The Game - Quick & Easy
WE PLAY 2 LEARN
Game Ratings
FAMILY
9
YOUNG KIDS
6
OLDER KIDS
9
ADULTS
8
Overview
| Players | Playing Time | Best Age | Educational |
| 2 - 5 | 5 - 10 minutes | 8 - Adult | Math: Number Value |
| Skill | Luck | Strategy | Social | Game Type | Play Style |
| 40% | 60% | 30% | 70% | Limited Communication | Cooperative |
The Game - Quick & Easy is a fun and fast-paced game for the whole family. It's cooperative but with limited communication allowed between players. This will make it an interesting challenge to work through the game together. While not a deeply strategic game, the super fast setup and short play time make it a nice way to take a break between longer games. Or, as we've found, it's a great option for a couple quick games before bedtime.
The Game - Quick & Easy is a fun option to help reinforce number value for the numbers 1 through 10. It will help practice this for both increasing and deceasing order. Most kids just learning these numbers probably won't fully grasp the light strategy needed for this game, but would still have fun playing it.
- Comparing Versions of The Game
- The Original version and Quick & Easy are both cooperative, but Face to Face is a competitive 2 player game.
- The Original version uses numbers 1 - 100, Quick & Easy uses 1 - 10 (but in different colors), and Face to Face uses 1 - 60.
- Quick & Easy is lighter on strategy, but fast paced and only takes 5 - 10 minutes to play. The Original and Face to Face have a little more strategy but do take longer to play, typically 15 - 20 minutes.
There are actually multiple versions of The Game available. The original version is just called The Game. The newer versions are The Game: Quick & Easy and The Game: Face to Face. They all have the same basic mechanic of laying number cards onto piles in either ascending or descending order. But there are some key differences as well.
How to Play
LEARN THIS GAME IN OUR HOW TO PLAY VIDEO!
Official Rules
The official rules are available here.
Enhanced Rules
If you want to include younger kids in your games, make sure to check out the tip in our Custom Rules section.
FAQ
How many players?
- Playable with 2 to 5
- Best with 2 to 4
What ages can play?
- Playable for ages 5 to Adult
- Best for ages 8 to Adult
The base mechanic of this game is not complicated, kids as young as 5 can understand it. They will also be able to play much of the game without difficulty. Often a player will only have a single card they can play and young kids should be able to recognize this. However, kids at this younger age will run into trouble when they need to apply strategy. This may be when to play the "least worst" card, or when only a single card should be played but both cards are playable. And even though this game is cooperative, the other players can't really help younger kids without seeing the cards they have. Unfortunately, limiting communication is at the heart of this game, so seeing others cards would ruin the suspense of the game. However, the strategy in this game is fairly light so most kids will be able to handle it by age 8.
Can different skill levels or ages play together?
Yes, as long as kids are only enough to understand the light strategy required for this game they will be able to participate fully with adults.
How long does it take to play?
Only 5 - 10 minutes
Will we get bored after a few games or does it have good replayability?
Games are fast paced and fun. There is also enough luck involved to make each game different. So even though it may not be a game you would play all night, we often pull this game out for a few quick games in a row.
Setup/Cleanup
How much work is it?
Super low. Setup is simply shuffling the deck of number cards and placing out the two sequence cards.
Would kids be able to do it on their own?
As long as they can shuffle cards, then definitely yes.
Will parents have fun too...
...when playing with the kids?
Yes, we really enjoy playing this with our kids.
...without the kids?
Yes, especially those that like lighter strategy games.
Educational Value
What skills will this game help develop?
Math: Number Value
This game is all about playing cards in numerical order. One pile will be ascending, going from 1 to 10. The other pile will be descending, from 10 down to 1. So this game can provide fun practice for identifying the relative value of numbers.
But will my kids actually have fun playing it?
Yes, this game is fun and fast paced.
Custom Rules
Include Younger Kids
Ask kids for legal hints about their cards
Players are allowed to give limited hints about their cards to other players. These hints can include the color of cards and non-specific information about numbers. For example, "low", "medium", and "high" are allowed regarding card number, but anything that would tell the exact value is not allowed. So saying "I have a one" or "I have the lowest number" would be against the rules. Coordinating with other players using these hints is critical for having a chance to win. This is also the part of the game younger kids will struggle with the most. Therefore it's important than parents or older kids initiate this communication. On younger kids' turns, make sure to ask them for these allowed hints. Then show them how this information should be used to decide on the proper card to play.
Do you use custom rules we haven't thought of? If you have found some other ways to customize the rules, please share them with us through our Contact page. We're always interested in new ways to improve gameplay.
Where to Buy
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