates in an unconventional manner.
"It's a good way to have fun with your friends and not have to go out and spend money or go out and drink," she said.
Trojack's group plays classic games such as "Clue" and new games such as "Apples to Apples." Trojack said she enjoys playing classic games because it evokes fond memories of childhood, although she admits the newer games are also fun. "Apples to Apples" is a game for four to 10 people and it involves green adjective cards and red noun cards. One player selects a green adjective card and the other players select which red noun card they think best fits the adjective.
Another way to add zest to your board game night is to incorporate snack foods. Freshman Kayla Dalton has played host to a board game night out of "ultimate boredomness" and said food preparation made the night more fun.
"A bunch of us went together to Aldi's and got stuff to make puppy chow," she said. "We had it spread over the floor [on top of garbage bags] to dry and snacked on it the whole weekend. ... It was awesome, there was probably five pounds worth."
Board games are growing in popularity both at Ball State University and nationwide. Nanette DiFalco, vice president of press relations and special events for F.A.O. Schwartz, said the popularity of board games has steadily increased since 9-11.
"There's a resurgence to bring the family back and get the children away from video games so the kids aren't playing alone," DiFalco said. "There's more of a family involvement."
Family involvement, as well as community socializing and bonding, are kept in mind while marketing games, Mary Couzin, president and founder of The Chicago International Toy and Game Fair, said.
Couzin said she hopes board games can help slow or stop the trend of social isolation that has occurred in the United States since 1985.
According to the study in the American Sociological Review, the main discussion group an American citizen confides in has decreased from three to two people since 1985. In addition, today's American citizen is twice as likely to be completely isolated from a discussion group than in 1985.
To rectify this situation, Couzin suggested board games as a method to promote socializing within a community.
"We think that if we can get people to ... sit down and play games and do some of the activities we're promoting at this fair we'll change this trend," Couzin said.
Board games have progressed to a place where social interaction is emphasized more than anything else, Chris Thorpe, manager of product marketing and public relations for Buffalo Games, producers of "iMAgiNiff," said.
"'iMAgiNiff' was the first on the scene for this kind of play and social interaction," Thorpe said. "I would say our focus has always been to maintain high standards of social interaction and imaginative creativity ... More games are coming out that gravitate toward that notion."
"Apples to Apples" is the main competition "iMAgiNiff" faces in the realm of games emphasizing social interaction, Thorpe said.
"iMAgiNiff" involves identifying what characteristic listed on a card is most like the player who chose that card. If you chose the same answer as the majority of the players then your pawn will be able to advance.
Buffalo Games tries to generate questions for "iMAgiNiff" that will elicit answers revealing character attributes of the players, Thorpe said.
Bob Friedland, public relations manager and spokesman for Toys "R" Us, said while new, non-traditional games such as "Apples to Apples" and "iMAgiNiff" sell well, classic games are still popular.
However, no matter your personal preference, Couzin said the diverse options of board games to choose from provides students and non-students with an abundance of potential games to enjoy.
"I think there's a board game for everybody," Couzin said. "I think that no matter what the game is it's good to sit and talk to people."
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