Move over, Monopoly: Try these new board games

Board games — the old-fashioned kind where

you sit around a table and actually talk to each other — are doing very

well in today's economy and electronic world.

"Sales are definitely up," says Casey Sartain of the Tutoring Toy store in Foothill Village.

When you think about it, he says, there are few things that offer as

much value. "You can play games over and over forever, and everyone can

play together, so you get to spend family time. A lot of families are

trying to spend more time together, and games are a great way to do it."

Matt Molen, vice president of marketing for SimplyFun, which sells

games through home parties and online, agrees. "You're not really

playing games as much as you are creating experiences," he says. "Play

is how children learn; the interaction of games can teach important

life skills, but they also make memories."

How many times do you sit down to play, he asks, and you talk about

other times you've played or funny things that have happened during

games?

"Games teach great lessons in sportsmanship and learning skills that

you don't even realize," says Jennie Long, a spokeswoman for Hasbro

Games, which has an initiative encouraging families to hold regular

game nights. "Everyone has such busy schedules, but games allow you

time to re-connect and bond."

One of the misconceptions many people have, Molen says, is that

games take a long time to play. Some do. "But you can play a lot of

family games in a half-hour or 20 minutes."

Mike Compton, manager of Game Night Games in Sugar House, has also