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Screen Time Not Included: New Board Games Big Sellers So Far This Holiday Season

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Home for the holidays will mean family game night for many.

Toy stores say the classics such as Clue, Yahtzee and Monopoly are still big sellers. However, a bunch of new board games are worth checking out, too, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.

In our digital age, family board games retain an enduring appeal.

At Smart Kids Toys in Greenwich, employees see more and more families stocking up on board games, and carving out time for family game night.

"Play a game, just have fun, laugh with your kids. That's what it's all about, being in the here and now together," the store's Andrew Lev said. "And sit down, turn off the devices, and just connect with each other."

One of the store's big sellers in recent years is the card game Exploding Kittens.

"Even though it says 7 and up, if you are playing this with your kids you are gonna have a lot of fun," Lev said.

Beagle Or Bagel seems easy, but with multiple players, "When everybody is competing at the same time, it is quick to say 'beagle -- No, I meant bagel!'" Lev said.

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For younger kids, non-competitive games have players work together towards a common goal. Mermaid Island and Dinosaur Escape get good reviews.

"Every single game doesn't have to be about winning and losing," Lev said.

The four-way Tic-Tac-Toe game called Otrio is fun and well-crafted.

"If you leave it out on the table, it's a conversation piece," Lev said.

Aiello's teenagers love to visit Escape Rooms. They've played Escape Room In A Box games and they were a big hit.

Dungeon Academy is also proving popular with teens this year.

Shopper Jessica Cordero said she's enjoyed introducing the younger generation to classics, including her favorite, Twister.

"Every holiday we have Twister, we have Jenga, we play charades," Cordero said.

Whatever the game, time spent together means everybody wins.

This holiday season, the top-selling game on Amazon is a newer classic, Connect 4, which first hit shelves in 1974. In second place is Codenames, which came to the market in 2016.

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