A Parent Says His Son Asked Him to Play Battleship, and He Quickly Remembered Why Some Kids’ Games Feel Like a Full-Time Job
A person shared his story after his son asked him to play Battleship, a request that sounded harmless until the game actually began. He admitted that every time he plays it, he is reminded just how boring and pointless he finds the whole experience. His son also has a habit of wanting to quit halfway through, although this time his parent made him persevere.
The game itself wasn’t the real issue so much as the strange endurance test that can come with playing children’s games as an adult. What started as a simple question about the worst game for parents quickly turned into a flood of opinions about board games that take forever, require ridiculous amounts of setup, or somehow make adults question every decision that led them to the table. Battleship had plenty of competition, but some of the responses made it clear that parents have very different definitions of gaming misery.
Battleship Started the Argument
The whole discussion began with one parent’s frustration over playing Battleship with his son. He described the game as boring and pointless, despite being willing to sit down and play it because his child wanted to. The fact that his son usually wants to quit halfway through only makes the experience more difficult.
Still, the parent insisted that his son persevere through the game. That detail turned the complaint into something more interesting because the question wasn’t simply about which game was badly designed. It was also about the strange commitment parents make to activities their children love, even when the adults would rather be doing almost anything else.
Mouse Trap Quickly Took the Lead
A response from a person immediately nominated Mouse Trap as the worst offender. The complaint wasn’t even primarily about the actual game, but about the enormous amount of effort required before anyone can properly play it. According to the response, the setup takes forever and the elaborate contraption doesn’t always work correctly when someone finally triggers it.
Another person simply admitted that their family had “lost” Mouse Trap. The implication was obvious enough: sometimes the easiest way to win against an annoying children’s game is to make sure it mysteriously disappears. Someone else revealed that they had once received the game as a gift and agreed to play only if the children handled the setup, which somehow resulted in nobody ever playing it.
Don’t Break the Ice Had a Similar Problem
Another response from a person nominated Don’t Break the Ice, particularly because the setup-to-playing-time ratio felt completely unfair. The game requires someone to carefully arrange all the pieces, only for the actual entertainment to potentially last a few seconds. Then comes the inevitable request to set everything up again.
One parent described having a three-year-old and an eight-year-old who had developed their own approach to the game. They simply set it up, hit the ice as hard as possible until everything collapsed, laughed, and then demanded another setup. Another person actually enjoyed the smashing because it gave the children an excuse to destroy something harmless and laugh while the adult rebuilt it.
Hungry Hungry Hippos Became a Noise Problem
Hungry Hungry Hippos also received some serious criticism. One response from a person said the game had disappeared from their house because the tiny balls ended up everywhere and the repetitive noise became unbearable. The game may be entertaining for children, but apparently the adults experience something closer to an extended mechanical assault.
The problem wasn’t necessarily that the game was complicated or slow. In fact, its simplicity may have been exactly the issue because children can keep playing it over and over without getting bored. Once the adults realize they’re going to hear the same frantic clicking again for the twentieth time, suddenly losing the game pieces doesn’t sound like such a terrible accident.
Candy Land Was Accused of Being Pure Luck
Candy Land became one of the most popular nominations in the discussion. A response from a person described it as having zero skill and being completely dependent on luck, which can make the experience painfully boring for an adult who wants to make meaningful decisions. Worse, the same person complained about losing constantly despite having absolutely no control over the outcome.
But another response from a person offered an entirely different explanation for why the game exists. The point, they argued, isn’t sophisticated strategy, but teaching young children how to take turns, focus on an activity, and deal with winning or losing. Suddenly, the game’s complete lack of strategy looked less like a design failure and more like a feature aimed at a very specific stage of childhood.
Parents Were Apparently Supposed to Learn Something Too
The discussion about Candy Land took an unexpectedly philosophical turn. A response from a person pointed out that chance-based games can help children learn that losing isn’t necessarily someone’s fault. When every player has essentially the same odds, a child can’t simply blame being younger, less skilled, or less experienced for the outcome.
Another response from a person joked that Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders are basically teaching parents the same lesson. Adults may spend the entire game wishing they could make a decision that changes the outcome, only to discover that the cards or dice have already decided everything. In that sense, the children aren’t the only ones practicing patience.
Some Parents Have Found Ways to Fix Bad Games
Not everyone accepted the rules of children’s games as untouchable. One response from a person suggested a simple Candy Land variation where players draw two cards and choose which one to use. That tiny change introduces an actual decision without turning the game into a complicated strategy contest.
Another person revealed an even more entertaining solution involving childhood memories of Sorry. Their mother had apparently stacked the deck so that the family would get more favorable cards and removed the especially frustrating ones. The child grew up believing the game had been fun, only to discover years later that the adults had quietly modified reality to make it bearable.
Uno Created a Different Kind of Suffering
Uno also received plenty of complaints, especially because games can seemingly continue long after everyone has stopped enjoying themselves. One response from a person said there was a household rule that Mom simply doesn’t play Uno anymore. The children apparently understood that this particular boundary was not open for negotiation.
Uno No Mercy took things even further. A response from a person admitted that the game was funny the first time, especially when enormous stacks of cards were involved, but watching children suffer through increasingly brutal losses eventually stopped being entertaining. Another person joked that even as an adult, the intensity of the losses could be difficult to handle.
Monopoly Was Almost Universally Suspect
Monopoly was another major villain in the conversation. Several responses from people complained about how long it can take and how ruthless the game can become, particularly when adults are playing with younger children. One parent said they had even made their kids cry during Monopoly, which was enough to earn the game a place near the top of the personal hate list.
