International Tabletop Day!

There are so many things I want to write about that it's all swirling around in my head in one big gay-marriage-should-be-legal-guns-should-be-restricted-Passover-is-annoying-religion-is-wrong soup.

So I'm going to say this instead:

Tomorrow is International Tabletop Day and you should celebrate. Wil Wheaton invented this day to promote his show Tabletop, of course, but also to get people everywhere to play games. Tabletop Day is all about playing games, so go out and do it. If you can, go out and buy a new game, or learn a new card game, or make up a new game. But whatever you play, find someone worth your time to play it with.

Games have become important in our family. Lately we've been playing cribbage, but since last summer we've played many games: Rummicub, Monopoly, Life, Forbidden Island, LEGO Hobbit, Settlers of Catan, Fluxx, Munchkin, and Small World are the ones that come to mind, but there have been others. It's been amazing to watch Boo learn each game, and also to watch her build her game-learning skills over time.

But more than that, I've watched Boo's interest in games grow as mine has grown, and having something to share like that--something we'll always be able to do together--is really cool. And I know Hopper is happy because he always loved games and now he's getting a chance to share that love with both of us.

So thanks, Wil Wheaton, for that.

One of the things I enjoy about watching Tabletop is seeing a group of people who didn't know each other at the beginning of the game develop jokes and shorthand and group dynamics as they play. That makes me realize that as cool as it is to play games with your family, it's also cool to play with strangers, because by the end of the game, you'll have something in common with those people. So the worthwhile person you play a game with tomorrow doesn't have to be someone you know today. Just go out to your local game shop or to a bar that has games or to your friend's house or to your dining room table and play a game. You'll be glad you did.