Games: Family Edition

Game night has evolved a lot since the days of checkers and Clue. Board games now range from intricate puzzles requiring the utmost strategic thinking to intense mythologies that draw in players for hours (and hours) to raucous adults-only laugh riots. So to say, in this era of social distancing, games are one way to pass the time is a disservice to their makers and the people who play, regardless of current events. Sit yourself and the kids down and break out any of the following 10 family-friendly games. You might end up having a great time, even stuck indoors.

Jax Sequence

As with life, all this takes to win is some luck and a little strategy. Participants play a card while at the same time placing a chip on the equivalent space on the board. The aim is to assemble five in a row: a winning sequence. Suggested for ages seven and up, the game is ideal for almost any setting since it can be played by as few as two people or as many as 12. 

Heist        

If you think spending a few days on a road trip with your family is a pressure cooker, what about trying to pull off a heist together? That’s the premise behind this game, which sets your team out to crack a safe. Expect as many twists, turns and close calls as an Ocean Eleven’s sequel as your team works to crack a safe. For ages seven and up.

Hasbro Gaming Monopoly

If you have several hours to wheel and deal, backstab and bankrupt, then the classic board game, which dates back to the Great Depression, offers all the pleasure and pain of Wall Street without leaving your living room. It’s recommended for ages eight and up, but honestly, you’re never too young to learn the value of money – or how to connive and claw to get some.

Not Parent Approved: A Card Game for Families            

If you’re in the mood for laughter without having to think about things, you’ll approve. A family-friendly variation on the adults-only Cards Against Humanity, this game challenges mischief makers to match a fill-in-the-blank question with a card from their hand. Silliness ensues.

Throw Throw Burrito Board Game                  


You don’t go into a game called “Throw Throw Burrito Board Game” expecting a master class in chess. The goal is simple enough: “collect cards and throw things at your friends.” Those things, as you might expect, are the ever-smiling burritos. And you lose points every time one strikes you. Recommended for ages seven and up.

Game Mashups – Candy Land Connect 4        

This mashup game takes the architecture of Connect 4 and adds some sweets straight out of Candy Land. Players try to line up plastic candies on the bottom row or vertically from the bottom. Recommended for children ages six and up.

Flying Sushi Kitchen Game    

For parents who find retrieving pieces of sushi with chopsticks a challenge, here’s a game to ensure their children develop vastly superior motor skills. The goal: snare levitating pieces of sushi out of the air and be the first player to assemble his or her platter. This one is recommended for children ages eight to 14.

Twister Scrabble Game

 

Another mashup of two classic games. In this one, for ages eight and up, the twister mat is actually a giant Scrabble board, with players forced to contort, twist and bend themselves into knots in order to spell out words.

Party Bowl Party Game

From What Do You Meme’s line of family-friendly games, this one is perfect for outgoing players who enjoy Charades-like guessing antics. Words and phrases are tossed into a bowl, then guessed upon by others. Since it allows players to decide how racy they want the game if at all, it’s suggested for ages 12 and up.

Family Feud Trivia Box Card Game 

No explanation required. This trivia-box version of the enduring game show brings the feud home. Just remember, after the game’s over, you’re still going to be stuck with these people for a while longer. For ages eight and up, so the whole family can get in on what the survey says.

‘Two Bit Circus’ Now Open in Downtown Los Angeles

Offering a spot where games and drinks mix isn’t a particularly new idea. Chains like Dave & Buster’s have been doing it for a long time, and there are even a fair amount of local bars such as the The One Up in Sherman Oaks or EightyOne in the Arts District that offer cabinet games to pair with their libations. However, Two Bit Circus, which saw its doors open to the public in Downtown earlier this month, takes things to an entirely new level.

Billing itself as a “Micro Amusement Park,” the renovated 50,000-square-foot warehouse in the Arts District has a wide range of gaming activities to check out, including VR experiences, classic arcade games, and Story Rooms, which take guests into a themed-location where they must interact with their surroundings and their team in order to solve puzzles or unfold a narrative.

Virtual reality stations are abundant, offering the chance to immerse yourself in a world where you can fight dragons, drive tanks, explore crafted sci-fi terrain, and much more. One experience, called ‘The Raft’,  has you defend a swamp against an infestation of supernatural creeps. Other offerings range from pinball to four-player air hockey to arcade staples like Street Fighter II, to more immersive experiences like Two Bit’s ‘Story Rooms’, which create what are essentially mini escape rooms that require a group to play through. There are even ‘VR Cabanas’, karaoke-style rooms that can be rented on an hourly basis and allow you and up to five friends to play a variety of Virtual Reality games together.

Food and drink wise, a circular bar dominates the center of the space while a concession window off to one side offers a moderate range of bar food (fries, corn dogs, sliders, tots, etc…) at somewhat immoderate prices ($15-ish per dish). But let’s be real, you’re coming here for the gaming.

In order to play the arcade games you can pre-load a card you swipe at the various consoles (no quarters, yay!) and the Story Rooms and VR experiences require reservations, with costs typically ranging from $15 to $35. Experiences generally run from 15 to 30 minutes, though at least one will push an hour (The Lost City).

Two Bit Circus is located at 634 Mateo St. Los Angeles, CA 90021. Operating hours are Monday to Thursday: from 4 to 11 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday from 11 to 1 a.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Admission is free, and games are purchase on a per-play basis. Occasionally the park will be closed for a private event, so calling ahead is always recommended. Parking is limited, so street parking is likely.

For reservations and more information, you can visit their website.

Article courtesy of We Like LA.