Trying to find a game that suits all ages and personalities seems impossible. Most game nights I attend these days seem to be centered around simplistic card games that are fun but don't totally appease me. I always think back to being a kid and having such a good time with my huge stack of board games. There was never a moment I didn't have an exciting choice of a game to pick for me and my friends or family to play. This got me thinking about the specific games I used to have and what set them apart from the games sold now. After thinking it over, I recalled so many amusing games I forgot existed in the first place that I just had to research more. To my amazement, there were so many games I had completely overlooked and others I just never thought were that popular to be that easily googled. I'm without a doubt planning on hunting down these games online for me to purchase so that I can revel in the nostalgia. Some of my findings included:

1. Mouse Trap

To be perfectly honest, I don't think I ever learned how to play this game on my own. I just know that practically all of my friends had Mouse Trap and I LOVED playing it. I always wanted to own it myself but for some reason I don't think I ever got to. Either way, nothing made my young heart jump quite like seeing my friends pull this box out of their closet.

2. Perfection

This game was a close second as far as fear inducing went. Operation obviously takes first place. All of the anxiety these games caused me prepared me for the immense anxiety I'd experience in my adult life. I'm not entirely sure it was that safe for such a small human to be that strung out due to a silly game. Oh well, I still had fun.

3. Don't Spill the Beans

Whenever I casually mention this game in a conversation, I receive nothing but weird stares in return. It's as if I made this one up in my mind. I used to play it all the time with my parents. It wasn't even that exciting, but I was obsessed with it. All you're doing is placing fake beans on a tray and hoping it doesn't keel over. This game I did end up buying a few years back to relive those glory days but it wasn't nearly as exhilarating as I had remembered it being. I'll just hold on to those early childhood memories.

4. 13 Dead End Drive

I got this game when I was a bit older. I'm not sure where it came from, but it was all I wanted to play for the longest time. I'd convince all of my friends to play it when they came over. They'd get bored and quit but I was relentless. Something tells me I'd have just as much fun playing it now as I did then.

5. Ker-Plunk

I have no actual memory of playing this game, just a recollection of seeing the box at my grandparent's house. I think my cousins took it out once but other than that I can't be sure. I just know the premise seemed confusing to me back then, but adult me sees how self-explanatory it is. It's fairly simplistic like Don't Spill the Beans, so I'm not sure I'd have all that much fun with it now.

6. Crocodile Dentist

I most likely played this game once or twice and then called it a day. The sheer anxiety of waiting for it to chomp down on my finger was too much pressure. I at least knew that with Perfection I wouldn't be sacrificing my finger just to have a good time. It looked like a lot of fun, but sometimes things are just better in theory.

7. Elefun

I believe that I also got this game when I was a little bit on the older side. It's odd because this is 100% a game for little children that are easily distracted by just about anything. I distinctly recall opening the packaging and bringing it to the side of my house with my best friend. We had the best time and it's just now registering with me that we were easily distracted older children. Also, when the machine is going and the air turns on the elephant looks disturbingly like a bong.

8. Mall Madness

This game did not get the credit it deserved. I'm ashamed that I couldn't even remember it existed before stumbling across it on Google images. I think it came into my possession around the age where games were still kind of fun, but they weren't at the top of the list for things kids wanted to do back then. I most likely preferred going to the actual mall to shop rather than pretending to do so. I work at the mall now and can easily say I'd rather play the game than step foot in that building.

9. Mr. Bucket

I'm positive that there is video footage of me playing this game. This is unquestionably a game for really small kids but based on the video footage alone, I was having a blast. Now I can just get amusement out of the Mr. Bucket innuendo-filled commercial and slogan.

10. Don't Wake Daddy

This game was EVERYTHING. If there's one that I would like to make a comeback, it's this one. I was also filled with extreme paranoia waiting for the father to jump up. I was obviously a nervous child, to begin with. I just know that I played this game so much it probably got old for anyone that would play it with me. Either way, I think my current day game nights would vastly improve with the addition of this game. I'm definitely going to try it.