Before iPhones, iPads, and iPods; there were board games and card games. Back in the early 2000s, they seemed like our only form of entertainment. Television was around, but we weren't concerned with binge-watching our favorite shows. Between the ages of 6 and 12, family-friendly games were top-notch fun for me.
Whether it was between friends or family, these games brought out the nasty, competitive side in all of us. Solving the mystery or collecting the most money seemed like the biggest victory in the world. These following table games made up our childhoods and turned us into the competitive people we are today.
1. Monopoly
Passing "Go" was exhilarating and being put in jail seemed like the worst thing imaginable. Although this game was never-ending, collecting properties never felt so fun. As the company took off, they created a "SpongeBob" edition, as well as Disney and "Star Wars."
2. Clue
It was Scarlet, with the revolver, in the dining room. Those three cards in the confidential folder held every players' fate. Who will guess correctly? This murder-based game channeled our inner detective skills.
3. Yahtzee
I do not think anything was more exciting in my elementary school days than getting Yahtzee -- rolling all fives on the dice. There were so many different combinations of numbers this game worked our math skills as well. Three of a kind, four of a kind, full house, and chance; do any of these sound familiar?
4. Sorry
First off, no, this has nothing to do with J Biebs. Second, when looking at the board, you probably do not even remember how this game is played. The point of this game is to get all your pieces around the board before the other players. Opponents are able to bump your pieces back to their start upon where they land. However, there were several rule changes in the 2013 edition of this game.
5. Life
In this game we got to get married and go to college, a time that seemed so far away. Oddly, now that is upon us for real. From life tiles to life paths, and buying houses and having babies, it really was a simulation of life. Fun fact: the game was first created in 1860.
6. Candyland
The best part of this board game is the range of characters it presents. There is Mr. Mint, Queen Frostine, Gramma Nutt, King Kandy, Princess Lolly, Lord Licorice, Plumpy, Gloppy, and Jolly. This game changed over the years, adding and removing characters here and there.
7. Trouble
Nothing was more annoying and fun than pressing the plastic dome in the middle of the game board to roll the die. This game represents an objective equal to that of Sorry!
8. Guess Who?
A simpler version of 20 questions, each person goes back and forth asking about different characteristics a person has. Several editions were made to this game, such as incorporating Marvel and Disney characters.
9. Hi Ho! Cherry-O
The goal of this stupidly simple game is to be the first to collect ten cherries. Each player takes turns spinning the centerpiece. No wonder 3-year-olds are allowed to play this one. And admit it, you ended up losing all the cherries around your house.
10. Chutes and Ladders
Nothing was more disappointing than reaching the last few squares of the board and landing on the giant slide.
11. UNO
We are all too familiar with reverse, wild, draw two, and skip. Remember to say "uno" when you get down to one card, or else your opponent will beat you to it and you have to draw an extra card.
12. Hungry Hungry Hippos
A classic game that involves the rapid beating down on plastic hippos to get the most little balls. I'd say this game was perfect for the more rambunctious children.
13. Don't Wake Daddy
Players portray children trying to sneak around the house and into the fridge. If a card does not match their assigned color, the player must press the alarm clock. After several pushes on the clock, "Daddy" springs out of bed. And might I add, when he does so, it is kind of a scary surprise.
14. Perfection
A rush to fit 25 pieces into their proper molds in 60 seconds was quite the adrenaline rush. When the 60 seconds was up, the board popped out all the pieces, and to be honest, it was one of the scariest moments of my life.
15. Rat-a-tat Cat
Cats are good and rats are evil. This is a game of suspense and strategy. The only thing we were unsure about back in our elementary days were the two cards face down in the middle.
16. Battleship
The one-on-one opportunity to outshine your opponent. Was it just me, or did anyone else feel so official playing this game.
17. Mouse Trap
This game started today's engineers young. The coolest part about the game was building the trap and watching it work, not actually playing the game.
18. Operation
Channeling our inner Meredith Grey, Operation provided us with the stressful job of removing weird pieces out of a man's body. This game also provided players with an awful shock when you touched the end of the cavity opening. If any game made you feel bad about your hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, it'd be this one.
19. Thin Ice
Something about games in the 90s based fun off of fear. While playing this game, players have the constant panic that the tissue will split open from the wet marbles. For those of you who do not remember the concept of Thin Ice, players must go back and forth placing marbles onto the tissue. The first one to cause it to rip open three times is the loser.
20. Connect Four
A unique spin on Tic-Tac-Toe, this game includes one board with game pieces available in two colors. Although this game ends in a draw more than half the time, sometimes you can catch your opponent off guard and end the game early.