Just curious

[beetiger]

Kid playing multiple players of a more-or-less mechanistic board game by himself. Perfectly reasonable, or rather odd?

Comments

[jenny_evergreen]

Um. I'd say perfectly reasonable, but as I am not exactly famed for my normalcy...

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

I did it all the time? Since it's a solitary activity I don't know how normal it is.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I did it, but no idea if it's normal.

[teaotter.livejournal.com]

Let me add to the 'did it all the time, not sure if it's normal' brigade.

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a kid able to entertain himself creatively.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I did it a lot as a kid, too.

[mmsword.livejournal.com]

I totally did this as a kid.

[read-alicia.livejournal.com]

I used to pit my portable chess computer against my TRS-80's chess game. Also, Pac-Man, Chutes and Ladders and Candyland are all perfectly playable solo.

[rowyn]

I did it for fun as a kid, and I have at least three friends who will still play multiple parts by themselves in board or card games, to get a feel for the rules and/or strategy.

I think it's normal for our tribe. Up to you if that qualifies as actually normal. O:)

[rowyn]

Oh, and I will also note that I have three older siblings, the oldest of whom is only 6 years older than me. So if you are guilting yourself into thinking it's because he's an only child and you are a bad person for not having more kids, let me assure you that is not the case. :)

[circuit-four.livejournal.com]

For a geeky only-child? Perfectly normal. I did it, my mom's friend Gail is a principal with a child psych background and her (only) son Kyle did it, we have amusing documentary evidence that Peggy did it... :)

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Could mean that he wants to be a mathematical game theorist when he grows up!

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

I did it. There's not much choice for an only who doesn't make many friends and whose relatives keep Xmas-gifting her with Monopoly, The Inventors, Life...

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Normal.

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

Typical for a Gamer Geek. Judge for yourself if that's reasonable or odd.

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

I'm very amused that everyone seems to have parsed "reasonable" as "normal". It's something I don't ever recall doing myself, but I guess it's pretty common among people I know.

Carry on, little boy, carry on.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

I used to do this, too, thought I was weird for doing it, and am surprised to find out how common this behavior is/was.

[masstreble.livejournal.com]

Depends on who is winning.

[paka.livejournal.com]

Reasonable but not very effective as a teaching tool. I can remember playing a batch of Avalon Hill wargames by myself and mysteriously, Custer's command unit at Gettysburg was always left isolated and wiped out by Confederates as a result, for instance.

[deliciouspear.livejournal.com]

"Perfectly reasonable, or rather odd?"


YES.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I certainly did it. I played chess against myself, too. What else are you supposed to do when you don't have anyone to play with?

[terrana.livejournal.com]

Can't it be both? Reason is a distressingly rare trait.

[runnerwolf.livejournal.com]

As an only I did it all the time.

[forgotten-years.livejournal.com]

I've shot pool against myself when there was nobody to play with.