Tuesday, April 12, 2016

J is for Jass - #atozchallenge

Today's post is about the card game Jass.  I have loved playing games since I was very young.   My family played games together while I was growing up.  My brother taught me how to play D&D and Car Wars.  My dad let me look through his Avalon Hill wargame collection.  My grandparents would play countless hours of cards with me.

I have always thought that games are a great medium of communication and socializing.  In high school my friends and I would talk during games of backgammon and dominoes.  In college I lived in a coop that would have informal chess tournaments.  These games were a way for people to get together and hang out while engaging in a shared activity.

I have always been fascinated with games from other cultures.  A few years ago we went on vacation to Switzerland.  One of the high points of the trip was when I was able to play the card game Jass with our hosts.  Jass is a trick-taking game that is popular in Switzerland.  It was pretty cool to play a new game in another country.  The next time you travel somewhere, see if you can try out the local game!