The BlockBuster Party Game was introduced to me this weekend, and my friends and I loved it so much we got two noise complaints out of it. Jokes aside, I was raised in a household that expected me to be able to pick up on obscure movie references at any time, so this game was perfect for me. 

The premise of the game is to have two teams of two (this is not a hard and fast rule, my friends and I modified team sizes a number of ways) and compete to collect cards of varying genres. You need a card from each genre to win, and you collect cards by acting out the movie, giving a one-word clue, and saying a line from the movie.  

In order to get the cards you try to get your team to guess, you must compete in a head-to-head speed round against the other team. The winner draws six cards and picks the three they would like to keep, giving the remaining three to the other team. 

There are many more rules that I won’t get into, but the game is fairly self-explanatory and easy to play. One of my favorite aspects is that you have to deduce what movies your team would be able to guess, what movies you know, and what movies your team might know.  

I ran into the situation of keeping movies that I knew, but also giving the other team movies they knew that I had never heard of. I had a lot of fun playing the game and found that the wealth of movie knowledge that I have can be hard to relay to friends (and maybe family). 

This game was especially good for me as an objective-based person. I work well with goals and to have each round have a goal along with the bigger focus of winning by getting one of each of the eight genres is a really clear motivator for me. 

I love board games and I think that they are a great way to bring people together. Games like these especially are able to connect others because you learn about how those around you express themselves, how they think, and what they know.  

My parents and I watched movies a lot together growing up, and I have movie nights with my friends a lot now. Despite sleeping through a lot of the movies, I love that it brings us together through quality time and developing common knowledge, bases and interests.  

These experiences are great ways to bond with those around you and uncover deeper friendships through cheap and fun experiences at home. I would recommend this, or any board game to college students looking to make friends. 

Maya Kurth is a sophomore public relations major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at mkurth@eiu.edu.