games for ipad - Stuff Parents Need

Tim and I both really enjoy playing card games and board games. Having another couple over for dinner and some games is much more fun to us than going out to eat and hitting a bar. We are just homebodies like that!

But in the world we live in, with everything going digital, a board game can feel a little bit outdated, at times. I think kids, especially, can lose interest in the slower pace of a board game because they are so used to the quickness of their iPads and Wiis and other gaming systems.

One of the most classic games designed for the family has decided to give itself a major update so that it can be more in tune with what kids these days really love: technology. The Game of Life has officially been zAPPed!

The Game of Life zAPPed is very similar to the Game of Life that you grew up enjoying. It has different phases of life that you have to go through, and different decisions that need to be made in order to determine your fate. The person with the most money at the end wins, just as always (I do wish such an overly simplistic and money-focused end result could have been changed, but I digress…).

But this game uses an iPad to play the game, and it really bumps up the entertainment value significantly! We played with Tim’s mom during a recent visit, and really had a good time. The iPad takes the place of the spinner, and it also delivers the questions to you. It’s a very smart app, as it seems to know exactly where you are at each point in the game. It also reminds you you pay yourself as you pass each “paycheck” point in the game (something I’m bad about overlooking on my own).

I think this game is really on the cutting edge, and that we may see other board games follow suit in the near future. I had a lot of fun with it, and I would definitely recommend it for families or even for tweens as a great game they can play with each other. They certainly already have the technical chops to figure out how to play without help from mom and dad!