Over this past weekend, my family insisted that we play some board games. I’ve played these games hundreds of times before and was getting myself prepared for what I thought would be a boring time. But instead of bringing out one of the old games from the closet, my daughter brought out a brand new game she had just bought from a department store. However, it wasn’t really so new at all. The name of the game was a familiar one but the rules had been changed to make it more interesting. » Read more: Board game facelifts
Posts Tagged ‘Fun’
Board game facelifts
April 6th, 2010
Watch “Entry Level” the movie
January 2nd, 2010If you know someone who is unemployed or has been through a long job search process, tell them MrWes says to watch a movie on DVD called “Entry Level”. They’ll be laughing like crazy. » Read more: Watch “Entry Level” the movie
Google Calendar saved my Farm
December 17th, 2009The other day I wrote a post titled “Google Calendar does SMS Reminders.” I was excited about setting up events and letting Google Calendar remind you via text message at predetermined times before the event occurs. I really love the fact that you can setup several reminders before the event occurs. I’m already using it to remind me of appointments, but I discovered an unusual application for this tool. » Read more: Google Calendar saved my Farm
9 ways to keep your mind sharp
October 22nd, 2009In our daily rush to get things done we sometimes forget our brain needs to be worked out too. If we don’t do anything mentally challenging, our brains have a tendency to forget those skills we once knew so well. Those skills are still there, they’re just getting weaker from lack of use. This is especially important for anyone that is in a career transition.
While doing research for this post, I stumbled across a few interesting websites I will mention in this post.
» Read more: 9 ways to keep your mind sharp
Store layout and traffic patterns affect sales
October 6th, 2009Some of you might be saying, well of course Store layout and traffic patterns affect sales. I usually think of store layout in terms of placing items where you want your customer to be. But, I never really thought about how a store layout can affect foot traffic until, I saw it with my own eyes. Of course this was a simulation in a Facebook application called Café World.
Café World allows you to layout your own Café. You place the stove where the cook prepares the food, where the serving tables are and where the customers eat. If you have a good layout, the cook is efficient, the waiters & waitresses can clean and serve efficiently and customers will get seated and served in a timely fashion. If your customers are happy, then they tell other customers about it and more customers come. If the customer walks in, but doesn’t see anywhere to sit, they grow impatient and leave unhappy. If the customer walks in and sits down but isn’t served within a reasonable time, they walk out unhappy.
It’s interesting to note that changing the placement of a door, table, chair or even a serving table can dramatically change traffic patterns either for good or bad.
Another interesting thing, is a layout that works for light traffic doesn’t always work well when it gets really busy. Customers have to wait longer and grow more impatient.
I’m sure the larger restaurants, grocery and department stores do traffic flow studies, but I wonder if they do foot traffic simulations like this to see how traffic changes when fixture placement changes.
Zynga has done it again
October 5th, 2009Zynga the makers of FarmVille, a Facebook Application, have created another addicting Facebook Application called Café World. It kind of sucks you in with a challenge.
The challenge is Time and resource management. Of course you get to have some healthy competition with your Facebook friends as well.
You start off with 3 stoves, 3 serving tables, 2 dining tables and 2 chairs. You also get a decent amount of money to decorate your Café.
Café Dishes take various times to cook and if they aren’t served in a timely manner will spoil on the stove. Which means you have to clean up the mess and start all over again.
If you don’t plan it right you run out of hot food. I’ve already had all the patrons get up and walk out on me because there wasn’t food ready to eat.
There are also challenges of meeting your customers’ needs. If the customers walk in and there aren’t any empty tables,you eventually see a though bubble with a clock in it. Then they leave your Café unhappy.
The Solution is to add more tables and chairs. Well, that’s part of the solution. You still have to manage getting the food to the customers at the right time. If you do, they’re happy and give you a thumbs up. You know how well you’re doing by the Buzz Rating. A Rating that indicates how popular your Café is getting with the community. The higher it goes, the more people come to visit your Café.
The other part of the Solution can be solved with more ovens and serving tables. This ensures you can keep up with the demand for the dishes you cook.
I heard from one of my kids it’s a little like the Sims.
You get to pick your neighbors and visit their Cafés.
Overall it’s pretty fun. Unfortunately, there’s not much interaction between you and your friends in Café World.
Having said that, this game is for individual play. Great, if you want your kids to have a little fun without worrying about them interacting with other people on the internet.
Have you tried it? What do you think? How do you like it?
What games do you play?
October 2nd, 2009Games help people stay mentally sharp by challenging their skills and abilities. They also serve as inexpensive entertainment.
Games come in all kinds of forms
- Board
- Card
- Dice
- Dominoes
- Stones / Gems
- Pegs
- Paper & Pen
- Role Playing
- Video
- Simulations
- Repetition
Some games are designed to be played solo where your goal is to finish the game. These games tend to be based on memory, pattern recognition, logic and persistance. If you finish the game then you win. Other games are designed to be played head to head. These are usually games of chance or strategy or a combination. There are usually points involved and depending on the point system the lowest or the highest score wins. The last kind of games are designed to encourage teamwork, social skills and comradery.
Here are a few of my favorite games:
- Sudoku
- Chess
- Othello
- Pente
- Chicken Foot
- Cashflow 101
- Halo
Reply to this post. What are your favorite games?
