Simple games for overstimulated brains

Sometimes, the amount of information your brain must process in a given day is just too much - the background music and the phone noises, plus the incessant questions all day long (or maybe I just have too many kids).

That’s one reason I’m proud of Village Meeple’s new sensory-friendly hours from 12-4 p.m. each Wednesday. We keep the music off and the games quiet. We have noise-cancelling headphones available and are looking for other sensory-friendly additions.

While you’re here enjoying a sensory-friendly environment, try out some of these simple games for overstimulated brains. 

Rubber Paper Scissors

A cross between rock, paper, scissors and tic-tac-toe. Play rock, paper, scissors in an office setting, substituting an eraser for the rock, and try to rack up the most points by the ninth and final round by matching tokens or earning all three crown tokens. It gives you a chance to throw hands without getting arrested for it.

My Shelfie: The Dice Game

Only have a few brain cells left to rub together? My Shelfie: The Dice Game only utilizes one or two of them.

You’ll positively lull yourself to sleep with the soothing numbness of rolling dice and filling up your shelves with cats, trophies, books and board games.

If you’re familiar with My Shelfie, the dice version shares some similarities. One extra bit I like, which spices up the game, is when you fill a row or column, your opponents have to cross out their remaining squares in the same row or column, meaning they can no longer score points on those. Hoarding books, cats and games just got stabby.

Flip 7

While Flip 7 does require some light addition, don’t let that frighten you away from this risk-taking card game that’s great for a group - whether or not the group is rowdy is up to you.

Flip over cards to gain points, but try to stop before you get the same number twice, otherwise you bust! And even if you do bust, you get to take a nap.

A few special cards in the deck keep it interesting with extra points or ways for you to sabotage someone else. 

Couch Skeletons

Sidle your carcass up to the table for this quick, two-player game of covering the couch with your skeletons.

You will have to pay attention to the numbers on the cards to play your cards in one of five spots on the couch, but it requires only the barest breath of life in your overworked frontal lobe.

The best two out of three takes all, but it moves so quickly you’ll swear you only played once.

Animals Gathering

You are a mage gathering magic stones to revive the extinct animals of Crystal Forest, but after a day of burbling hot cauldrons and whiny hatchlings, complicated spellwork is the last thing you need. Don’t fret - in lieu of that spellwork, you can roll dice to gather the stones needed for the animals you select. When revived, they give you additional abilities. Revive enough animals, and the game is over, meaning you can finally rest on your laurels and rest that big ol’ grimoire in your noggin.