I was watching This Is England from 2006, and it reminded me of the olden days of yore, in the fabled before-times, where people would just bunch up together every Friday in someone’s flat, get drunk, blast music, and talk without distractions.
I can barely remember it now.
Anyway, get off my synthetic lawn.
Having nothing to do but engage others. Board games. RISK 2210, a 3hr game with 5 turns each. Does anyone actually play games together any more?
Had some friends over the other night. Busted out my vintage copy of catchphrase, the one with the paper disc. We had a blast with that thing, hours worth. Good times.
The amount of hours I have in that game could probably be measured in weeks. It is still probably my favorite iteration.
It’s weird because the social pressure is mostly off because you have this task before you all. The game itself is the social mediator and a great way to get to know the basics of someone.
And yet, phone up, eyes disengaged, anxieties and physical responses hyper analyzed like an prison inmate with nothing better to do but to overthink every tweek and quirk of their bodies. (It’s a thing, in psychology. Suddenly even a foot falling asleep because you’re sitting on it means something.). Granted, for non-inmates it passes into the counseling speak and self-diagnosis.
Versus just creating excuses, like a game, to talk to people.