Game: Memory

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teufen — 2008-10-06T08:23:53+00:00

Sound Memory variant (Ravensburger)

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Blakera — 2008-08-30T23:26:39+00:00

Polish Edition - Game Tiles

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Blakera — 2008-08-30T23:23:38+00:00

Polish Edition - BoxFront & Tile Tray

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Blakera — 2008-08-30T23:21:00+00:00

Polish Edition - BoxFront

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rober — 2008-08-12T08:57:29+00:00

special memory published by the Dutch Apple Cultivators

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Stormparkiet — 2008-07-21T15:37:29+00:00

Nature Memory: inside of the box.

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Stormparkiet — 2008-07-21T15:34:56+00:00

Nature version of memory: a childhood relic.

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zwobot — 2008-07-08T13:21:21+00:00

Thread: Re: A memorable game with Grandpa

MisterG — 2008-06-20T22:04:28+00:00

Great story, and yes, that is one gorgeous child you have. I agree that boardgaming is a great way to socialize within the family, and I thank my parents (all those many years ago) for having enabled and encouraged my wargaming habit...er, hobby. Recently, I turned them on to a copy of Carcassonne to spice up our social gatherings (as well as those of them and their friends in their retirement community).

I only worry that I may have created a monster.

Thread: Re: A memorable game with Grandpa

domcrap — 2008-06-20T16:13:37+00:00

m_hamburg wrote:
My dad still didn’t get the most matches, though the score was much closer. But that didn’t really matter- this experience was much more than the game itself, and certainly more than the final score.

Thanks for this great story. I wish more gamers felt the same way about the experiece created by the game being more important than the game itself.

Thread: Re: A memorable game with Grandpa

radsailor — 2008-06-20T11:50:26+00:00

fabulous picture. Keep it forever. Your daughter is beautiful !!!

Thread: A memorable game with Grandpa

m_hamburg — 2008-06-17T00:11:45+00:00

I love BoardGameGeek, but I have to admit that it can sometimes cause me to be a bit of a snob when it comes to games. My kids have a closet full of games in yellow Haba boxes. The blue Ravensburger triangle is a familiar sight in our house. I’m pleased when my five-year-old asks about the different languages in the Frechdachs rule book or when she calls Chicken Cha Cha Cha by its German name.

My parents are not so enlightened- trips to their house expose my kids to games purchased at Target and Toys ‘R Us. And that’s not so bad- my dad and my daughter recently reminded me that it’s the experiences of playing, not the games themselves, that make our hobby great.

I had promised my mom that I’d fix something on her computer so my five-year-old and I made the trek to my parents’ house. While I was showing my mom how to use the new software that I’d installed, I turned my daughter over to my dad for childcare.

My daughter is obsessed with games, so she quickly went to the game closet and convinced my dad to play. First up was The Ladybug Game, which my dad won handily, but they were soon playing the Dora the Explorer version of Memory.

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From the other room, I heard “Grandpa, I have ten matches and you don’t have any!”

A while later it was “I have twenty two matches and you only have one!”

Finally, “I have all of these and you only have two! I just keep getting all of the matches!”

My father is pretty devoted to his grandchildren, so he agreed to play another game despite this humiliating defeat. This game started out like the last, my daughter quickly made a couple of matches and was in the lead. My dad realized that it was time to change tactics - he turned over a tile and said “it’s the Purple People eater!”

My daughter burst out laughing. “No, Grandpa! That’s Backpack!”

He then turned over another tile and said “it’s a horse on a stick.”

More peels of laughter- “Grandpa! That’s a merry-go-round horse!”

“It’s the green monster!”

“Grandpa- that’s Isa!”

The game continued this way of a while, with lots of bursts of laughter. I also noticed that my dad had more than two pairs this time. And my five-year-old was not making as many matches as usual- the silliness was hurting her concentration and helping my dad remember the characters. My dad still didn’t get the most matches, though the score was much closer. But that didn’t really matter- this experience was much more than the game itself, and certainly more than the final score.

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Looking for the Purple People Eater

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m_hamburg — 2008-06-16T11:37:57+00:00

The master playing Dora the Explorer Memory

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m_hamburg — 2008-06-15T15:52:29+00:00

My daughter playing Memory with my dad. She's smiling because she's winning.

