Play with me

Have you embarked on playing a game that your kid has made up?  It is an odyssey like no other. They have poured a lot of time into the project. They've put a lot of time into making up the rules and the point of the game.  However, it is not always easy to learn those rules.  I'm not great at remembering or learning rules for games from a package in the first place, but understanding how to win the games they want me to play has challenged me in new ways.

Play school with me. Like this. Exactly in this way.

Which way?

This way.

Oh, okay...

No. Not that way, this way.

It is hard not  to cast doubt or raise obvious questions in a parental killjoy manner.  To extinguish the tiny furtive sparks of excitement is not my idea of fun, but playing games I don't understand makes me feel like I'm being dragged around a mall in too hot clothes at the height of Christmas shopping season-overstimulated and bored at the same time.

Some made up games instantly work, like describing aloud the scariest monster or alien you can think of or Brains (the instructions are a little nuanced, but trust me, it's fun). Those games are easy to understand and very fun to participate in.

Others, well, the convoluted point of the game and instructions are designed in such a way because it sounds good, but would be a real test to actually follow to the letter.  Let's just say they are in development. However, as a parent, I am more than willing to fund the research and development of these potential games with peanut butter sandwiches and heat and supplies.  I 'd rather sit out the market testing portion of the research.

How about you? What made up games have worked?