Games as Defined by a 3 Year Old

Aaron from A'n'SR here. When I think of games, I think of cards, and dice, and boards, and books, and all sorts of little bits. I think of mechanics, and turns, and theme, and pricing. Today I was re-schooled by my 3 and a half year old. 

The Friday before Father's Day, I take the day off, keep the kiddo out of school, and we go to the St. Louis Science Center. This is the second year we have done this, and he loves it. 


As we were leaving the Science Center, we stopped by the gift shop, which includes tons of really cool science games, smooth rocks, dinosaurs, books, clothes, and candy. My son wanted rocks. We bought some. Then I saw Rubik's 2x2 Cube. It was the little brother to the Rubik's Cube. I knew he would like it, so I bought that for him, too.


On the way home, I let him have the Rubik's Cube so that he would be sure to stay awake in the car-ride home. It was about half-way home when he told me he liked his new game. He called it a game. I mean, sure it was sold around some of the other games, but it was more of a puzzle, thing, right? Not to him. He lumped it together with the dice games and Candyland, and Mad Rush Rally we played. It was a game. 


To him, it was not a toy he could make talk, or a book he could read, or a movie to watch. To him, it was an entertainment. To him, it was a fun way to spend his time and use his brain. It was a game. And he played his game of moving colored squares around he cube to make different color combinations all the way home. 

Thanks, son, for reminding me what a game is; that was a very nice Father's Day gift.