Memories flood us when we learned to play games like euchre and 500 as children and the hours we spent doing the same growing up. The fascination it held for me was like a math lesson every time we played. Later, when they were at the university, many of the students would gather around the tables in the student rooms, and the cards were always on the agenda.
What fun we all had and the challenges were exciting. Now, however, almost no one plays cards anymore because computer and Xbox games have taken over many homes. My young grandchildren spend hours in front of the television with a joystick in hand doing things that have no intellectual advantage. Even adults have fun with things they can do on a computer instead of around a table with the family.
In recent years my efforts have extended to Bridge and also to playing 500 at the local clubs, which host sessions on weekdays. It’s interesting to see how many of the oldies, like me, enjoy the night and how competitive those efforts can be.
The brain needs stimulation as you get older, and there’s no better way to exercise it than by having to think your way to winning a game of cards. Isn’t that something that young people will also benefit from? Even though my generation grew up in a different world where TV and computers hadn’t been invented yet, my kids now think they’re smarter because they can beat me on the computer. If they only knew what they are missing.