Yet Monopoly had its defenders too. A response from a person pointed out that using the official rules can make the game considerably shorter than many people remember. Another parent recommended Monopoly Junior as a much easier option for younger children, while someone else described family Monopoly games that became elaborate events involving multiple generations.
The Game of Life Brought Its Own Problems
The Game of Life was criticized for taking too long and leaving behind tiny plastic pieces that somehow seem determined to hide around the house forever. But the complaints went far beyond setup and cleanup. Several people found the game’s attempt to turn major life decisions into a cheerful board-game journey surprisingly uncomfortable.
One response from a person described playing it with children aged five, seven, and nine and realizing that the game had somehow turned into an adulting seminar. Suddenly the parent was explaining mortgages, loans, college, careers, retirement, and investments while simultaneously managing the actual game. By the time they reached the end, the parent joked that surviving the experience deserved an award.
Some Games Are Too Complicated for the Parents
One response from a person nominated Magic: The Gathering, but the reason was completely different. Their child was deeply interested in the game, while the parent found the rules, mechanics, and enormous number of interactions exhausting. They had tried to learn it anyway, partly because they wanted to share something their child loved.
The response became surprisingly sweet despite the complaint. The parent explained that they occasionally try playing when their college-aged son visits because they want to understand his hobby and spend time together. They still find the game boring, but the willingness to sit through complicated rules for the sake of their child turned the complaint into one of the more wholesome moments in the discussion.
Even Chess Can Become a Parenting Chore
Chess was another unexpected nomination. One response from a person came from a family where almost everyone plays or has played chess seriously, so their son’s interest seemed almost inevitable. Unfortunately for the parent, being surrounded by chess enthusiasts did not make the game any more enjoyable.
The problem became even more frustrating because the child could sometimes beat his father but had never managed to beat this particular parent. That meant the child kept coming back for another game, while the parent found themselves trapped in a cycle they never wanted to escape. Another response offered the exact opposite problem, with a parent admitting that neither they nor their child really understood chess, turning every match into complete chaos.
Some Parents Simply Hate Games Their Kids Love
A response from a person summarized the situation brutally by saying that any game with their five-year-old could qualify. Hi-Ho Cherry-O could produce laughter one moment and tears the next, while Hungry Hungry Hippos became a disaster when the child played too aggressively and then became upset about losing. Even Don’t Wake Daddy apparently had the power to transform the parent into the worst person alive.
That response captured something bigger than any individual board game. Children often aren’t evaluating games based on whether the rules are elegant, the strategy is interesting, or the setup is efficient. They are enjoying the excitement, attention, repetition, competition, and most importantly, the fact that an adult is sitting there playing with them.
Some Parents Just Want Better Games
Not every response was focused on complaining. A response from a person suggested that parents should introduce children to better games rather than assuming every traditional children’s board game is the best option. Games such as Splendor and Dominion were mentioned as examples of titles that can offer more meaningful decisions while still being approachable.
Another person recommended dominoes for children who are old enough to understand Battleship. Their six-year-old reportedly plays along with the adults despite not fully understanding the strategy. The family even added a small reward for reaching a certain score, turning the game into something that combined counting, competition, and a little extra motivation.
Battleship Wasn’t Actually the Universal Villain
Interestingly, Battleship had plenty of defenders. A response from a person said they genuinely liked the game, while another suggested playing it with Salvo rules so that players can fire multiple shots per turn. That variation supposedly makes the game move faster and gives players more to do instead of waiting through long stretches of guessing.
Another response from a person admitted that their child was notorious for cheating at Battleship by moving ships around during the game. That detail probably explains why some parents may have very different opinions about the experience. A game based on secretly placing ships becomes considerably less strategic when one of the players decides the fleet can relocate whenever necessary.
The Real Problem Might Not Be the Games
After enough responses, a pattern began to emerge. Parents weren’t necessarily united about which game was objectively the worst, but they were united in recognizing the strange endurance required to play something simply because their child wants to. The adult may be bored, confused, losing repeatedly, rebuilding tiny plastic contraptions, or listening to the same clicking noise for an hour, but the child is often having the time of their life.
That may explain why one parent’s unbearable game is another family’s favorite tradition. Some families love Monopoly because it becomes a huge multigenerational event, while others refuse to touch it. Some parents can’t stand Battleship, while others happily play it, and some discover that even the most boring game becomes tolerable when their child is excited to spend time with them.
Then the Question Became About Parenting Itself
The funniest part of the discussion was that almost every complaint eventually revealed something about the parent rather than the game. Some adults hate games based entirely on luck because they want strategy, while others hate complicated games because they don’t want to memorize rules. Some can’t tolerate games that take too long, while others apparently don’t mind spending an entire holiday weekend playing Monopoly with the family.
The children, meanwhile, are usually operating under an entirely different set of priorities. They may not care whether a game has meaningful choices or whether the rules are balanced. They want to spend time with someone they love, and sometimes the most boring game in the world becomes their favorite simply because Mom or Dad agreed to play it.
In the End, the Worst Game May Be the One That Never Ends
The original parent may have entered the conversation convinced that Battleship deserved the title of worst game for parents. By the end, however, Mouse Trap, Candy Land, Monopoly, Uno, The Game of Life, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Chutes and Ladders, Chess, and several other contenders had entered the courtroom. Each had its own collection of exhausted parents ready to explain exactly why their particular game should be banned from family game night.
And yet, buried underneath all the complaints was a surprisingly warm truth. Parents may groan when a child brings out the game box, secretly hope the pieces go missing, or wonder why a twenty-minute activity has somehow consumed their entire afternoon, but they keep sitting down. The game might be boring, pointless, ridiculously complicated, or completely dependent on luck, but for the child asking them to play, having a parent at the other side of the board can be the best part of the game.
