Laughter and smiles fill the room as dice roll across the board. Four players, assuming the roles of settlers, battle it out to build and develop settlements, cities and roads as they attempt to settle the fictional island of Catan.

Junior Heather Sabel had been playing “Settlers of Catan” for nearly two hours with her sister, grandma and uncle before she came to an exciting victory by earning the most settlement points.

“‘Settlers of Catan’ is one of my favorite board games,” Sabel said. “We played it once with some family friends and we liked it so much that we got it.”

Sabel has been playing board games with her family and friends for many years, a practice that allowed for bonding and great fun. Playing games is a simple way to spend relaxing, entertaining time together.

She got a chance to renew the excitement of board games this past summer on a family trip to a dude ranch in Wyoming.

“Since we were in Wyoming, we didn’t have a lot of access to Internet or TV, so when we had down time we did things like play puzzles or games,” Sabel said.

Sabel enjoyed games such as Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, and Scrabble in her free time at the ranch.

Sabel’s playing habits have faded today because of the availability of other forms of entertainment and a busier schedule, but she always enjoys taking a night off to relieve stress with a board game.

“Board games are a really fun way to hang out, because instead of just sitting together like you would at a movie or when you play video games, you actually interact with the people you’re playing with,” Sabel said. “They’re a great way to catch up with family and friends that you haven’t seen in a while because everyone ends up laughing and talking and having a great time together.”