The Family Gamers Podcast

This week is devoted to older, classic abstract games. You probably know how to play these timeless games already, and have some of them relegated to the back corner of your shelves or your closet. The post Episode 398 – Room to Grow: Classic Abstract Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

It's convention time again! We found braille dice, an augmented-reality drawing tool, and lots of fun board game stuff at PAX East. The post Episode 397 – PAX East Recap appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We've been reviewing board games for almost ten years. And sometimes, we run across ones that REALLY surprise us. Let's talk about a few this week. The post Episode 396 – 5 Games that Surprise! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Do you know what a "eurogame" is? Could you explain it to someone who hasn't played a lot of boardgames? What are some other jargon terms we use that are unfriendly to new players? The post Episode 395 – Euro, Ameritrash, and Other Boardgamer Jargon appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We're out of town this weekend, but talking about our favorite party games. The post Episode 394 – 7 Party Game Favorites appeared first on The Family Gamers.

It's been a long time since we defined some board game terms. Let's do a deep dive into asymmetric games and auction games. The post Episode 393 – Board Game Terms: Asymmetric, Auction, Bidding appeared first on The Family Gamers.

After a cold dreary winter, we are ready for green, growing things. Let's talk about games with flowers and plants that make us think spring. The post Episode 392 – Springtime Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Cooperative games encourage players to work together. Here are three to bring your family from beginner to advanced. The post Episode 391 – Room to Grow: Cooperative Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

This week, we're talking about cooperative games - what they are, what makes them a good fit for families, and we explore the breadth of games that can be considered "cooperative". The post Episode 390 – Cooperative Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident, we find games that disconnect us from the stresses and worries of every day life. Andrew and Anitra discover that they have different ideas of what helps them step away from the real world – but there's some overlap, too. 0:00 Fact for 389 When diving (“stooping”), the peregrine falcon can reach speeds of 389kph. The post Episode 389 – Games to Disconnect appeared first on The Family Gamers.

It's the first podcast of 2025, so we're going to go back over our favorite games from 2024. The post Episode 388 – Top Ten Games of 2024 appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We're back from PAX Unplugged, and full of excitement for the games we saw there! The post Episode 387 – PAX Unplugged 2024 appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Grace and Mike run a board game themed bed and breakfast in North Carolina. It's perfect for a weekend getaway. The post Episode 386 – The Tabletop Inn! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

This week we've invited video game hype man Stephen Duetzmann (from Engaged Family Gaming) to go over his video game holiday gift guide. The post Episode 385 – Video Game Holiday Gift List appeared first on The Family Gamers.

What board games are you giving as gifts this year? The post Episode 384 – Board Game Holiday Gift List appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Our holiday list is not ready, so we will be doing another podcast NEXT WEEK! Today's podcast is just a smorgasbord of stuff. The post Episode 383 – Smorgasbord and Holiday Contests appeared first on The Family Gamers.

It's the end of October, which means it's time for a Halloween episode! We discuss our top five games for this season. The post Episode 382 – Top 5 Spooky Games for Halloween appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00 Hello and welcome! This week, we're talking about beautiful games – ones you would leave out on a coffee table – that are great for families to play. Fact for 381 We're back to the Guinness Book of World Records, friends. The largest hand-held video game console party was on 12 October 2007, at the Parramatta mall in Sydney The post Episode 381 – Top 5(ish) Beautiful Family Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We usually talk about kids on this show. But our children aren't little children anymore - so what about games for teens? The post Episode 380 – Top Ten Games for Teens appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Let's talk about Board Game Arena. It's not the only way to play board games online, but for us, it's probably the most valuable. Why? The post Episode 379 – 5 Board Game Arena Favorites appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We talked about date night games in 2020 - which ones would we still recommend now? Our new top six list has FOUR games that weren't even on the old list! The post Episode 378 – Top 6 Date Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We waited an extra week for this podcast so we could bring you all the GenCon goodies with Nick. The post Episode 377 – Gen Con 2024 with Nick appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Does your kid's school have a board game club? How could you help support it as a parent? The post Episode 376 – 5 Ways to Help Your School's Board Game Club appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Welcome Stephanie Nye this week, to talk about the games we've been playing lately and the Origins Game Fair. The post Episode 375 – Origins with Stephanie! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

If you have kids in school, you've probably heard of the "summer slide" or summer learning loss. The best way to keep your kids from losing math and reading skills is to use them! So let's talk about five games that will give some practice. The post Episode 374 – Top 5 Games to Beat the Summer Slide appeared first on The Family Gamers.

