Christmas Day is a day for spending with your family, so what better way to do so than play a few board games, and come together in mutual squabbling, suspicion and ultimate loathing.
But which games to choose? Here's a definitive* ranking of the top ten.
(*By definitive we mean wholly subjective).
10 - Snakes and Ladders
Case For- An easy game to play involving no skill at all, meaning any loss is solely down to luck, rather than personal limitations.
Case Against - Any victory is solely down to luck, rather than personal virtues.
9 - Hungry Hungry Hippos
Case For - One of the few games in which you can play with a young child and not feel bad about subsequently defeating/crushing. Is quick.
Case Against - Loud.
8 - Balderdash
Case For - Plenty of room for laughs/farce.
Case Against - Likely to cause fights that may last years.
7 - Risk
Case For - Indulges the wanton conqueror in us all.
Case Against - Extremely difficult to explain to first-time players.
6 - Trivial Pursuit
Case For - Chance to show off your general knowledge. Allows content producers to write that Chasing Success At Trivial Pursuit Is Anything But A Trivial Pursuit.
Case Against - Frequent defeat can be soul-destroying.
5 - Articulate
Case For - The game on this list most likely to lead to absurdist, time-pressured explanations.
Case Against - The reliance on a teammate has the potential to destroy friendships.
4 - Cluedo
Case For: Rewards logical thinking. In terms of length of a game, it is ideal. Barring any Father Ted-style errors.
Case Against - At least one player/content producer will crack said Father Ted-style joke.
3 - Chess
Case For - The Greatest Game Of All.
Case Against - Involves a lot of thinking after a lot of food and booze. Encourages paranoia among families.
2 - Scrabble
Case For - The ultimate game for showing off fancy words. See below.
Case Against - Players are beholden to the eternal caprice of xs and zs.
1 - Monopoly
Case For - An all-time classic that is simply sensational to play. Rules can be manipulated to suit the differing commitment of families.
Case Against - Has encouraged the neoliberal/capitalist economy that has caused mass inequality across the world, leading to a number of destructive world events including the election of a proto-facist moron as president of the United States whose rank incompetence had the potential to tip the world into a period of unparalleled international crisis. Goes on for a bit.
Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Irish Christmas Number Ones?
