Memorial Day signals the start of summer…and of high gaming season. The holiday weekend means it’s time to grease your wheels and inflate your balls. If you’ve been sedentary since October, it’s time to wrap your knees and elbows with Ace bandages before taking to the baseball diamond. If you’re into fierce competition, it’s time to reserve your place on the ultimate Frisbee team. And if you’re the indoor type, it’s time to refresh your stock of Pokémon trading cards. It’s nearing the end of May, so let the games begin!
During the week we tend to play games of strategy with our bosses, coworkers, and significant others, but when Saturday finally rolls around we’re ready for a different kind of diversion. If the sun is shining (a big “if” for Charlottesville this May) we dig a Frisbee or a softball glove out of the closet and head to the park. It the weather’s lousy then we schedule an indoor endeavor like a game of Connect Four (Beyonce’s rumored to play it with Jay-Z) or a contest to see whose raindrop can drip down the window pane the fastest. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing competitive soccer at Darden Towe or a quiet game of solitaire at the nursing home—it all beats a Saturday afternoon spent watching soap opera reruns. After all, we can’t publish a killer photo essay about couch potatoes. We prefer to focus on the players.
In these photographs of local games and gamers, Ashley Twiggs fixes her lens on the many ways the people of Charlottesville amuse themselves, whether it be through putt-putt golf with mom or pickup basketball with friends. Twiggs also captures indoor activities both traditional (bridge) and 21st century (Nintendo DS). A little rain can’t stop these die-hards from gaming. Psychologists say that children learn through play, but, unlike the proverbial dog, you’re never too old to pick up a few new tricks. Sport engages your mind, your body, and your trash-talking skills. Games are essential for getting us through the week with our drive and our agility in place. We hope these photos will inspire you to dismount the couch, call up a friend, and arrange your own playdate. It’s never too late to get beaten at Scrabble.—Wistar Watts Murray
All photographs by Ashley Twiggs
