Angie Fluxx Cards

T.R.’s wife here. After last week’s great post about accessibility in gaming, some have wondered about my own thoughts. What games do I like? And my own addition to this question: how has this changed over the past few years?

During our first years of marriage, T.R. and I enjoyed playing games when we could, but there weren’t a lot of 2-person options. This was more than 20 years ago, you know. (And I was a middle school teacher, so there wasn’t a lot of game time except during holiday breaks.) When T.R. was visiting a game shop in Indianapolis in early 1997, though, he asked a worker there for suggestions for a game his wife would enjoy… and this is when “Fluxx” entered our home. We both loved it, and I never imagined that it would still be a favorite almost twenty years later. Or that we would have eight or so different versions of this game in our cabinet.

Why do I mention this? First, because some things don’t change. This game is still a favorite due to its wackiness, its intelligent simplicity, and its measured randomness. Secondly, play of this game (and other card games we enjoy) could be simplified for me with the simple, nifty card-holding device T.R. gave me as a Christmas gift. I look forward to using this!

Lexigo
Lexigo won by Angie

What other games do I enjoy? To be honest, I really enjoy word games. Our newest one is Lexigo, and I also enjoy the word-building card game Quiddler. Then there’s always Scrabble! (This game generally annoys my dear husband, but he has found the “Book Lover’s” edition more palatable, I think.)

When it comes to other board games, T.R. had a good point in that I appreciate games that do not require extreme speed or manual dexterity. This is something that has changed since the advent and progression of multiple sclerosis in my life. For somebody who used to play piano and enjoyed creating jewelry and such with polymer clay or beads, games that involve moving small objects quickly or in a targeted manner are discouraging. I do not play games to become frustrated with my own inabilities, but to enjoy interaction with others in a targeted, creative, and fun way.

As such, other games I enjoy include Quilt Show, Takenoko, Splendor, Tsuro, Codenames, and Diamonds. Cooperative games I’ve really enjoyed also include Hanabi and Kings of Israel. In addition to these newer games, I still enjoy the trick-taking card game Euchre, along with traditional dice-rolling Yahtzee or Farkle. (Interestingly, all three of these are also playable electronically, often with others who live far away.)

What makes these games stand out for me? The games above are ones I can enjoy of my own volition, without needing to be completely dependent on a partner. Life’s limitations have grown over the recent years, and games present a chance for me to experience fun without facing quite so many frustrations. I also feel like having to be too dependent on a partner takes away from the enjoyment that he or she is experiencing.

That having been said, I know that other family members enjoy diversions that I don’t appreciate quite so much. Games that involve speed or battles or cards with a lot of small text to quickly interpret… well, these are fun to watch and listen to. But me playing them will likely frustrate others as much as yours truly. [little explanation: I generally enjoy reading, but scars on the optic nerves have led to “internuclear ophthamoplegia,” where my eyes don’t always like to work together. Smaller or hard-to-distinguish print makes reading particularly tough.]

I mentioned initially that Fluxx is a game I really enjoy. But what about the cards with a lot of text? You see, after 19 years, this is familiar and predictable text. And the print isn’t too small. Also, it’s fun to have a game we can play the same way we did before I even knew what MS was. In years to come, one thing I’m certain of is that life will be uncertain. Like this game, the rules will change in a split second, and what do we do? We play along. We laugh, we become frustrated, somebody wins, we reshuffle, and we get ready to begin again. I suppose you could say that my own game of Life is in Flux. Thankfully, my own version of this game is cooperative, and I have a great team.

Angie’s Perspective: Playing My Own Way Through The Games Of Life

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