6. Forbidden Island

In this episode, we have another family game recommendation: Forbidden Island.

Forbidden Island, published in 2010 by Gamewright, is a cooperative game where the players work together to explore a mysterious island, find its treasures, and escape before the island floods. If you’re successful, then everybody wins! If not, well, in my house, we usually want to play again to see if we can beat the game. I never played a cooperative board game when I was a kid, but I wish I had. Instead of competing with your dad or your brother, you’re helping each other out, working together to beat the game. No one gets their feelings hurt when they lose, everyone gets to celebrate when they win, and there’s some bonding that happens when you’re helping each other face a tough challenge. Forbidden Island is a great introduction to the world of cooperative games.