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Games are a bridge to friendship and to better mental and physical health, but that’s not why Lincoln Land Community College’s Academy of Lifelong Learning (ALL) offers a variety of game opportunities every month. 

“I just like to have fun,” one ALL member after another said when asked recently why they participated in ALL table games. 

A 2024 AARP survey titled “From Cards to Candy Crush” revealed that “playing games not only provides entertainment but also supports mental health, reduces stress and keeps minds active.” Among other things, the survey found that two-thirds of respondents believed playing games with others boosts their cognitive abilities, keeps them connected with others and reduces boredom and stress. 

ALL, with more than 500 members and climbing, hosts two dozen monthly events. Included in these events are travel and conversation opportunities, discussions of current events and books, sports and exercise, and even a free monthly movie. Naturally, for a college-connected organization, the mix also includes educational presentations. But table games are among ALL’s fastest-growing programs. 

All of ALL’s games are non-competitive. There are no trophies. People still try to win, and you might hear some cheerful trash-talking. But the emphasis is on good times with friends new and old. 

GameOn!, ALL’s newest game program, focuses each month on a different board game. Games have included Pictionary, Clue (game players were encouraged to dress as one of the game’s suspects), Mexican Train Dominos, etc. But players can bring any board game they want to each get-together. “The Marys” (co-organizers Mary Miller and Mary Bartolomucci) are friends and game players who both worked at a state agency. “We just want to make it fun,” Bartolomucci said. “Maybe learn something and help people socialize and meet new friends.” GameOn! players get together the last Tuesday of each month. 

Hand and Foot is an addictive multi-deck, partner-driven card game. Kelly Corley says she learned Hand and Foot while living in Florida. “I was hooked right away,” she said, so when she moved back to central Illinois, she brought the game to ALL, which is always open to suggestions for new programs. Hand and Foot quickly collected a core of regular players. “Simply put, it’s fun,” Corley said — so she recently introduced an optional variation: Hand, Knee and Foot. Hand and Foot is played on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. 

Mah Jongg, the Asian-based tile strategy game, became a regular ALL offering in 2020 at the initiative of Pat Blinn and Nancy Moore. “We started the first year with sometimes four or five players,” said Moore, the current chair. “Today we have an active roster of 68 players and an average weekly attendance between 30 and 38. Our members are a great group of players who enjoy meeting and playing Mah Jongg every week. The atmosphere is very friendly and sociable.” Prospects are that Mah Jongg will continue to grow. Recent introductory sessions for beginners have been over-subscribed, Moore says. Mah Jongg meets weekly on Monday afternoons. 

Pinochle, a well-known partner-based card game, became an ALL program three years ago. Joan McGrath (current ALL president) and Mary Disseler organized the group. “It’s not a hard game to learn, and we provide instructional sessions each semester,” said McGrath, the pinochle chair. “I’ve found that several pinochle players joined ALL to learn the game.” Pinochle meets on the second Wednesday and fourth Thursday of each month. 

Mah Jongg chair Nancy Moore notes that a sizable number of ALL members are involved with more than one game. “Many (Mah Jongg) members love to play Hand and Foot as well as Pinochle,” she expalined. “I think the new group GameOn! will become very popular. ALL members like the opportunity for variety.” 

ALL is a service of the 69���� Community Education Department. Anyone over 50 who lives in the 69���� district is invited to check out ALL and its offerings. This is an especially good time to do so: ALL’s regular dues are $60 a year, but half-year memberships, good until July 1, are available now for $35. 

Visit www.llcc.edu/all or call 69���� Community Education at 217-786-2432 to explore membership.