Anitra Smith is the managing editor of The Family Gamers, and co-host of The Family Gamers Podcast.
Explore the reviews and podcasts she has contributed to.
I really enjoyed the tight, back-and-forth nature of this duel. Even with so few cards in your hand, you’ll have to work hard to predict what your opponent will do, and try to counter it, or try to surprise them.
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All paintings start as color and line. Color Field lets us play with matching up colors in an artistic framework.
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One of the calmest games I’ve ever played is A Gentle Rain, which I discovered in 2022, and is now back in print with a new publisher.
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If you have kids in school, you’ve probably heard of the “summer slide” or summer learning loss. The best way to keep your kids from losing math and reading skills is to use them! So let’s talk about five games that will give some practice.
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I’ve never thought a mushroom was *cute*. Then I played Mycelia.
It’s a lovely game with sentient mushroom “heroes”, who will help you remove the dewdrops from your forest.
We recommend Mind Up! for families; but not for kids under 8. You’ll bid cards from your hand to acquire cards on the table… but the cards you bid become the cards you might get next turn!
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It’s June, kicking off “convention season” for a lot of people. So, we’re sharing our best tips for navigating conventions with kids.
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Compile is a two-player card dueling game with just 18 cards on each side, but a huge variety of possibilities! Why do Andrew and Anitra enjoy it so much?
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Place your marker on a graph to get other players to guess which word is yours! Mind Map is a party clueing and guessing game that’s best for nerdy families and small friend groups.
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We chose five games from 2023 (and the first half of 2024) that come in small boxes but pack a big punch!
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We’ve played this game before, and others like it. But we’d never tried something quite like this with our kids.
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It’s been six years since we devoted a podcast to this topic. So let’s revisit: Why do we play games with our kids?
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Ten word games in a small box, with an intuitive card design. Is Tapple 10 right for your family?
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Sherlock Holmes doesn’t really work alone – he works best when Dr. Watson is beside him. Sherlock Solitaire is the same way: it can be played solo, but is more fun as a two player cooperative game.
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We’re excited to welcome back our friend Marc Specter! We’ll talk about his current Kickstarter and lots of other games coming soon.
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A game that’s light on rules – but someone MUST act as a countdown timer and be “mean” to make this game fun.
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In Flashback: Lucy, Scorpion Masqué didn’t bother calming your nerves, but leaned into creepiness instead of a light-hearted adventure.
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This is definitely the kind of casual game a non-board game family will lean into. Doomlings is a fantastic game to get on the table after a family meal, and it’s easy to teach even while you play it.
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This week, we’re talking “slider games”. These are bite-sized, ultra-fast games that you can play in 10 minutes or less!
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