Thread: Re: Am I a bad father?

Engineer Dad — 2008-03-12T10:34:34+00:00

I'm playing the memory game with my 3 and 5 year old kids. It's quite the struggle for me to recall where pieces are (14 months ago I suffered two head injuries and have severe problems remembering anything).

They both really enjoy playing. I don't need to let them win.

Thread: Re: Am I a bad father?

Mozart78 — 2008-02-19T03:05:03+00:00

This is an interesting question...as a father of a young child, I often wonder how I, a competitive gamer, will deal with this situation.

I'm not sure we should view letting our children win from time to time as "throwing the game" to them. The way I see it, there could be two benefits from allowing them to beat us in a game:

1.) They get to see the see-saw of multiple games, that is to say, "sometimes you win and sometimes I win." Sure, we could probably beat our children 100% of the time at Memory, but that wouldn't be the case if we were playing with equals, which is what our children will soon be (if not ahead of us!)

2.) If we beat them over and over, resolving never to allow them to win, I just don't see how that will encourage them to keep playing. Sure, with stubborn people like me, I want to keep playing till I beat you, but not everyone is wired that way. Others would just chalk losing at games up to fate, and be done with them altogther...and that would make very poor use of our immense game collections!

Just my .02

Thread: Re: Am I a bad father?

eightbit — 2008-02-18T04:08:30+00:00

Fairer Sex wrote:
What is the point of throwing a game to your child? What are you teaching them by doing that?That is what I was struggling with. I did not throw the game. I don't agree with giving children a free ride. But I also believe in positive reinforcement and rewards. I do play differently when I play with a child. I also play differently with a newbie or with an expert. I play differently when there is money on the table. I play differently with family than with my game groups.

Thread: Re: Am I a bad father?

fender1499 — 2008-02-18T00:48:21+00:00

Good post, I always play to win. My daughter is only 3, she loves Dora and we have this game as well. We will play against each other for awhile but eventually we will turn Dora Memory into a Co-op game, congratulating each other after each match. This is a nice alternative when the attention span starts to go and you just want to get the game over with.

Thread: Re: Am I a bad father?

Fairer Sex — 2008-02-17T23:55:43+00:00

What is the point of throwing a game to your child? What are you teaching them by doing that?

Thread: Re: Am I a bad father?

ytter — 2008-02-17T23:52:01+00:00

I have one friend who never, ever throws a game against his kids. He will always do his best to win. He says then if they ever beat him at something they will really know that they beat him, and get the sense of accomplishment.

Me personally, I continually ask myself the same question you are asking.

Thread: Am I a bad father?

eightbit — 2008-02-17T21:22:06+00:00

So I played a game of Dora Memory with my almost 6 yr old today. She started out doing very well. There are 72 cards to match. She kept getting up but then she would come back and I'd flip over a new card and she remembered where she had already seen it and made the match. At first I struggled with wondering if I should let her win but when she jumped out to a very large early lead I didn't think that I could beat her. I made every match I could just so that the game wouldn't last all afternoon. Late in the game she started to struggle. We may have met the end of her attention span. I had to decide whether to let her win or play my best. Through out the game I played my best and ended beating her 20 pairs to 17. The reason I decided to play to win was she kept saying things like "I have to win", and "I really want to win". So she was disappointed she didn't win but she wants to play again so that she can win. So hopefully I made the right choice and she learns from it without getting discouraged.

Thread: Your child might beat you

droberts441 — 2008-01-14T08:40:06+00:00

I hadn't played this game with my son in awhile. He is eight years old, and we were looking up on the game shelf for something to play, and he wanted to play it, so I got it out.

We played with the Milton Bradley Original Memory Game version. We also have Finding Nemo and Bob the Builder versions he received as gifts over the years, and I need to sell them, but this is the one he likes now. I think it helps that this version is on a Nintendo Gameboy game with Chutes and Ladders and Candyland that we own (that should have been my first warning; he has probably played this game on the Gamboy more recently than I have played).

Whenever we had played before, we always reduced the cards from 72 to 36 to make it a little easier (as suggested in the rules). He is eight now (2 more than the 3-6) on the box, so we put out all 72 cards in an eight by nine grid.

