02 January 2019

My Family's Most Played Board Games in 2018

Thanks to my love for stats, I track mine and my families board game plays. Here are the top 10 games that we played most in 2018.

10. Exploding Kittens

There was a time, a year ago, where it seemed like we played this game every day during the summer. Alas, our desire to defuse kittens that are accidentally blowing stuff up has slowed this year.


9. Doctor Who: Time of Daleks

There are not many Doctor Who games on the market, and this one is worth while. It's a semi-cooperative game, and the more players the easier. There is nothing quite like choosing your favourite Doctor and companions, and then saving the universe from the Daleks.


8. Dixit

Apples-to-Apples but with pictures. The game is great, and it is simple to play.


7.  Unstable Unicorns

My daughter LOVES this game. So much so that we hunted down the booth at the Comic Expo and got some extra swag. The art is fun, but this is a cut throat game. Feelings will get hurt.


6. Zombicide

My son LOVES this game. There is something anxiety inducing as your squad gets cornered by wave after wave of zombies. We love that this is cooperative and that we have to work together to survive.


5. Monza

I was surprised how much we played this game. I think it's the colour matching of the dice to the tiles as you race around the oval track that makes my kids like it so much. It's simple problem solving.


4. Fabled Fruit

The game that never ends - or at least feels that way. Each time after you use enough fruits to make a juice, another juice option replaces the completed one with a different set of rules.


3. Emojito!

The game that all kids of counsellors are/will be playing. It's a fun way to try to express and read emotions. You can play as a team against the game, or individually. I like it for it's ability to create emotional language. Check out my post on Nerdy Parenting for more.


2. Happy Salmon

This game will get really loud! Especially as your hand gets smaller as you find a matching partner to high five, switcheroo, fist pump, or happy salmon with.



1. Beasts of Balance

You need a tablet for this game to work. But it is magical to watch as you balance beasts on the plynth to watch them come alive on the tablet. Migrate, cross-breed, or power them up to unlock different beasts.


01 January 2019

My Family's Top 10 Video Games of 2018

Welcome to 2019!

I did a quick poll with my kids (8 & 10) about what their favourite games to play this year were, despite release date. We had a little debate, and then concluded with our Top 10 list.

10. Roblox

Free to use. Can be played on many different platforms, which makes it popular in my house for modern day couch gaming.

9. Kirbey Star Allies

Up to four players for this game, as long as Kirby has that many allies.

8. Halo: Master Chief Collection

Nothing more fun than switching between previous and present graphics and then trying to get the kids guess which is modern day. Appreciate how far modern consoles have come in 18 years.

7. Mario Tennis Aces

No one plays tennis in my family. We don't watch tennis. But when you combine Mario and Tennis, it's a lot of fun.

6. Trials Fusion

The ATV is the least eventful, and the unicorn with a cat is everyone's favourite. Add bailing to make it even more entertaining.

5. Kingdom Hearts

It's amazing that this originally came out in 2002 and I only heard about it in 2017. The story and the Disney combination make this a favourite.

4. Mario Odyssey

Countless hours. Many challenges even after the "main story" is done.

3. Minecraft

The game that never ends, unless you are in survival mode. So much to see, so much to create.

2. Fortnite

You know you have a boy in the house when.... you have to play Fortnite. The cross-console play has helped this become popular in the house multiplayer play.

1. Spider-Man

Never before have I bought a console just for a game, until this year. New York Island is your area to explore and save. Plus there are many suits to choose from to make your Spider-Man game feel personable.

Thanks for reading! And here's to more gaming in 2019!