I'm surprised to see no one suggested board games, as it's really refreshing to escape from the screens at the end of the day.
We've become heavy players with the wife and the kids (7 and 8). Cooperative games are really nice to play with the kids who have a hard time losing (even a single token...); it helped them see things globally instead of only taking into account their own corner of the universe (e.g: I do not take all the money for myself so that the next player we'll be able to buy this very powerful card on her turn).
Stone age [0]: a competitive resource collection/management game with wood elements, it's very pleasing to play with. As with Catan, one uses dices, but there are ways to curb the randomness, making me feel a lot more in control, and not just a helpless passenger.
Harry Potter the Hogward Battle [1]: a cooperative gateway deck building game, my wife and kids cannot stop playing it, even for the 1.5 hours required for the last games. My wife usually hates long games, but the Harry Potter magic is strong with this one.
The Game [2]: a cooperative game where cards need to be triaged in the ascending/descending order, with the twist that you do not know the cards held by the others players. It's very relaxing at the end of the day, a last "team building" experience just before sleeping.
Keyforge [3]: a two player competitive card game with computer generated unique decks. It's a lot of fun since card effects vary a lot and you have to combine the cards. I also really love the fact that it's a racing game (you have to be the first to forge 3 keys), so it's more about slowing your opponent down rather than simply crushing him/her.
If you're interested in that game, you may have choice paralysis since they release new mechanics every year. I suggest trying with the first edition (Call of the Archons), it's the simpler and more rewarding one. If you're hooked, you'll have a lot to discover !
We've become heavy players with the wife and the kids (7 and 8). Cooperative games are really nice to play with the kids who have a hard time losing (even a single token...); it helped them see things globally instead of only taking into account their own corner of the universe (e.g: I do not take all the money for myself so that the next player we'll be able to buy this very powerful card on her turn).
Stone age [0]: a competitive resource collection/management game with wood elements, it's very pleasing to play with. As with Catan, one uses dices, but there are ways to curb the randomness, making me feel a lot more in control, and not just a helpless passenger.
Harry Potter the Hogward Battle [1]: a cooperative gateway deck building game, my wife and kids cannot stop playing it, even for the 1.5 hours required for the last games. My wife usually hates long games, but the Harry Potter magic is strong with this one.
The Game [2]: a cooperative game where cards need to be triaged in the ascending/descending order, with the twist that you do not know the cards held by the others players. It's very relaxing at the end of the day, a last "team building" experience just before sleeping.
Keyforge [3]: a two player competitive card game with computer generated unique decks. It's a lot of fun since card effects vary a lot and you have to combine the cards. I also really love the fact that it's a racing game (you have to be the first to forge 3 keys), so it's more about slowing your opponent down rather than simply crushing him/her. If you're interested in that game, you may have choice paralysis since they release new mechanics every year. I suggest trying with the first edition (Call of the Archons), it's the simpler and more rewarding one. If you're hooked, you'll have a lot to discover !
[0] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34635/stone-age
[1] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199042/harry-potter-hogw...
[2] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173090/game
[3] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257501/keyforge-call-arc...
(edit: styling)