With 72 cards, it takes a few turns before any matches are made. My son started out strong after about the eighth turn. He went on a roll. He had 8 pairs in no time to my none. I wasn't even letting him win as I often do with games.

Well now I had to get serious. I can't let my eight year old beat me at this game without help. There is very little chance in this game. There is some luck on what cards you pick up, but it is mainly a skill of watching all the cards and memory (name of the game right?). It is one thing to lose a game of Sorry! or Candyland to my son, but this might hurt my pride

I was merciless. If he was one card off from the right place, I jumped at the match. We were even for a few pairs, but then as the amount of cards decreased, my mercilessness paid off. I started to come back. With three pairs left (9 cards), he made a mistake and I jumped at the match. We play if you make a match you get to keep going (as stated in the rules that came with this version), so I easily grabbed the last 2 pairs as well. We totaled the pairs up. He had 17 and I had 19; I had won it with the last 3 pairs.

After my win I felt a little guilty, but my son didn’t mind. He was so close to winning; he wanted a rematch. So we mixed up the cards and started game 2.

This time, I started out real strong, so I backed off a bit. If he missed a match by one card, I didn’t pounce, and I gave him another shot his next turn. My mercy killed me. I only did that for a few turns, and he took full advantage. He got lucky with a total random match (he even said “Wow that was lucky!” which actually made me proud he grasped that fact), and then went on a run at the end of the game to finish me off 21 pairs to 15.

When you are around your children all the time, sometimes you don’t see how much they grow (it is always the relative or friend who sees it). When you play a game it is kind of like a snapshot. I hadn’t played him this game in a couple of years, and now he was amazing. After playing this game I realized how much his mind is developing. Of course my son got a different lesson from the game. I beat dada!

Thread: Re: My Daugher <2 Years Old Won The Game Fair and Square!!!

Eric Brosius — 2008-01-06T22:56:01+00:00

Kurt,

Small children are known to be good at the memory game. My theory is that everything you learn after the age of 2 is just clutter that makes it harder to focus on where those cards are!

Thanks for the SR.

Thread: My Daugher <2 Years Old Won The Game Fair and Square!!!

p38_Lightning — 2008-01-06T20:19:54+00:00

WOW! Madison who is not yet 2 years old just won "The Wiggles Memory Game." I am not joking or exaggerating. She won fair and square without any help. I am still in awe.

The memory game is a card game with all of the cards face down. You drawn 2, trying to get a match such as two cards with Dorthy or both cards picturing Jeff Wiggle.

To shorten the game I removed all of the cards that didn't have a picture of a character, that way Maddy recognized all of the pictures. That meant we were drawing from a pile of 16 cards. Maddy would pick up a card and I'd ask her who was on the card. She'd reply "DORTHY!" or "Cap Fe-sord" (Captain Feathersword). If her second card wasn't a match, I'd make her put both cards back. She seemed to catch on to this game mechanic quickly and after a few turns would toss her cards down the way toddlers do when it wasn't a match.

What can I say, she got lucky. I lost to my daughter who is 3 days shy of her second birthday. My 4 year old was playing too, so I wasn't the only loser.

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The 4-year old making sure that she really was beaten.

In all seriousness it was amazing to watch. She would pick a card from the pile, reach down and grab the match. Then a turn without a match but the next one she'd match again.

The final score was 4-2-2. I really only had one match. I just happen to go last when there were only two cards left. Funny thing is, I was really trying.

This was one of the proudest moments of my parenting life!

Thread: Re: "Spiderman, Spiderman, same"

Helenoftroy — 2007-11-12T17:04:03+00:00

Ah, but Memory fails you, I see.

It's "Spider-Man."

Spider-Man and Friends

Thread: Re: "Spiderman, Spiderman, same"

timstellmach — 2007-11-12T14:43:22+00:00

Ah, but Memory fails you, I see.

It's "Spider-Man."

Thread: "Spiderman, Spiderman, same"

Helenoftroy — 2007-11-12T13:30:55+00:00

Welcome to another after breakfast game session with Jakob.

Like any other morning, Jakob started chanting game after he finished his bowl of cerel.

"Happy Feet," I asked

"No Happy Feet," he said.

"Ice."

"Huh," he thought for a minute, "no ice."

"Spiderman Matching Game."

