The Ungame

The Ungame

The Ungame is a game for sharing your feelings and ideas on different topics and questions, then listen as others share. The Ungame is a non-competitive game and there are no right or wrong answers, as players will be sharing how they personally feel or think. Get to know someone you are not very familiar with, or learn something new about someone you know well. 

The Ungame has been around for a long time and there are six different pocket versions designed for specific groups, including kids, teens, couples and Christians. The pocket games come in a small box, have fewer cards and no gamboard. The Ungame is a multi-award winner and can be played in almost any setting with almost anybody. The woman who developed the game is a Christian counselor and used it regularly in that setting.

As you can see from the image above, the game consists of a game board, two decks of question cards, pawns and a die. There is a start space on the game board, but no end, as there will be no winner. Set a time before you start the game, for instance 45 minutes, and the game will end when the time is up. Each space on the path has instructions and you will throw the die and advance around the board, following the instructions on the spaces you land on. There are four different specific "locations" on the board (the four corners and four in the middle) where you may move for one turn if you meet the criteria on the space you land on. Here are a few examples from the "If you" spaces:

• If you are feeling challenged by something, climb mighty mountain.
• If you are feeling peaceful now, relax on blissful beach.
• If you have felt alone lately, go to dejection desert.

After moving to one of these spaces you will re-enter the path on one of the eight spaces marked "re-enter" on your next turn.

The difference between the two decks of cards is that one is made up of lighthearted topics/questions and the other is for serious topics/questions. Here are a few examples:

• Serious
• How do you react when things do not go as you planned?
• Share any experience you have had with a disabled person.
• When are you apt to cry?
• If you have ever been accused of something you did not do, talk about it.
• Lighthearted
• What is your favorite kind of entertainment? Why?
• What is something you have never done that you would like to try? Why?
• Share an experience you had with a grandparent.
• Share your feelings about the future.

The cards are numbered so you can record where you left off and pick up there next time you play. If you are going to use it in a therapy setting, stack the deck with the cards you would like the person(s) to ponder and respond to.

Object:
Share feelings and ideas, listen and learn about other people.

Set up:
Place the board in the middle of the players. Each player chooses one pawn and places it on the start space. Shuffle the cards you will be using and place the deck, face-down, on the game board. Place the die nearby. Give each player a piece of paper and a pencil (not included in game).

Play:
Players will take turns throwing the die and advancing along the path on the game board. Follow the instructions on the space you land on. Here are the three types of spaces:

• Ungame - Choose a card, read it aloud, and respond in two or three sentences. While it is one person's turn, no other people are allowed to talk.
• Comment - As someone is talking, you may write down thoughts or follow up questions you would like to ask that person. When you land on a comment space, you may comment or ask your question. These questions/comments can be made on a subject that has already come up or on anything you want to share or ask another person. Here are a few examples. "How do you feel about ______?" "How I would answer that question is ______." "I appreciate you." "I understand how you feel." 
• If You - These are the spaces I discussed earlier where you will move if you meet the criteria on the space. If it does not apply to you, stay put. Share your reason for moving or staying put. If you do move, re-enter the path on your next turn. 

Play until your time is up.

The instructions also include 32 creative ways to use the game. You know I love that! I'll list a few below.

Try this:

• Keep the cards in a fish bowl on the kitchen counter where family members can draw a few each time they meet.
• Take a video of a game and then get everyone together a year later and view it. Has anything changed?
• Play the game and answer as your mother or father would.
• Choose a card and give your response without asking the question. See if the other players can guess the question.

In the box: Game board, 2 decks of cards (75 in each deck), die, 6 pawns

If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.

 

Set

Set Card Game

Set is the ultimate visual discrimination game. As the name implies, this is a quick game of finding sets. The cards feature simple images with 4 different attributes: color (red, green, blue), shape (diamond, oval, squiggle), number (one, two, three), and fill (solid, striped, outlined). A "set" is three cards that have a single attribute that is all the same or all different. For instance, ANY three red cards, no matter the shape, fill or number would be a set for color. And, a red card, a blue card and a green card,, no matter the shape, fill or number, would also be a set for color because they are all different.

This Set card game has won a ridiculous number of awards (check out the official site and their other games by clicking here). My game has purple cards and I think it is just an older version as the cards are the same as in the red box. Set also comes in Set Dice and Set Cubes.

Object:

Have the most sets at the end of the game.

Set up:

The dealer lays 12 cards face-up in a 3 x 4 grid (see image above). The dealer can either play or sit out.

Play:

All players play at once. Looking over the face-up cards, find three that have the same attribute or three that all have a different attribute. For example, look at the three cards to the left in the image above. Those three cards could win in several ways: 1) they are all different shapes, or 2) they are all different colors, or 3) they are all a different number, or 4) they are all a different fill. Any one of these would satisfy the requirement for a set. As players spot a set they call "set". They name the attribute as they quickly pick up the three cards. The dealer fills in the three empty spaces with three new cards and the game keeps going. When the deck is depleted and all the sets that can be made have been made, players count the sets they have won. The person with the most sets is the winner. 

Try this:

• Play alone, eliminate the need for speed.
• Play an easier game by just using cards with solid symbols. This will eliminate one of the attributes (fill) so you will only need to consider three attributes (shape, number, color).
• Sort the cards into piles of three. First, sort the cards into three piles by color. Then sort the cards into three piles by shape, etc.
• Set up a large grid of face-up cards, maybe 25. Players take turns naming one attribute and picking up all the cards with that single attribute. Scan the cards to see which attribute will get you the most cards before calling it. Keep going until all cards have been claimed. Count the cards, the person with the most is the winner.
• Set up a large grid of face-up cards, maybe 25. Call a single attribute and ask the player to pick up all the cards with that attribute. Play until all the cards have been picked up.
• Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, visual scanning, visual closure, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, process skills, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 81 cards

If you would like to purchase this game, or just want more information, click on the image below.