LIFE: Session Report
Emily Chadwell

Megan contemplates her next move

LIFE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjMJ6bGXm38

We played the original version of LIFE from the 1960s. The board is set up in a path that winds around the board going through different areas of the game. Each player chooses a car and starts to play by spinning the wheel and moving the number of spaces. Each space had something written on it or a task to complete. In this version, each player had to get married, and it was also hard to get through the game without having kids. This is interesting when compared to the modern version which allows you to choose how you want to live including whether or not you want kids or a partner. The point of the game is to get through the whole game, win money, buy a house, and come out on top by the end of the board spaces. There is some level of stealing and competition, but it is largely based on chance and the subsequent spaces you land on. The goal of the game seems to be that kids would learn that anything can happen in life. The game is based on chance, much like real life itself. It is a very fun game that I have been playing forever, and I enjoyed playing the older version in class.

Livin’ life one space at a time

I didn’t enjoy the color scheme of the board, and the way that the exemption or revenge cards worked. The colors were very bold and kind of hard to look at. The cards used confusing language that didn’t make perfect sense, but we were able to figure it out. The game relies heavily on theme, which makes the game more interesting. They do a good job of coordinating the common steps in someones life and then encouraging players to follow it. This also says something about the time period that it came out during where people were being encouraged to return to tradition values in America. I enjoyed playing the old version of this game in class, and hope to finish the game one day!