Video games are not the only type of games teens can enjoy. A good card game can be a great opportunity for your teen not just to have fun, but to learn and bond with friends as well.
If your teen is always absorbed in an electronic game, you can have a change of pace with a card game. Most video games are also limited to a number of players. When friends visit, not everyone will be able to go online and play video games. So, card games are still the best bet to entertain everyone at birthday parties, special events, and gatherings.
Your teen is probably not interested in playing family-friendly board games or card games anymore. You can pique his or her interest with the following novel games that have elements that teens can definitely come to love:
1. Cards Against Humanity
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Why we like it: An exciting game with two sets of cards that is easy to play and has just the right amount of offensiveness to intrigue your teen.
If you have a moody teen whom you have trouble getting out of the room, just the name of this game would be enough to tempt them. [amazon link=”B004S8F7QM” title=”Cards”] Against Humanity is a thrilling and action-packed card game that can rival any hot video game title. It was developed as a party game for those rowdy New Year’s parties. Since then, the popularity has taken off. The game is set up as a massive good-versus-evil fight—you know, like in most video games. There are two sets of cards in the game, one black and one white.
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2. Codenames
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Why we like it: [amazon link=”B014Q1XX9S” title=”Codenames”] is an espionage card game that teens can love without it being plugged into a wall outlet. It’s great for entertaining groups.
This is the card game version of a spy thriller. It can be compared to playing a family classic like Clue, but it’s a tad bit more sophisticated, so your teen won’t cringe at this game. This game is designed to be played between two teams. Each team can have two to eight of players. The teams have spymasters who are tasked with catching a spy hidden among them. The team that catches its spy first wins. The spymaster gives out hints throughout the game to help members spot the spy. If it sounds complicated, it’s meant to be.
This is not a kiddie spy thriller, of course. Real life espionage ain’t simple, and neither is this game. The game has enough twists and turns that will make even La Carre proud. The game has three stacks of cards for maps, code names, and identities. It requires actually paying attention, so your teen won’t get bored. It’s a great game for groups of teens. Everyone can definitely enjoy playing tinker, tailor, soldier, or spy in just about any setting. Adults can join too. Your teen won’t be begging for the video game console when this game is available.3.
3. Pandemic Board Game
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Why we like it: This is the ultimate card game to test your ability to save the world from not one but multiple [amazon link=”B00A2HD40E” title=”pandemics”]. The game is unique in how much cooperation it requires.
This is a role-playing card game set in its own post-apocalyptic world ravaged by disease. Yes, it’s a tried out cliché, but have you ever played a zombie-type card game? If your teen loved franchises like Resident Evil or The Walking Dead, then they will definitely love this card game. Instead of staring at a TV screen, they will be playing a highly interactive game with other people. There are no actual zombies here, but the premise is intriguing: save humanity from four pandemics. The players will take on roles such as medics, scientists, and dispatchers.
Each game allows up to four players who take on vital roles in fighting back against the pandemic. It’s scientific and factual in a way that most zombie flicks aren’t. Players should make important decisions that will result in the pandemic getting wiped out, or getting worse. This is not an easy ‘pull a card out of a stack and win by chance’ game. Also, this game is unique because it’s based on cooperation rather than competition. Everyone must work together to save humanity. It’s a great opportunity to teach your teen some valuable life lessons too, without them knowing, of course.4.
4. Taboo Board Game
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Why we like it: It’s essentially charades, but with words instead of the mimes. Continuous playing will probably make your teen a lot smarter too.
If you’re looking for a [amazon link=”B06XYL6Y5C” title=”board game”] to make everyone laugh, then Taboo is the right choice. It’s the game of unspeakable fun. This is a fast-paced, fun game for large or small groups of people. It involves four or more players ages 13 and older.
This is an Amazon exclusive edition of the game, so even if you already have Taboo, this game will include even more fun. There are 450 game cards, including food and drink category ones that give additional options. The basis of the game is that if a player says a “forbidden word” on the card, then they get interrupted by the buzzer, and lose a turn. Everyone will enjoy racing against the timer in this game, especially teens.
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5. Disturbed Friends
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Why we like it: [amazon link=”B015HQYDJU” title=”This game”] has enough swear words and nasty suggestions in the exact sort of manner that teens love. It’s fun with a bad twist.
When a card game comes with the tagline “this game should be banned”, then you know it’s something your teen will die to get their hands on. The people behind the game even call it the “worst game ever made.” It’s a risqué enough franchise for offending friends or family in a safe setting where grudges won’t be held. There’s no guarantee that fights won’t break out though. As the title suggests, this is a game where players get to really disturb their friends. It contains offensive cartoons intended as satire for an evening of truly terrible name calling.
