Asking what games I played as a child means having to rip away the cobwebs from a 75-year-old mind, well, almost 75 years old.
I lived in a small community with a small contingent of children my age. I can only name two, and one was a girl. He and I palled around while she and I were always close to fisticuffs.
As noted, there were not a lot of kids my age, but that didn’t stop the games or good times. Now to get to the heart of the question.
My backyard was half of a city block in size. It made a perfect place to play softball. This required rounding up at least ten of us. I remember my brother Cletus, two years junior, and my brother Paul, five years junior, were drafted along with others their age. We accepted we had to let the “children” play if we wanted a game.
Two lots over from my house was a church. Some afternoons, a group would gather in its large open area to play flag football. The game was open to all ages. Unfortunately, the game usually ended with a fight over someone being tackled. You shouldn’t tackle in flag football, but accidents happen. (LOL)
Another favorite pastime was bicycle racing. This didn’t require anyone else to play. Just jump on that two-wheeler and go as fast as you can. Of course, it was more fun if there were two or more to have a real race.
I loved playing chess. I had a neighbor who enjoyed the game also. This was a winter activity when the snow locked us into our houses. My opponent lived next door, so slogging through the snow allowed us to get together for a game.
These are the games that came to mind as I wrote this. I know many readers might say my childhood was boring. No Xbox or PlayStation to commit mindless hours killing aliens, fighting wars, or sinking ships. Actually, it was a great time. Being with good friends made the days pass quickly.
I wonder what you did as a kid?