Encourage Wordless Synchronization
- What: The Mind Card Game
- When: 8 years and up
- Why: Fun, novel concept, compact
- Where: Amazon
Need a new card game the whole family can play? Want a cooperative card game that doesn’t pit players against one another? If you’d like a quiet yet entertaining game, try The Mind.
This card game has a very simple premise, though it can take a bit to adjust to the lack of rules. Made for two to four players, each person gets the same number of cards as the level. Levels go from one to twelve in ascending order. In the first round, which corresponds to level one, each player gets dealt one card. For the second round at level two, each player must play two cards each. All the cards in the dealing deck come numbered from one to 100, with only one card for each number. The goal of the game is to make it through all the levels.
The challenge? Without talking or gesturing, lay down the cards in numerical order. Players can go in any order, laying down their lowest numbered card. Players work together to try and solve the challenge, and start with a selection of life cards. Lose a life by placing numbered cards out of numerical sequence. Lose all your life cards and lose the game. Players also start with one throwing star, which can be used when all players indicate agreement by raising their hand. When used, throwing stars allow each player to discard their lowest card, and you can earn more by completing certain levels. The level you need to reach to win the game depends on the number of players. Two players must complete all twelve levels and start with two lives. Three players only need to finish ten levels and start with three lives. Four players only have to survive eight levels and get four lives at the beginning of the game.
The best part? Players can’t communicate in any way about their cards. It requires a fair amount of concentration once you figure out a strategy, so it reduces the noise level during game time dramatically. As a card game, it takes up very little space to store, and only requires a flat surface where all players can see the cards to play. It can be completed in 15-20 minutes, or less depending on how well players do. Finally, it requires all players to concentrate and pay attention to the game. While younger kids who can reliably count to 100 can play with no help, they may lose interest or get frustrated by the lack of communication. Kids ages eight and up usually have no trouble understanding the rules and find the concept intriguing.
If you want to set your kids up to discover a secret language or even just to pay closer attention to each other, this game is the ticket. Get a copy and start playing in your house today and see if your family can meld their minds and master this card game.
Practically Apparent 