This game contains explicit language and crude suggestions, so it’s not intended for very young teens. It can be compared to Cards Against Humanity, but in this case, the players are going against their own friends. Well, sort of. The players take turns picking cards and reading aloud the written questions. Each question is provided with a set of answers. The player’s friends should decide which of the answers most fits the player. The answers are not what most people expect to hear. It’s definitely not innocent. But everyone gets to offend someone without really hurting them in what teens would call fun.
6. Electronic Catch Phrase Game
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Why we like it: This [amazon link=”B00D4NJS9O” title=”word-guessing”] game is like charades with a cool-looking gadget. If your teen is geeky and sharp-witted, he or she will love this game.
This is a guessing game made for the honestly geeky. The game comes with a little device that has an LED screen. The device is substituted for the traditional stack of cards. The game starts when the little device is activated. The players are split into two teams. The word-generating device gets passed around from player to player. The person holding the device has to get the other players on their team to guess the word. In a nutshell, it’s charades for gadget lovers. It’s perfect for young teens too used to electronic gadgets.
This game resembles Taboo, but there are no unspeakable words. The device also has a timer, so the players have to guess before the timer runs out. The team that’s holding the device when the timer goes off loses the game. So unlike with taboo, the word guessing has to be done quite fast. It would be quite the pull for the linguistically gifted and those interested in wordplay. Thanks to the gadget involved, it’s easy to get young teens to play without complaining of boredom. Once the game starts, it can really get going.
7. Monopoly Deal
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Why we like it: It’s Monopoly, but [amazon link=”B00NQQTZCO” title=”with a twist”]. If you are tired of being dealt a bad hand, you can just steal property and demand money from others.
This is the card version of the classic board game, and it’s absolute heaps of fun. Monopoly is suited for all ages and Deal is too. But teens will be better able to understand it and enjoy it. Deal is intended for two to five players. It’s actually more fun than the board game, which involves rolling dice and depending on chance. In this game, the players earn properties and can rent them out or swap to win. The fun twist here is that players can steal property and extort other people with demands for money with action cards.
So, this is not necessarily the “family-friendly” monopoly game everyone plays on Thanksgiving. But the teens will definitely love the new aspects Deal brings to becoming a real estate mogul. Unlike the classic version, this version is never anything but fun. If a player is running out of money or good cards, then the player can shake down other players to win. Teens love being bad, so this is definitely a great chance to do so without any real consequences. Deal is exciting, intriguing, and retains the timeless appeal of the original board game. Adults can pitch in too.
8. 100 Assorted Pokémon Trading Cards
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Why we like it: From the beloved [amazon link=”B000WD3XBI” title=”Pokémon”] franchise, this is possibly the most successful trading card game in history. It’s a great social game that never really ends.
This is the ultimate card game that had legions of obsessed fans trading furiously in the nineties, arguably the greatest decade to be a teenager. The Pokémon franchise has never gone out of style. If your teen is a Pokémon lover, get a stack of these trading cards. Each pack comes with 100, and there could be a rare card in there. This is not a card game that can be played sitting down for an hour. It’s not a short game, per se. It involves collecting cards over a long period of time and trading for equally long periods of time.
Trading card games are great for teens to bond with their peers and others who share similar interests. It also involves doing a bit of math, and a lot of bartering. The card game never ends. The Pokémon trading card game is actually a worldwide craze. Some of the rare cards in the game even go up for auction on eBay for truly indecent amounts of money. If your teen can master the game, he or she could really have a jackpot in the future. The trading card game is as much fun as collecting Pokémon in the actual game. Your teen won’t be able to turn away.
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9. Drunk, Stoned or Stupid [A Party Game]
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Why we like it: If you want your teen to experience drunk or stoned shenanigans without actually drinking or getting stoned and being in harm’s way, this [amazon link=”B00V155S46″ title=”board game”] is the best.
No responsible parents want their teens to get actually drunk or stoned and act stupid. Drunk, Stoned or Stupid is the safest way to do all three without involving any actual alcohol or drugs. It’s a great party game for kids and is definitely intended as such. This is a card game built around crazy shenanigans that the intoxicated usually get up to. But doing anything really harmful is not at all necessary. The game is sort of a less gross version of spin the bottle. Any number of people can play. One person is appointed the judge and reads aloud from the cards provided.
The players should then decide which one in the group is most likely to do the things described on the card. It’s not all about pointing fingers. The players should provide “evidence”, such as past antics the accused may have gotten up to that resembles the activity described on the card. The judge can then decide to accept an accusation. Players who make successful accusations get points, sort of. The game is not competitive. It’s a fun bonding game where friends can gather around and make fun of each other. And it’s risqué enough for teens to love without actually harming themselves.