Ah, the games people play. As the holidays approach and families gather, someone is likely to break out the board and the dice and proceed to resurrect the bloodless (usually) contention of internecine rivalry. That's why we have games on the cover this week before Christmas.
Not just any games. Adam Powell explores what some might consider a throwback activity -- the board game. It turns out that Madison is a wellspring of inventive board gaming, despite its high-tech reputation for videogame creation. It's back to the future, in a sense, as the board games of today are not your father's board games. They've gone beyond the dice and the game piece in many ways, according to the present-day innovators.
We do not neglect videogames in our coverage, though Ben Siegel identifies a genre with a difference. These are games that seek to alter or teach behavior, with UW researcher Richard Davidson and others exploring their therapeutic aspect. This is a long way from Frogger. Anyway, have a happy, if competitive, Christmas, and remember, it's only a game.
Speaking of holidays, check out the pre-New Year's Eve primer of activities put together for you by our crack party team. Julia Burke, Joe Engle, Lanni Solochek and Isthmus arts and entertainment editor Jessica Steinhoff have come up with 40 venues for greeting 2014. Remember to drink responsibly, drive safely and enjoy yourself. It's going to be a heck of a new year, and you'd hate to miss it.
