A new survey has found that London has the highest number of family fall-outs while playing games over the Christmas period with a shocking eight out of ten people in London who play family games ending up falling out.
Gibsons, the UK’s oldest puzzle and games company, conducted the study to reveal ways in which feuds can be avoided, with cheating (36 per cent) coming out on top of the naughty list followed closely by competitive teammates (33 per cent) and people making up the rules (29 cent).
Cheating causes almost half (45 per cent) of all fall-outs in the 18-24 age bracket, compared to adults aged 55+ who are more likely to be too full to concentrate on family games and lose track of what’s happening. The survey also found that people who live in the same household are more likely to argue with each other than those who are visiting.
Dr. Amanda Gummer, the UK’s leading expert on play and play development, commented on the survey: “Playing family games is an extremely positive activity for bonding with family members and close friends, despite the occasional disagreement. Word games, such as Gibsons Pass the Bomb, keep our brains intellectually engaged over the Christmas holidays and can help develop cognitive skills through interactive family fun.
“To help avoid any fall-outs when playing games, families can follow a few easy steps. Make sure that everyone is aware of the rules and the consequences of cheating before starting to play, lead by example and try to create a fun, not too competitive atmosphere.”
On a national basis, the biggest cheaters in the UK were found to be those hailing from Northern Ireland, with 46% of respondents there saying they had experienced a fall-out over cheating. The most honest game players are in Wales with only a quarter of game players saying they have fallen out over cheating
To help reduce the amount of festive fireworks this Christmas Gibsons has created a Gibsons’ ‘Play Nicely’ free hotline dedicated to helping settle any disagreements before they cause a family blow-out. The hotline will be open on Christmas Day and Boxing Day from 12pm-9pm and can be reached on 0800 012 9010.