The Game of Life

Well most of our activities have started up again, except that this week, the kids have both Monday and Tuesday off of school.  I've been trying to give Trevor a little of a break because from now until Spring Break it is going to be busy and a lot of homework and such.  So today we had a game hour where he picked out a game for us to play.  I was willing to play Life and it is not an old game, so there have been a few updates, but for the most part it is the way I remember it.  I explained to Trevor the rules of the game, namely that you don't actually pick your career, but you draw it, and if you draw on that requires a degree and go around the degree path, you don't get to keep it. 

I actually played the game the way I normally do, which is to go around the college path, and not get insurance.  Trevor drew the "entertainer" career card, and then drew the $100,000 payday card.  Um...sweet....Lucky guy.  I drew the doctor card but then I drew the $60,000 payday card.  Not looking good for me.  So the "entertainer" got through marriage, got a log cabin (so he didn't owe that much to get his house, only $60,000) and twins before I even had my career.  At this point, he said he was getting tired of having the $100,000 bills so he first asked for two $50,000.  Then the next time, he said he wanted three $20,000s and four $10,000s.  It took all my strength not to laugh and remark how much like me he sounded when he said that.  Actually, I'm surprised he didn't fight be to be the banker.  Although maybe that's because when he plays Monopoly or his own game of Life, he always gets to be the banker.

I got a slightly nicer house, and twins myself, but then Trevor got another set of twins.  He made it all the way to retirement without any big hits of payments.  I, of course, got hit with two house events that had I had insurance, I wouldn't have to pay for, and another car accident that I did not have insurance for as well. 

So after waiting for me to finish, and retiring myself, I discovered that at retirement, there wasn't anything remarkable that happens.  When everyone makes it to retirement, you make sure you pay off your loans but then count up your money.  I had thought in the older games you got money for the number of kids you had and such.  Not this game.  Trevor had two sets of twins and I only had one.  Nothing about the kind of house you had or anything.  There are life tiles that need to be counted, but with Trevor's salary, I couldn't catch up.  He won, without much fanfare, gave me the "good game" and we left it at that. 

It was a great time to be able to play a low key game and have some fun with the guy before the long stretch of stuff coming up.