A smile came over his face as he thought about it, "Matting Game, Spiderman!"

I went to the closet, stacked the deck a little, putting each pair next to the other, taking only around 15 tiles, putting in the characters that I know he knows and likes. Needless to say, there were many Spiderman.

Jakob started swinging his arms as I layed the tiles face down.

"Wait Jakob. We need to find the matching one, the one's that are the same. Watch Mommy and Daddy."

Hilary and I played a few turns before he realized the matches were side by side so we could show Jakob quicker.

Back and forth, we showed him the pairs saying, "They match. They are the same," and Jakob would tell us who was on the tile. "Cap', Hulk, Spiderman, Spider, Spider, Spider."

We did this until only three pairs where left. Iron Man, Spiderman, and a Spider.

Jakob picked up the first two tiles and yelled "Spiderman, Spiderman, Spiderman, same."

"That's right Jakob. They are the same," and we all clapped.

He didn't like the Iron Man tile, so we put it away, and with the rest of the tiles, Jakob built a little Spiderman stacking shire lining up all the Spiderman tiles.

"Same, same."

"Yes, Jakob. Those are all Spiderman."

Thread: A Great Game For Young And Old ALike

Wyll — 2007-10-17T13:16:52+00:00

Princess S is my youngest and at a 3, she began to ask if she could play games with me. I expected her to ask to play “Barbies” or “Tea Party” (in which case, I get to be Colonel Douglas Mortimer, a soft spoken bounty hunter looking for the killer of his sister… who likes to drink tea). Instead, Princess S began to point to the game closet and list off a few games she wanted to try.

I smiled and was pretty happy I had another game geek on my hands. I went into the closet and pulled out Memory (Animal Families version). I set it up, explained the rules and prepared to show Princess S my “game domination”.

Three losses later, I realized that my game geek ego is now threatened by not one, but two of my daughters.

Initial Thoughts

Memory is a game that has been around for quite a long time. Many of played versions of it. When I was little, I can remember taking a pack of playing cards, laying them all out and trying to match them up.

This is a game that almost everyone can play and it’s a game all children should try to learn.

Object Of The Game

The player with the most matched pairs at the end of the game wins.

Components

Memory has no less than 17 different varieties (not to mention cool variations such as Twelve Teepees Memory, which I proudly own and play). However, most versions come with 72 cards (36 matching pairs) and a storage tray.

One thing that I really like about the cards is they are sturdy. We’re not just talking “plastic coated playing card” sturdy, we’re talking “thick, hard cardboard that would take a lot of effort to bend and fray” sturdy. This is a feature that makes this game great for very young children.

The art varies from variation to variation. On the whole, the art is bright and sharp. I would even go so far as to say that the designers made sure that the color choices were made to help with memory and recognition.

Gameplay

To set up, the 72 tiles are laid face down in an 8 X 9 pattern. The youngest player gets to go first.

On a player’s turn, they may turn over any two tiles. If they match, the player gets to keep the tiles and go again. If they do not, the player’s turn is over and play passes clockwise to the next player.

When all the cards have been matched, the player with the most pairs is declared the winner.

Tip For Playing With Younger Players- 72 cards can be a lot to match. When playing with young players, the rules recommend selecting 36 cards and laying them down in a 6 X 6 pattern. This will make for a much faster game. I often just pick and play with 24 tiles when we don’t have time for a full game.

Strategy v.s. Luck Factor

If I could tell you the strategy to improving your memory consistently, I would probably write a best selling book about it and retire to Florida.

However, this game is about the luck of the draw. Some could argue that using a search algorithm for your matches can give you an edge, but I have tried several and I still get trounced by my lucky daughters… and I consider myself to have a strong memory.

Closing Thoughts

As I said at the beginning of this review, I strongly feel this is game all children should try to learn.

Not only is it fun, it also helps improve memory and pattern recognition skills. My daughters’ have admitted that playing Memory helped them get use to having to memorize stuff.

As an added bonus, this game can be played solo. Princess S will quite happily get the game out, set it up and play for the better part of half an hour with herself. She can also set it up and play with her friends by herself.

You can probably find a copy at a thrift store for a good price, but you can technically play this game with just a deck of playing cards. I find that picking up a cheap Go Fish is even better because in many cases, the deck was designed for pattern recognition.

