Whether you’re stuck inside due to pouring rain or free because you finished all of your homework, it’s always great to have some time for leisurely activities. Spending time with family and friends should also be a priority, and what better way to spend time with them than to play a game?

One game my family especially enjoys is Clue. This classic mystery board game always sparks deep conversation between the players as they race to uncover which dinner guest murdered their host. Each player receives a combination of a few cards. There are three different types of card: person, weapon, and room. One of each type is put in a file, determining who murdered the host, with what weapon, and in which room. Players travel around the board area, make accusations, and use clues to win the game.

Additionally, UNO is a widely popular card game in both families and friend groups. Each player starts with seven cards. They take turns discarding their cards into a pile by matching them to the preceding card on the pile. The player who gets rid of their cards first wins. However, when you have one card left, you must shout, “Uno!” before someone else beats you to it. If they do, you must draw a number of cards, and your imminent victory becomes a regretted mistake. Additionally, groups often share laughs and throw narrowed side-eyes when friendly competitiveness makes an appearance through +4, reverse, and skip cards. For family and friends that are a distance away from each other, GamePigeon’s “Crazy 8” is similar to UNO. This digital version of the game allows up to eight people to play together through their Apple devices.

“My family used to enjoy playing Monopoly and UNO,” said freshman Clara Tseng. “I love playing these games because they provide us with family time. These games have definitely brought us closer because we can be competitive with each other while having fun at the same time.”

Another well-liked game is Monopoly. Players may choose to play as one of the iconic tokens—the battleship, race car, top hat, Scottie dog, cat, rubber duck, thimble, or penguin—and roll the dice to move spots. When landing on specific spaces, players can either buy property, build houses or hotels, pay rent, or go to jail. The objective of Monopoly is to be the last player standing after everyone else goes bankrupt. For those who greatly favor this game but think it can become lengthy and tiring, Monopoly Deal is a shorter version of this game using only cards.

“[My family and I] used to play Monopoly Deal a lot,” said sophomore Pooja Rajesh. “It was really fun because we’d have a lot of inside jokes about it. It brought us closer.”

Whether it be bonding over an intricate game of Clue or lightheartedly placing cards in UNO, making memories with the people closest to us and with our favorite games can leave us with persisting laughter and strengthened relationships.