Don’t forget about board games.

All too often in our busy lives, we forget the simplicity of a game with friends.

In an age in which everything is digitized, it can be easy to forget the value of a face to face evening with friends. Board games can be an easy way to rekindle those experiences. Any game, in general, can actually have this effect. As long as face to face time is being facilitated, there is something to gain.

It is time to dust off those old board games and reinvest in the hours of fun you used to have as a kid.

There is something to be said for an evening in with friends. A big reason to play board games is that they require a community. It is hard to find even a two-player game.

So call your friends and invite them over for drinks. Split a bottle of cheap wine while looking over the instructions of whatever game was on sale at Target. Maybe serve some hummus. It won’t be long before flushed cheeks and laughter fill your apartment.

People often forget how relaxing it is to be among friends without the pressure of looking perfect to go out, paying for overpriced drinks at a club or trying to find a seat at a bar. Heaven forbid, you actually want to talk to your friends at any of these venues. Staying in and playing board games is a low stakes fun way to spend an evening with your friends that you might not have had in awhile.

Board games also help create memories. Are you really going to remember the hour and a half you sat in a movie theater to watch a romantic comedy?

Probably not.

But do you know what you will remember? The time your best friend took the last of the blue properties you were collecting throughout the entire game of Monopoly.

Sidenote: Monopoly is a game that destroys friendships.

A game that builds friendships is The Game Of Things. This game relies on how well you know your friends. It is a card game in which players fill in their personal responses, and the players have to guess who said what. It builds camaraderie, inside jokes and positive memories.

Players are engaged with each other when playing games. It can be refreshing to forget that your phone exists. It is hard to play a strategy game like Settlers of Catan while Snapchatting your rum and coke. So few other recreational activities give you this opportunity.

This is not to say that technology cannot facilitate these experiences.

There are multiple apps that allow these same kind of experiences.

Download the app Heads Up and enjoy a simple game similar to Taboo. This game involves putting a smartphone on your forehead that has an animal or a song on it, and players have to get you to guess what is on your forehead. The game does not keep score, so you are not competing with anyone but the timer. It creates a friendly environment where competition is not hostile. It is great for familiarizing yourself with new people. ­­

Board games and such are not only limited to playing with people you know.

Games are great for getting to know people better.

So invite your somewhat distant co-workers over for a game of Pictionary.

You will build rapport fast when working together. Basically, playing board games is great social lubrication. It provides the excuse to hang out and start conversations.

We are lucky that we are basking in the age of craft board games. Today there are more options to choose from than Scrabble or Yahtzee.

To find more obscure games, check out Fresno’s very own games shop, Crazy Squirrel Game Store, located at 464 E. Bullard Ave.