It's June, kicking off "convention season" for a lot of people. So, we're sharing our best tips for navigating conventions with kids. The post Episode 373 – Top Convention Tips for Families appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We chose five games from 2023 (and the first half of 2024) that come in small boxes but pack a big punch! The post Episode 372 – Top 5 New Small Box Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

It's been six years since we devoted a podcast to this topic. So let's revisit: Why do we play games with our kids? The post Episode 371 – Why Play Games? appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We're excited to welcome back our friend Marc Specter! We'll talk about his current Kickstarter and lots of other games coming soon. The post Episode 370 – Bouba/Kiki with Marc Specter appeared first on The Family Gamers.

This week, we're talking "slider games". These are bite-sized, ultra-fast games that you can play in 10 minutes or less! The post Episode 369 – Slider Games – Bite-Sized Fun in 10 Minutes or Less! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We are no longer restricting our interviews to just odd-numbered episodes. We couldn't wait any longer to have Ken Franklin on the show again! 368 Fact We learn about Studio 368, doing very cool stuff for creators and media (like Greta Gerwig, Lena Dunham, and the Safdie brothers). Sponsor Message Are you doing your taxes? Some states offer a tax The post Episode 368 – Ken Franklin and Flash Point: Legacy Of Flame appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Andrew just got back from GAMA Expo in Kentucky. He shares his experience, and a special on-location For Science! The post Episode 367 – Mr. Smith Goes to GAMA Expo appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Lunar New Year was not to long ago, and now we are in the year of the dragon! Sounds like a perfect excuse to give you our top 5 dragon-themed games. The post Episode 366 – Year of the Dragon! Top 5 Dragon Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Welcome to Jeremy Pike, staff writer! We'll talk about how he joined our team, and what he did at Tantrum Con 2024. The post Episode 365 – Tantrum Con with Jeremy Pike appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We often talk about new games. But let's look back a little bit. We were excited for a lot of new games at the beginning of 2023 - how did they fare? Were all of them as great as we hoped? The post Episode 364 – Look Back: How Did 2023 Predictions Fare? appeared first on The Family Gamers.

This week, we are joined by the "Head Camper" at Happy Camper Games - Jason Schneider! We talk Trio and other upcoming games. The post Episode 363 – Happy Camper Games with Jason Schneider appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Let's wrap up 2023 with a Monthly Report, Year in Review, and our top ten games of the year! The post Episode 362 – Our Top Ten Games of 2023 appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Find out more about The Tree Trimming Game, Sequitur, Jokkmokk, Marvel Remix, Unboxed, Crabs in a Bucket, Star Realms Academy, Caution Signs, Pack the Essentials, Maize Craze, and Mycelia ! The post Episode 361 – PAX Unplugged 2023 – Days Two & Three appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Interviews from our first day at PAX Unplugged! Part one of a two-part series. The post Episode 360 – PAX Unplugged 2023 – Day One appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Video game time! We discuss the Engaged Family Gaming video game gift guide with Stephen Duetzmann. The post Episode 359 – 2023 Video Game Gift Guide with Stephen Duetzman appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Welcome to the month of November! That means it's time for our holiday board game gift guide. The post Episode 358 – Our 2023 Board Game Gift Guide appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Today, we're talking with the newest writer to join The Family Gamers, Stephanie Nye! What are some of her favorite games for the "spooky season"? And what games are awesome that not enough people talk about? The post Episode 357 – Spooky Games and Hidden Gems with Stephanie Nye appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We took a break for a while from our age-segregated lists. But now we're back at it! Plus: CuseCon wrap-up, contest winner, and a new community announcement. The post Episode 356 – Top 10 Games for Kids 7-10 appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Castle Panic has been a part of our lives longer than The Family Gamers has existed, and this week we talk to its creators: Justin & Anne-Marie De Witt! The post Episode 355 – Panic Time! With Justin and Anne-Marie De Witt appeared first on The Family Gamers.

It's been a long time since we talked about US history and gameschooling. Now let's talk about games that are newer, and games that are less US-centric. The post Episode 354 – History Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Danielle Reynolds is a project manager, game designer, podcast host, and general tabletop games volunteer... and friend of the podcast! The post Episode 353 – Danielle Reynolds Does It All! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We are NOT at GenCon this week. Instead, let's talk about games where everyone plays at the same time! The post Episode 352 – Top 5 Simultaneous Play Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Nicole and Scott have been doing family-friendly review content since 2008 with their site SAHM Reviews. But they're tied into the board game industry in many other ways... The post Episode 351 – SAHM Reviews with the Bradys appeared first on The Family Gamers.

What does right-sizing your game collection mean in terms of size and maintenance? How do you determine what's best for you? The post Episode 350 – Right-Sizing Your Game Collection appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Clarence has designed one of our family's favorite games. Where did Merchants of Magick come from, and what else is he working on? The post Episode 349 – Up and Coming Games with Clarence Simpson appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Each member of the family talks about their favorite game(s) with a magical theme! The post Episode 348 – Our 5 Favorite Magical Games! appeared first on The Family Gamers.