The Ungame

The Ungame, created in 1972 by Rhea Zakich, is a non-competitive learning game of conversation that "fosters listening skills as well as self-expression."

History

Rhea Zakich, then a young mother from Garden Grove, California, was forced not to speak for months after her doctor found polyps on her vocal cords. Although they were ultimately removed with success, the experience affected her: unable to speak for that long period, and afraid that the problem might return, she felt emotionally estranged from her family. This led her to the realization that, as she put it, "we all spend so much time talking... but we never really communicate."

As a remedy, she decided to write down on paper cards a number of questions that she wanted to ask her husband and children. Some were light-hearted ("What do you like to do in your spare time?"), some serious and intimate ("If you could live your life over, what would you change?"). Before long, with nearly 200 cards on her hands, she realized that she could turn them into a sort of board game.

She played it with her family, and the results were surprising: her husband revealed for the first time how frightened her illness made him; her son, a bright student, expressed how he hated the constant pressure to perform well in school; the other son talked about how his brother's constant teasing hurt him. At the end of the game session, her husband said: "I've learned more about all of you in these twenty minutes than in the past five years."

Later, they let their neighbours borrow the game to play with their children; the oldest son took it to his school psychology class, and his teacher asked for copies. Soon, The Ungame Company was founded to market it; as their line expanded, the company was renamed Talicor.

The game

Players progress along the playing board as they answer questions such as "What are the four most important things in your life," and "what do you think life will be like in 100 years?" Special spaces on the board encourage players to exchange their thoughts and feelings or describe how they've been affected by past emotions.

While intended to encourage honesty, The Ungame can be surprisingly fun and challenging when loosening its restrictions on answers based on reality. Mature players can seek to come up with the most creative, outlandish answers possible, especially through playing a role.

Variations

The Ungame has a number of variations and expansions: full board, pocket size card games (in age-specific versions), and a Christian version.

References

* [http://rheazakich.com/digest.shtml Article on The Ungame] from Reader's Digest, August 1986.

External links

* [http://www.rheazakich.com/ Rhea Zakich's website]
* [http://www.talicor.com/ Talicor's website]