Game Stats

Players: 2-5

Ages: 7-107

Time: 20-30 minutes

Cost: $$$$$

Block Happy is a great example of a game that I bought specifically because I saw its teaching potential. I first found it while browsing through Kickstarter; something that I often do despite a lack of available spending money and shelf space. The pitch for the game caught my interest immediately: this was a game that was not only based on emotions, but is designed to make you and your opponents feel those emotions while you play.

When we’re discussing Soft Skills, one of those most in demand in the marketplace is Observation. More specifically, in this context, we’re talking about Critical Observation.

What’s the difference? Plain, old, ordinary Observation is simply the ability to gather information based on what a person has seen (primarily), heard, read, or otherwise noticed. It is the intake of information. It’s a basic human skill, and one well worth developing.

Critical Observation, on the other hand, adds another layer of complexity. Here, the observer not only takes in information, but also applies a layer of analysis as to what information is important, how important different pieces of information are in a relative sense, and which pieces of information are likely to relate to each other.