Mommy and Me Gaming

It’s Mother’s Day, so it only seems fitting that today I discuss my mom’s influence on me as a gamer. My mother and I have always been close as I grew up. When I was younger, I would sit with my mom in the middle of the hallway and we would play pick up sticks for hours. Yes, you heard me right…pick up sticks. My mom had the patience of a saint playing for hours. During this time I would talk to her about anything and everything that came into my mind.

Fast forward about 10 years. My mom encouraged me to delve deep into the world of gaming. She recognized my struggle with depression, especially during the winter. She wanted me to have something I could do all year long. With this in mind, she would occasionally buy games to play with me. Beyond this, she was always willing to learn any game I brought into the house. Nothing was too complicated nor any theme off limits.

Pick up sticks gave way to hours and hours of Splendor. In fact, two years ago I gave my mom the playmat and upgraded tokens for Splendor for Mother’s Day because we spent so much time playing and talking. Anytime I was having a rough day, I’d go to my mom’s house and we would set Splendor up, and talk for hours.

Like most things in our lives, we have very similar tastes in games. We generally like and dislike the exact same games. For instance we both have a deep love for Viticulture, Scythe and Raiders of the North Sea. She especially loves Scythe, she plays Albion..which was especially fitting because she is mostly  Scottish, and she is our green player. We strongly dislike 7 Wonders Duel. When we play cooperative games, we think along the same strategies. My mom is my favorite person to play games with, because we both always have a good time.

She not only enjoys playing games..but she is good at them. I have not found a game that she is not good at. Most often at our table, she is silent and stealthy. She will let everyone take each other out and then sweep the board. Her enthusiasm matches my own, sometimes to an extent that it can be dangerous! A few weeks ago we were playing Witch Slapped and got too enthusiastic. Let’s just say injuries ensued. After cradling my hand for a minute we were laughing so hard we were almost crying.

By now I think my mom has played just as many games as I have. We both influence each other in our interests. She sends me games and watches for sales. I send her games I’m interested in. The other day while I sat at work watching the usual weekly Wednesday live stream by Jamey Stegmaier, I had to laugh because my mom was watching to share any news she saw with me, figuring I could not watch it due to work. It is awesome to have her just as interested in games as I am. I can always count on her to be a dedicated gaming partner.

So here is to my wonderful mother. My favorite green meeple. My partner in crime. I am so lucky to have a mother who I can celebrate my passions with. I hope all the mothers out there have a wonderful Mother’s Day!