Be a player at community board game event

Take a turn playing board games and trying new ones during a free come-and-go, 12-hour mega-gaming event at the Sedgwick County Extension 4-H Hall this Saturday.

This is the eighth annual mega-board game event sponsored by Kansas State University Research and Extension-Sedgwick County, which regularly holds a free family board game night every other month, called Bonding Thru Board Games. Saturday’s event starts at 9 a.m.

Volunteers will be on hand to help teach the games, such as Word on the Street, Order Up, The Magic Labyrinth, Chicken Cha Cha or Ruckus.

Playing board games can be a winning strategy for building strong family relationships, according to organizer Liz Brunscheen-Cartagena, the extension’s family life and resource management agent.

“It’s really about connecting with people in a fun way,” she said. “This program is about bringing people back to the table, talking with each other and interacting.”

The board games at Saturday’s event can be played fairly quickly – some in as little as 15 minutes. It’s a great time for people who are looking to expand their game libraries to try out some new ones, Brunscheen-Cartagena said. All of the games are suitable for kids, some for kids as young as 4.

The 35 or so games in the library of the Bonding Thru Board Games program all encourage learning and life skills, such as doing math or memory recall, and, of course, the always-important skills of learning to take turns and being a good sport, Brunscheen-Cartagena said.

She shared some other skills the games teach, too: positive communications, how to manage stress and crisis, values such as integrity and not cheating, and even learning how to read body language. Some games combine players’ efforts to reach a common goal rather than one-player domination.

“There are no games where people are out, like Monopoly, and you have to wait for someone to win,” she said.

To put on the event, Brunscheen-Cartagena’s office has partnered with another group of enthusiasts, Wichita Area Boardgamers, who regularly hold game sessions at Hero Complex Games and Entertainment in east Wichita, she said. The group also is bringing games to play during the event.

Remaining Bonding Thru Board Game nights are scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. May 19, Aug. 11 and Oct. 13, and 6:30 to 9 p.m. Dec. 15 in the Sedgwick County Extension Office Sunflower Room.

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Be a player at community board game event."