Games to Play Around the House

Board Games

• Board games are a great way to interact with family members and loved ones. Some board games involve money, such as Monopoly or Life. These types of games can go from being friendly to becoming highly competitive. The winner is the player who has accumulated the most total assets at the end of the game. Other popular board games include traditional favorites like checkers and backgammon. For more strategic games, chess is a great two-player board game. Clue is a mystery "who done it" type of board game that can be played with multiple players. If you like war games, try Risk and Battleship. If you don't own these board games, they are available in most toy stores as well as department stores like Target or Walmart. These games can provide you and your opponent with hours of fun.

Card Games

• Card games are fun to play and are generally shorter in duration than most board games. Spades, hearts, tonk and bridge are popular card games you can play with your friends and family. You can even make playing simple card games, like pitty pat or go fish, entertaining when you involve the whole family. If you're by yourself, try a game of solitaire to help pass the time. If you and your friends like poker, a friendly game of Texas hold'em may be in order. There are many variations of poker to play, from three-card stud to five-card draw. Blackjack is another popular card game you can play at home with friends.

Video and Computer Games

• Video games have become much more detailed over the years in terms of plot, strategy and graphics. There are a growing number of "gamers"--people who play video games on a regular basis. Popular video game consoles include the Sony PS2, PS3, Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360. Choose video game titles that the entire family might enjoy, like Sims. Sports, action and interactive video game titles allow you to spend hours of gaming pleasure in the comfort of your own home. Computer games are another way of passing time at home. If you have an Internet connection, you can play games like monopoly or spades online against other players at websites like pogo.com.