The Game Called “Concept”

I have been making the holiday rounds, visiting with friends and family. Along this tour, I was introduced to a game called “Concept.” It is similar to charades, but you are not allowed to act out the clue nor make a sound. Players must use the board to convey the word. Yes, a board game. And a lively one at that! The challenge is to communicate to others by placing your pieces on cues and indicating by facial expression whether the other players are on the right track.

This game is so much fun and is best played in large groups. First, the player whose turn it is picks a card. There are three categories to choose from, easy, medium, and hard. (These categories are debatable if you ask me). For example, “Pink Panther” is one of the clues. This could be the movie, or the character, so long as the person who guesses correctly says “Pink Panther.” Another clue was “Goblin” and another one was “Gym.” One of the harder ones had the clue “Puppeteer.” Personally, I picked “Goblin” which was listed under easy. It found it to be hard. Yet the guesses were amusing.

In order to have someone guess what your word or phrase is, you must use the board. The board is peppered with pictures of clues such as movies, occupations, fictional, historical people or events, phrases, different colors, seasons, elements, and so on. There are directions like “in” “below” or “higher”. There are pictures to indicate older or newer, male or female. Where you place your piece can also make a difference. For example, if I have milk, I can put my piece on the picture of a dinner but only on the spot where the drink is.

For the “Pink Panther,” one could put their big piece on the movie square. Then the players could ask, “Is it fictional or historical?” The one with the clue could put another smaller piece of matching color on the fiction square. Perhaps the square that is pink in color is used and perhaps the animal square is also used. People can yell out what they think the answer is at any time. The first one to get it right wins a point.

When the answer is guessed, the player with the clue reveals their strategy. The more people that play, the more hilarious the game gets.

What are some of your favorite games to play? Leave a comment below.