J. Jefferson
United States
Columbus
Ohio
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I have a tendency to try to get my daughter into things too early. She's nineteen months old, and and the beginning of this winter, I tried to rent skis for her and take her skiing. The rental guy just kind of looked at me like I was at best totally insane. Suffice it to say that they had no ski boots that were close to her size. Well, maybe next winter.
After that, I was prepared for my daughter's first forced foray into gaming to be an equal disaster. Luckily, I was very very wrong. I bought her Go Away Monster for Christmas. Since then (about a month) we have played it almost every day.
The basics: Obviously, if it works for a toddler, the basics are simple. Each player takes a bedroom board that has spots for four different items (bed, picture frame, lamp, and teddy bear). With four players, there are exactly enough tiles of each item to fill each player's board. There are also a bunch of Monster tiles that are generally pretty cute and not scary. At the begining of the game, all the tiles go into a bag, and players take turns drawing one out. If it is something that goes in their bedroom, they put it there. If it is a monster, they throw it down and exclaim "Go Away Monster!" That's it.
My daughter loves it. She gets excited to put items in her room and even more excited to throw down monsters. But more importantly, she's gotten into gaming. She is learning how to set up the game, take turns, when the game ends (when all the pieces are gone) and how to put it away.
As a parent, I can't realistically pay 100% of my attention to playing with her all of the time. Sometimes, I've got to load the dishwasher, or find clothes for her while she entertains herself with a toy or a book. But I really want her to like games, and I wanted this game to be something special for her. So I've made a point to make Go Away Monster time focused only on us playing the game. Not surprisingly, this has made her want to play it more.
The Progression of a 19-month-old learning the game: Over the last month, I've been keeping brief notes on most of our games. This has allowed me to track her progress and enjoyment.
Games 1-3, learning the game: In the very first game she figured out that on your turn you take a tile from the bag. This took no time at all. She enjoyed watching the other players throw the monsters down, but it wasn't until her third play that she figured out that some tiles go in your room, and some are monsters that you scream and throw down. By the end of the third play, she pretty much had the game idea.
Games 4-11, daily plays: I knew the game was a hit when we returned from our Christmas travel and my daughter saw me unpacking her Christmas presents. She found the game, and insisted on playing it immediately. So we did. The next several plays were like that, she would see it on the shelf, look up, and say "Monn, Monnn" which is her best attempt at "Monster."
Games 12-18, distraction, trying out new ways to play: At about our twelth play, my daughter started getting distracted mid-game. She was not as interested as she had been, and I think she was a little bored having "mastered" the game. She started throwing pieces in places that were hard to get to, and then making me go get them.. She also started setting up her stuffed animals to be the third and fourth players. Sometimes the whole game consisted of setting up her animals, then the game, then putting the game away. But she still liked it, and I did too.
Games 19-24, playing with a friend: My wife and I game with another couple who have a son a little bit older than my daughter. We brought the game to their house, and I played with the two kids. This got my daughter right back into it. She wanted to show the other kid how to do it, and when he figured it out quickly, they both got really into throwing the monsters. It was a hit. We played five games that night.
Games 25-28, less frequent, more focused plays: Since then, we've played about every other day. When my daughter asks for the game, she's more likely to sit down and play the whole game. This may be because we are playing less frequently. It may also be because I've set up a toddler sized table in our living room that we now play at, instead of playing on the floor. I think this makes it more fun for her, and easier for her to see what's going on.
This game is a hit. If you want to get your kid into gaming earlier than you think you will be able to, this will do it.
Now ... what's next?
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Aaron Silverman
United States
Halfway between Castro and Mickey Mouse
Florida
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Cranium Cariboo.
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Brad N
United States
Madison
Wisconsin
There are 7 games I want to play by June 30th, 2012
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Nice review. I've played Go Away Monster! about 80 times with my three kids (now age 2 and a half, 5 and 7). My 2 year old doesn't request it much anymore, but every now and then we do play it again. And, the progression of the game for all of my kids was similar to what you described. This game is fun for kids and teaches the basics of gaming... taking turns, following rules, etc.
Jefforama wrote: Now ... what's next? My youngest kid's favorite game is probably Round-Up and I highly recommend it. It is a cooperative game that is very well put together. Simple and fun and not super easy to win. Max is another game that he likes. There is a touch more theme to Max. Both of these are cooperative games and the nice thing about that is you can assist in the early games and then back off more and more as time goes on. Nowadays, I don't help anyone with their turns but they do help me with my turns.  These are both Family Pastimes games which means they aren't available everywhere, but if you look then you will find them. Also, Round Up's pieces are quite flimsy so don't expect to have thick cardboard if you pick it up.
A few other games I play with my 2 and a half year old (probably too advanced for a 19 month old but it won't be long)...
- Pick Picknic (he plays but doesn't understand the strategy too much)
- Gulo Gulo (the great equalizer where smaller fingers win)
- Tumblin-Dice (expensive but all ages love this game)
- Loopin' Louie (little guy struggles with this, but loves to play)
- The Secret Door (flimsy tiles again... memory and "deduction")
- Monza (colors and a bit of thinking in a racing game)
EDIT: 3rd game listed was Blitz Commander. I'm not playing that one with the little guy... yet.
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Was George Orwell an Optimist?
United States
Corvallis
Oregon
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My granddaughter, who has just turned 4, enjoys Go Away Monster!, and is a big fan of Gulo Gulo.
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T France
United States
Oakland
California
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I picked this up on a whim when my kid was two. We play it about 5 or 6 times in a row every few days. Fun game...
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S Pozun
United States
Phoenixville
Pennsylvania
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I also recently got my 2 year old son playing go away monster as his first board game.
With this success, I was looking for game #2 in the birth -> gamer progression.
At a suggestion, I tried Snail's Pace Race, but this game didnt work. He liked rolling the dice, but he really didnt care to much about moving the snails or the concept of the race. This game has potential, but I don't think it's the follow-up to go away monster.
Candy Land also completely failed. He got parts of it, he's very good with colors, but couldnt get the objective or the mechanics.
Finally, we landed on a winner for game #2: Hisss. While he doesn't get the idea of competing to complete the snakes, he is able to draw a tile, and add it to an existing snake, he also understands the heads and tails pieces now. So we're almost ready to graduate from this one.
Hopefully this info helps you. PLEASE share your further experiences so we can compare notes.
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