Recommendation Summary

Wyll's Recommendation:

Fun Factor (5 Point Scale):

One Line Summary: A memory game that helps build recognition skills that can be played by ages 3 and up.

Thread: Re: An Unsuccessful Teaching of Dora the Explorer Matching Game

Helenoftroy — 2007-03-10T23:46:44+00:00

ced1106 wrote:
Hmmmm... How important is it to have children follow simple rules vs. them making up rules (ie. developing consistency)? I know most BGG'ers aren't of the "toolkit" camp, but, as an RPG'er, we regularly bashed and modified game rules for various reasons.

aka. Washu! ^O^

I think that is a very good point. While I wish Bailey would follow directions, I would not correct him for acting like Cookie Monster. He was in the mood for pretend rather than instruction which is fine. Other times, he will also take the tiles of animals and make their noises. I see this as a good things.

Pretend and being creative can be just as important as following instruction but I worry about his difficulty with following instructions because of how difficult it will be for him in social situations like Preschool. There should be somewhat of a balance.

Thread: Re: An Unsuccessful Teaching of Dora the Explorer Matching G

ced1106 — 2007-03-10T23:17:18+00:00

Hmmmm... How important is it to have children follow simple rules vs. them making up rules (ie. developing consistency)? I know most BGG'ers aren't of the "toolkit" camp, but, as an RPG'er, we regularly bashed and modified game rules for various reasons.

aka. Washu! ^O^

Thread: Re: An Unsuccessful Teaching of Dora the Explorer Matching Game

Helenoftroy — 2007-02-10T01:46:24+00:00

Thank you James and David for your comments.

davido wrote:
When we play Hissss, each player makes their 'own snake' instead of building any available snakes-e.g. no switcheroos etc.

Bailey has similar behavior when we play hisss. I pretty much have to stack the deck so we don't have too many tiles on the table and the snake tiles have to line up perfectly or he will get a little frantic. Hisss becomes a nice activity or puzzle rather than a game.

We have actually had great luck with Go Away Monster. It is one of the few games that he naturally understands with little explanation.

You are correct about consistency. As long as I try to drill the route of the game play of the memory game without frustrating him or myself, he will eventually learn the game.

solove wrote:

Our younger son has Aspergers syndrome and when he was younger would seem overwhelmed by using all the tiles in his Winnie the Pooh Memory set. So initially we reduced the set down to 4 or 5 pairs of character pictures. Depending on his mood he would either play the game well and we would add new tiles or he would lack the focus and we would let him play his own game with the tiles.

Thanks James. I will try with only a few pairs, then maybe Bailey will see that we are trying to match the pictures instead of getting excited about turning the numerous tiles over.

Thread: Re: An Unsuccessful Teaching of Dora the Explorer Matching Game

solove — 2007-02-09T23:58:00+00:00

Helenoftroy wrote:
But the amount of pieces seem to be too much for him to handle because he gets overly excited and slides them around the table.

Our younger son has Aspergers syndrome and when he was younger would seem overwhelmed by using all the tiles in his Winnie the Pooh Memory set. So initially we reduced the set down to 4 or 5 pairs of character pictures. Depending on his mood he would either play the game well and we would add new tiles or he would lack the focus and we would let him play his own game with the tiles.

He is now 7, and his 'quirks' are now more pronounced but our experience enables us to adjust gaming to suit his needs. He loves 'Ticket to Ride' as long as we play with open cards and he really enjoys co-operative games where we win or lose as a team.

I'm pretty sure I had a point when I started typing. Maybe it's that it's good to teach him to play by rules but it's also OK to be flexible if he's not in the mood at that particular time.

James

Thread: Re: An Unsuccessful Teaching of Dora the Explorer Matching Game

davido — 2007-02-09T20:39:24+00:00

Sounds frustrating, and with a medical diagnosis (SPD), even a bit scary. Nevertheless, all children learn at their own pace and style. When my daughter learned "Go Away Monster", she became very upset if we put the 'extra pieces' to the side. Instead, each Monster got 'their own room'. When we play Hissss, each player makes their 'own snake' instead of building any available snakes-e.g. no switcheroos etc.

