Snakes and ladders
I am sure some people must have been harbouring malintent when they introduced modernised versions of the old faithful games, the ones we grew up with and loved as children. I am talking here about snakes and ladders. Today’s version is no longer played with a small cardboard fold-up board, rather a plastic sheet that takes up a whole dining-room table. And I am sure there are many more snakes than there used to be. I seem to remember games only lasting about 10 minutes as a child. However, this latest version now goes on for three or four times longer than that. It is incredibly frustrating to be at number 59 and find oneself at the start again, at 94 and be back to 26 or worse, at 99, so close to the finish, and be back at 80. For those unfamiliar with the game, when one lands on a snake’s head, they travel back down the snake to the new number. Conversely, there are ladders too, that accelerate one’s position. I just rechecked the board and found there are actually more ladders, nine, as opposed to eight snake heads. Now this could very well be the same version as the one we played as children, but I don’t recall ever becoming this frustrated with it.
When Willow, my seven-year-old granddaughter, asked for a game, I willingly obliged and actually enjoyed the first 20 minutes or so. That was, until I was repeatedly thrust down the snake’s head. It felt like we would never finish.
So, this morning, filled with a little mischief myself, I told Stephen that he would have to play with Willow next time. It would be his punishment. I am not sure for what, but it certainly felt that this game was not an enjoyable one. So, after our morning walk Stephen happily obliged. I watched the two of them play and I could see Stephen’s enjoyment, as he counted ahead, willing his dice not to land on the number that would take him down a snake’s head. And I watched as his joy also turned to frustration. Just like me he had been caught. At some point, the game no longer becomes enjoyable, rather a frustrating, never-ending, hell.
I just Googled a traditional game, which incidentally, can be bought online and it is definitely different from Willow’s one. Further searching showed many different variations. As I said, I think the makers of this one had a little mischief planned. It could definitely give Monopoly a run for its money in terms of time taken to play the game but sits streets ahead of any other game in terms of frustration.
I did wonder at some point whether it was just because I was getting old that I found the game so annoying. Willow loves it. But after realising that this is a different version from the ones we played as kids I can see that is not the case. Like everything in life, there needs to be a balance – one between good and bad, light and dark. Too much of one thing is hard, especially when that is negative. I can understand that when a company wants to copy a traditional game such as this there may be copyright laws and thus the game needs to be different. Perhaps someone sitting at a computer thought if they moved a snake a couple of places to the left or right, this would get past that obstacle, without actually trying the game to see how it worked.
Whatever the reason, I am over this version of snakes and ladders. Give me chess, draughts, checkers, fox and geese – anything. Just not those damned snake’s heads.