Bring Back Family Time By Playing Mahjong

In an age when family members are too busy to socialize with each other, when they do get a chance for some "playtime", it should be quality time well spent. But unfortunately, most families still tend to spend more time in front of the vidoe game console and not actually talking to each other.

Admittedly there are very few new board games available since all the R&D efforts are spent on video games. In this case, it's time to dig back into the history vautls for some truly classic games.

One classic game which you might not be familiar with the game of Chinese mahjong. It was very popular in the 1920s when it was first introduced to America and many Americans still play it to this day.

Some Westerners might be intimidated by this Chinese game thinking how on earth can they ever learn to read Chinese well enough to play. There is no need to worry because you can actually buy an American mahjong tile set where the blocks actually have western characters. So now that your fears are put to rest, how exactly play this game?

The concept is very similar to the game of gin with building hands according to melds except with blocks of mahjong tiles. You can have melds of triplets of a same suit, or a series of three in the same suit. In the classic Chinese mahjong game, a winning mahjong hand consists of 4 melds of 3 and a matching pair for eyes. In the American variation, it gives the game more of a twist with the introduction of joker tiles and a Charleston swap at the beginning of each game.

So, if you're interested in a family building event that is a twist on an ancient but popular game, why not give mahjong a try? Whether you play the classic Chinese mahjong or the American version, there are game shops that have mahjong sets for sale for you to introduce this fabulous game to your family.

Other Visitors Read