Tabletop games are an ancient tradition dating back to at least 3500 BC. Today, new board games, card games, and role-playing games are constantly being created, and lots of people enjoy playing them.

The Scoop sat down with Kristin Johansen, who has been playing tabletop games for nearly 40 years. Johansen estimates that she owns nearly 1,000 different games.

Q: What got you into gaming?

Some of my favorite childhood memories are when I was 5 or 6 and my dad was teaching me how to play a game called Battle for Germany. It was a war game played on a battle map with hexagon pieces. Another game he taught me when I was really little was a train-based game called Rail Baron, where you buy railroads that other people have to pay you to ride on. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Q: Do you think being a gamer has had any kind of impact on your social life?

It’s had a negative impact on my wallet, but a positive impact on my social life. Gaming makes you better at working and getting along with people who might have completely different political, religious, or lifestyle beliefs than you. You’re all there to have fun and play a game, whether it’s a cooperative game or a competitive one. You also learn how to be a better sport and lose gracefully, which are great life skills.

Q: What do you like most about gaming?

The social aspect. I just like spending time with other people having a good time. It’s not just sitting down with other people silently watching a movie, but actively doing something with other people. You have to talk, you have to be interacting. Too many people are stuck in their phones, in their earbuds and streaming services nowadays. Games are a fun way to help with that.

Q: What advice might you give young gamers?

Try all different kinds of games. If you try one board game and you don’t like it, that doesn’t mean you won’t like the next one. Also, don’t listen to people who think you’re weird or socially awkward just because you like games. Lots of different people like lots of different things. That just makes the world more exciting.