Scrabble Around The World

It should come as no surprise to learn that Scrabble is the most popular board game in the United States. Approximately a third of all families in the United States currently own this game. There are hundreds of formal and informal Scrabble clubs in America and Canada, many of which are sanctioned by the American Scrabble Association. Scrabble clubs also operate on many school and college campuses nationwide. In the United States, Scrabble can be found everywhere from after-school facilities to nursing homes for the elderly. It is a game which excludes no one. For nearly half a century, Scrabble has been a mainstay of American life.

People from all walks of life in other countries around the world love this game. The more recent popularity of the internet has allowed this interest to branch out, as people are no longer limited to their own geographical location. With the development of online Scrabble, being able to participate in this game with others all over the globe is no longer a science-fiction notion, but an everyday reality. Online Scrabble has opened the doors of communicating and interacting, to where playing this widely-loved game is no further away than one's own home computer. In online Scrabble, even language is not a barrier, as each player has the choice of his or her own language.

In many other countries, Scrabble is just as popular as it is in the United States. In Israel, for example, playing Scrabble is held out as being one of the best possible resources for both thinking creatively and mingling with other people. The Scrabble club in Jerusalem is considered to be one of the world's largest Scrabble clubs, followed closely in numbers by the club in Tel Aviv. Israel currently has nine Scrabble groups. For many in Israel whose native language is not English, Scrabble-playing includes spelling and word differences which would easily confuse most Americans. Hebrew and Arabic are most definitely different!

People in the Netherlands also love Scrabble. In addition to the Dutch language being decidedly different from the American styles of language used by many Scrabble players, the Dutch form of Scrabble itself is different in order to reflect this. Having 102 letter tiles, the Dutch Scrabble game is designed to reflect the more frequent usage of some consonants. This is also shown by the difference in the Dutch Scrabble's points system. Letters which are used most frequently gain fewer points for the players; letters which are rarely used in the Dutch language give a player more points and can result in higher scores. The Dutch also have "matchplay tournaments," which include all three forms of Dutch Scrabble-- high-score Scrabble, duplicate Scrabble, and matchplay Scrabble. The Dutch Scrabble games also run longer than the American versions.

Australia is another country whose residents enjoy participating in Scrabble. Emphasizing that Scrabble-playing is as much about the social experience as it is about competition, the Australian Scrabble Players Association is a well-formed organization designed to promote the game of Scrabble and generate interest amongst its players. Requiring competitors to reach specific ratings levels before they are allowed to participate in their state tournament championships, the Australian Scrabble Players Association provides its members with resources by which to further their interests and develop their skills.

Showing that there really is a difference between the English language of Great Britain and the American style familiar to those in the United States, the Association of British Scrabble Players is also a widespread and helpful resource. The United Kingdom has more than three hundred registered Scrabble clubs, as well as assisting its members in finding internet Scrabble clubs if there are no clubs readily available in one's region.

While Scrabble may be a part of American life, its popularity is in place all over the world.