This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: The Mensa organization isn’t technically a matchmaking operation. But it’s not unusual for members to meet their mates through this high-IQ group. When the offspring of these brainy unions come of age, Mensa also offers family fun.
Laura DeWeese of Sunset Hills met her husband through the St. Louis area Mensa in 1991. The couple and their two children, including a 10-year-old son who also belongs to Mensa, will spend this weekend with hundreds of other Mensa members at the national Mind Games event in St. Louis.
The family will head to the Airport Marriott Friday afternoon and return Saturday and Sunday for a weekend of bending over game boards, player tokens and scorecards.
“We love to play games,” DeWeese says. “I’ve always wanted to go, and this is the first time it’s in St. Louis.”
The family that plays together ...
More than 300 people are expected for this year’s 23rd annual Mind Games. Each player is assigned 30 recently released games of the card, table or party variety -- no video games -- to play over a 40-hour period.
Players rate each game according to aesthetics, instructions, originality, play appeal and play value. When it’s over, five games will receive the “Mensa Select” seal. Past winners include Scattergories, Trivial Pursuit and Taboo.
Apples to Apples is the favorite game of the DeWeese family, which also includes a 7-year-old daughter. They heard about it after the game was given the Mensa stamp of approval at a previous Mind Games. Knowing they’ll have first crack at games that have yet to gain popularity is something Laura DeWeese looks forward to.
“It’s exciting to be able to have a say in which game is going to get the Mensa seal of approval,” DeWeese says.
Greg Webster of Phoenix is flying in with his wife for St. Louis’ Mind Games. She’s a Mensa member, too, but even if she weren’t, she could play but not judge. But while Mensa members can bring a guest, the general public is not invited.
As chief judge, Webster will preside over the weekend’s events while also participating as a player. Webster’s 8 1/2-year old daughter, a Mensa member since age 6, is staying with Grandma and Grandpa back in Phoenix. But she’ll be included in her parents’ Mind Games trips in a few years.
Fifteen years before she was born, Webster first heard about Mind Games and learned he needed to join Mensa to participate. It was a decision that eventually led him down the aisle.
“That’s where I met my wife,” Webster says.
So you want to be a Mensa member?
There are two ways to join Mensa. Applicants can produce evidence of having tested into the top 2 percent of an approved intelligence test. Examples include a score of 132 or higher on the Stanford Binet intelligence test or 130 on the Wechsler Adult and Children Scales.
Taking a test proctored by Mensa is another method for application. A test is offered in connection with Mind Games on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Marriott’s Hatsfield Room. Walk-ins are accepted, but prospective test-takers are encouraged to sign up on the local Mensa contact page or by calling Bob Smith at 314-963-7324. The test costs $40.
Other test dates and times are available through the Mensa website.
DeWeese and Webster both acknowledge that joining the organization has been a transformative experience.
“It changed my life,” Webster says.
“Sometimes it’s hard for people to find friends that ‘get’ them,” DeWeese says. “When my husband and I met each other, it was really nice for both of us to finally find someone we felt comfortable with.”
