I’ve always loved the card game Old Maid. It’s simple, suspenseful, and perfect for playing with kids — the kind of game you can pull out on a rainy afternoon and instantly get everyone laughing.
But now that I’m a parent, I see it differently.
The premise is that one person gets stuck with the “Old Maid” — an older woman who doesn’t have a match — and that somehow makes them the loser. That’s the joke. That’s the game.
And honestly? That doesn’t sit right with me.
There’s nothing wrong with being older. There’s nothing wrong with being a woman. And there’s definitely nothing wrong with living alone or cleaning houses. Yet this game, like so many stories from the past, quietly reinforces the idea that these things are shameful. Or undesirable. Or weird.
That’s not what I want to teach my son.
So I’m on a mission to reimagine the game — not just by changing the name, but by flipping the whole narrative. What if the unmatched card wasn’t a symbol of failure or otherness… but something magical? Mischievous? Silly? What if the story celebrated the odd one out instead of mocking them?
I’m calling it Sock Quest (for now) — a matching game full of playful characters, where the last unmatched card is a quirky sock who just wants to dance.
This is about more than just cards. It’s about the stories we pass down — even in our games. It’s about reshaping those quiet messages kids absorb while they play.
Today I’m setting the mission and intention:
Make something fun.
Make something inclusive.
Make something better.
Tomorrow, I’ll dive into the research and design process — because every great game starts with listening, learning, and a little imagination.
Let’s evolve playtime, together.