At this point, "consistency" may have to take precedence over "rules" as you are finding out. Focus on those aspects that he does/enjoys-in this case, the orgainzing/sorting. Develop the structure/routines and at his own time/pace introduce the 'structures/organization' as laid out in the rules.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Thread: An Unsuccessful Teaching of Dora the Explorer Matching Game

Helenoftroy — 2007-02-09T15:08:19+00:00

I am still in the process of teaching Bailey, my three year old son who has been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, the Dora Matching Game. So far, he likes laying out the tiles in neat rows and putting them back in the tray. The tiles are separated into three different colors but he won't separate them. He gets frantic and kicks around if he can't lay out all the sets. But the amount of pieces seem to be too much for him to handle because he gets overly excited and slides them around the table.

I've really tried my best to get him to focus on the concept of matching the pictures. It is important for his development to learn how to follow simple directions. I've even tried turning the tiles into a counting game to get him to pay attention because I know he likes counting but still haven't had much luck. He knows how to take turns but the tiles seem like puzzle pieces to him. For him, this game is more about organizing and sorting but not matching. It's almost like blocks.

Today was interesting. After he stacked the colors in the tray, he seemed to be rather fascinated with the tray. I put my hand over the tiles and let him look at the tray from all angles. He giggled and took the tray from me. I thought we were going to start laying out the pieces again but instead he said, "COOKIES" in his best Cookie monster voice and threw the pieces into his face. At least he has no problem with playing pretend.

Thread: User Review: Concentration (or Memory)

gilesclone — 2006-02-21T15:13:10+00:00

This is a good early child's game. You can start you kids on this one at 3 or maybe even 2 depending on how rough they are on the cards. You can buy sets that have special pictures on them for the younger set but an old deck of regular playing cards works just fine for the ones old enough to know their numbers.

It works something like this.
1) Lay the cards out upside down on a large table or the floor.
2) Each player turns over one card and then another one.
3) If the two cards match (have the same picture/number) they keep the pair and get to pick another two cards.
4) If the two cards don't match, turn them back over and it's the next players turn.
5) When all the cards are paired the player with the most pairs wins.
(For very young players it's not necessary to keep score.)

The game develops memory skills, number recognition, and has a tiny amount of strategy to it. A good early game (along with Go Fish).

There's even a certain German variety for adult men who want to act like 2 year olds.

Thread: Finding Nemo Memory

jfrands — 2005-06-08T15:18:42+00:00

My wife had picked up the "Finding Nemo" reincarnation of the "Memory" game at a second-hand store to play with the various kids that come through our house. Last night we sat down to play a set...

In general, I think memory games are good for kids vs. adults because I think children have a built-in advantange when it comes to this sort of instinctual recall. I can recommend the finding nemo version even over the classic memory as excellent because
#1 it has familiar characters that kids enjoy and
#2 the full version is actually difficult enough to keep adults entertained.

This version has a good number of cards that feature very similar fish, or pairs and groups of fish that are easily confused with one another. The mix of cards seems to be about 1/3 strikingly different cards (with different color backgrounds), 1/3 simple fish character cards and 1/3 difficult to differentiate cards. It makes for easy stepwise progression for the little ones up to enough difficulty to keep my wife and I entertained for a couple games by ourselves.

I haven't played may of the other themed memory games, but I highly recommend this one.

Thread: User Review

violentzen — 2004-08-10T01:21:30+00:00

My daughter owns the standard version of Memory, and the Monster's Inc. version.

Both, as well as every other version, play identically. The game is imminently simple: set out the tiles in rows and columns on your playing area, face down. Each player takes a turn turning one tile over, then guessing, based on previously revealed tiles, which tile contains a matching picture. Turn the second tile over. If it's a match, you keep the set and go again. Take care when you replace tiles after a failed turn. They must go back precisely as they were before, so players can do their best to commit tile position to memory. The player with the most matches when all tiles are gone wins.

All you need is your memory, and later in the game, some deductive abilities.

The tiles in both versions we have a great; I wish more tile based games had pieces this sturdy. In the Monster's cgi art version the pieces are out of square, or skewed, implying I suppose, a monsterish theme. The standard version has bright childish art that is silly and interesting to the kids.

Memory is perfect for about developing 3-6 year olds memory, deductive skills and an interest in games.