The best part of our childhood was definitely the games we played, especially since they taught us all about competition & strategy. And sometimes, they were just plain fun! However, some of them weren’t as wholesome as we might remember. Here are ten childhood games that taught us toxic behaviors and approaches to life that we’re not so proud of playing them anymore. That’s not to say kids shouldn’t play them—rather, just be aware of what these games are doing.
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Monopoly
Monopoly is the game that turned family gatherings into hours-long battles of wit & luck. It was all fun and games until someone flipped the board! Monopoly was our first taste of capitalism, and not necessarily in a good way because it taught us to crush our competition and celebrate others’ financial ruin. Worse still, it suggested that being the richest was the only goal in life.
Dodgeball
It was always fun dodging a ball that one of our friends threw at us—and with surprising speed! Dodgeball was the childhood version of survival of the fittest. As a result, it promoted the idea of targeting the weak because the first ones out were usually the ones who couldn’t run as fast or dodge as quickly. It was a harsh lesson about reality and we’re not sure if we like it.
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Musical Chairs
You couldn’t have a party without Musical Chairs! It was all great—the music, the rush to find a chair, the laughter when you did & the disappointment when you didn’t. But this game also taught us that it’s okay to push others out of the way to secure our own spot. You just had to grab that last chair. And that meant making someone else stand.
The Game of Life
In the Game of Life, you’d roll the dice & move your car along the board, which made it seem like a fun way to fantasize about the future. However, it actually pushed us towards a very specific life path. The game lays out getting a job, marriage & kids in a neat sequence. As such, it suggests that success & happiness come from checking these boxes in order. Now that’s not right.
Simon Says
Simple & straightforward, Simon Says merely involves following orders. If Simon didn’t say, you couldn’t do it and that was great for teaching us to listen carefully. Yet it wasn’t so great for encouraging independent thinking. To win, you had to blindly obey without ever questioning why Simon said to touch your toes. We should never accept orders at face value!
King of the Hill
In King of the Hill, you had to be the one standing at the top of the hill. While it was to claim the title of “king,” this game was subtly telling us that to be “on top” you had to push others down—quite literally. Essentially, it was a playground version of a power struggle that told us we have to fight others as part of the social hierarchy. Only one person could reign supreme.
Candy Land
It’s no surprise many of us liked Candy Land—it had such a colorful board and sweet-themed name! Yet when you think about it, the entire game was based on luck. A card decided your fate and taught us early on that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things just come down to chance. That’s enough to make anyone want to give up! Is that really the lesson we want to teach kids?
Red Rover
When we played Red Rover, we’d run full tilt into a wall of arms and try to break through. On the surface, it was a game about teamwork & strength—but it also glorified the idea of using brute force to achieve your goals. And that’s not all. Being selected to run felt like a vote of confidence & being left for last stung quite a bit. Nobody liked being left on the field.
Tag
Tag is one of the simplest games around and certainly one of the most enjoyable. Sadly, it also introduced us to a very basic “us vs. them” mentality. Either you ran away or chased people down—there was no in-between. We should be encouraging children to see everyone as a teammate rather than dividing themselves.
Hide and Seek
Who didn’t like playing Hide and Seek? To win, you had to make sure you weren’t found and that taught us that sometimes, being sneaky was the best way to come out on top. You don’t need us to tell you why that’s bad. Rather, we should tell children that being honest and open is how you succeed in life.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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