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HerStory is available on Amazon HERE.
{I purchased this game myself. All opinions are my own!}
Read on for a detailed REVIEW.
My family loves educational games so we are always on the hunt for new options. We have quite a collection across a variety of subjects, but the one educational subject that is lacking on our shelves is history. So, when a new educational game centered around history hit the market, we were anxious to give it a try! And, as an extra perk, this game is all about women’s history! It’s a HERstory game!
In addition to reviewing the
FUN FACTOR
and the EDUCATIONAL VALUE,
I will also include info on the
ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT,
SKILLS USED,
CLARITY LEVEL
and an OVERALL SCORE.
Educational Game Review: HerStory
NAME: HerStory: The Family Board Game of Remarkable Women
PUBLISHER: Underdog Games
TIME COMMITMENT: Moderate {45+ minutes}
PLAYERS: 2-5
GRADE: 8+
CATEGORY: History
SUB CATEGORY: Women’s History
SKILLS FOCUSED ON:
- Strategy
SKILLS PRACTICED:
- Reading
HOW TO WIN: Be the player with the highest number of points when somebody reaches eight chapters.
HOW TO PLAY IN ONE SENTENCE: Research and learn about different women from history as you “write a book” and score points for each chapter you write.
ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥♥♥ When playing a new game, the first thing I always assess is the quality of the packaging and pieces. To say this is a high-quality game would be a serious understatement. The directions are thorough and laid out in a large-sized booklet with helpful images and clear steps. The “board” is made of neoprene, lays flat and rolls up easily. The research tokens, pushpin trackers and player “desks” are all colorful and solid. The chapter cards are gorgeous with vibrant images and researched information printed on thick and glossy cardstock. Heck, even the drawstring bag that holds the research tokens seems fancy with its pleather feel and scripted monogram. And, everything is perfectly organized in its thick and sturdy box. ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥ The next thing I like to assess are the directions. If a game is too confusing to be considered fun, it simply won’t get played in our home. HerStory has very clear directions that are spelled out step-by-step in a nicely formatted booklet with helpful titles and targeted images. However, it is not the easiest game to understand. It’s not confusing or overly intricate like Periodic or Cytosis, though. To me, it falls in the category of “it’ll be easy to understand once you start playing.” I would definitely start by reading the directions to know how to set everything up and to get the overall gist, but then I would just start playing (and keep the directions handy.) There is also a QR code that leads to a “how to play” video. Highly recommend that as well. CLARITY LEVEL SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
EDUCATIONAL VALUE: ♥♥♥♥♥ We do not play only educational games, of course, but if I can find a game that fills an educational need that we like to play, it will definitely get played more frequently around here. And, HerStory fits that bill. There are 120 women represented and we thoroughly enjoyed learning about them while we played. The collection of women included in this game varies in so many wonderful ways. Young and old. Current and ancient. Well-known and under-represented. Black and white. Rich and poor. Controversial and mainstream. Educated and not. The only negative comment I would share is that learning about these amazing women is not an integral piece of the game. It’s never even mentioned until the very end when the winner is supposed to read one chapter of their book to the group. But, it’s an easy fix if you just add the extra step of reading each card aloud as it is drawn. EDUCATIONAL VALUE SCORE:5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥♥ My teenage son and I both had fun while playing this game. It requires strategy, which we both love, but does not take hours and hours to play. The format of the game (trying to write a book about women’s history) is different enough to keep it interesting, but not gimicky enough to make it annoying. And, the topic was not only educational, but also entertaining. The variety of stories to be learned from the 120 women included is nothing short of fascinating! FUN FACTOR SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥♥ The potential for this game is vast! Game night with girlfriends. Date night with the spouse. Free time in history class. An unusual and unexpected gift. Homeschool break with the siblings. It’s great for men and women alike and it’s perfect for a wide range of ages and skill levels. OVERALL SCORE: 100% ♥♥♥♥♥
Educational Game Review: HerStory
