Have you ever played a game that was just a tad cheesy? Had a weird theme? Maybe was a little too obscure for your group? Then welcome to the club! I first discovered that CW&O games were kind of their own genre thanks to the Flip the Table Podcast. They played a lot of great cheesy games, and had a lot of fun doing so, which definitely got me more interested in them as a whole! This past weekend my friends and I participated in their International Cheesy Games Day by playing a bunch of these goodies and really getting into the cheesy spirit! I wanted to post about not only the fun that I had, but also the general goodness that is CW&O games, in hopes that others can enjoy them tons too!

Thrifting

I spent a portion of my ICGD thrift shopping for new games. Why? Well, because it’s a great way to find a few cheesy faves for a great price! Finds this visit included Jumanji, Konexi, and Star Trek: The Next Generation – Interactive VCR Board Game – A Klingon Challenge (though we didn’t pick that up since it was incomplete). We’ve found a ton of games through thrifting over time, that we’ve really come to love. It’s a great chance to try some different games, that maybe you wouldn’t pick up otherwise, at full price. I highly recommend it! Who knows, maybe you’ll even find a new all-time cheesy favorite!

Low Risk, High Reward

As with anything, this is not always true, but in my experience, it has definitely been true more often than not! Maybe you’re skeptical of a VCR game because it seems ridiculous. Maybe a classic roll and move seems like it will quickly devolve into a game of nothingness with not even a good enough theme to hold it up. And maybe sometimes those are true. A great part about CW&O games is that they’re usually pretty short (in my experience, the cheesiest have been around an hour or less). So, you can “risk” trying them out, and potentially have a great hour of fun! And if you hate it, who cares? It wasn’t too long, and you never have to play again.

General Silliness

My absolute favorite part about CW&O games is the general silliness that comes with them. Whether it’s a silly theme, funny artwork, a squawk box that calls you human scum, or something else, a cheesy board game is usually good for a few laughs. If you’re as lucky as I am to have friends who are willing to forgo all seriousness and just get a few good chuckles at games, it makes for some pretty good times. We’ve played tons of games that just slowly become a laugh fest because we’re making fun of it and just having a great time. We’ve played “jump scare” games as I call them (i.e Jumping Jack and Don’t Wake Daddy) which some people jump at, and that’s also given us lots of laughs. All in all, a great time for everyone!

Ultimately, cheesy, weird, and obscure games aren’t for everyone, and I totally get that. But, if you and your group enjoy a break from heavy strategy and deep thought games, you should definitely check a few cheesy games out because they can be a lot of fun and a ton of laughs.
Happy Gaming!~