Simple games can have a unique place in intimate relationships. They can be fun and challenging. Some people will take to them a little more easily than others. Know your partner and, if you are going to introduce the idea of games into your love-play, pick ones that will be fun for both of you.

Games can teach you new things about your partner. They can gently push boundaries and open new realms. And they can open up a Pandora's box full of dark secrets, perceived danger, and adventure. Mostly, though, they are fun and a good cause for humor and lightheartedness. They introduce a new approach to sexuality that we don't often come up with ourselves, and they can be cause for opening up the imagination for creation of your own fun and games.

It's important to remember to respect your partner at all times. If something isn't working for one of you, the game is over. Many love games involve surrender and receiving. It is difficult for some people to completely receive from the other. This is something that can be learned. Here are a few ideas to get the juices flowing.

Take Away One of Your Senses

Sight is a powerful sense — perhaps the strongest of all our senses. It is the first sense we draw on in everyday life. It is a powerful driver of experience. When we take it away, we give much more control to our other senses.

Play a lover's game that will help you heighten your senses and increase your awareness of touch and sensation. As part of an evening of experimental fun, you can create a game around the sense of touch without the sense of sight. Design an evening of exploratory fun that will also train the two of you to pay attention to your other senses.

Find a rose, a piece of very soft fur, a new art-style paintbrush, a feather, or anything that will produce a very sensual feel. You might even want to have a few ice cubes handy. Have a soft scent in a misting bottle and a gentle bell or chime handy. Gather at least four items. Set the scene by lighting candles, putting on soft erotic music, and having something to nibble (strawberries, a little chocolate, or some mango pieces will do!) and something to drink close by. Blindfold your lover. Now use your imagination.

Swimming in Oil

You can also create a fun game using warmed olive oil. To play, set the scene and the mood by lighting candles and making sure the room is warm. Throw some towels or an old rug that you don't mind staining on the floor. Prepare extra towels and something to drink and nibble on. Gently heat 2 to 3 cups of olive oil in a saucepan. You can add a few drops of a pure essential oil for fragrance if you wish.

When you are ready to begin, both of you should shower. If you have long hair, you may want to pull it back. Put on your favorite erotic music. As you are sitting on the towels, begin to apply olive oil generously to each other's bodies. Go ahead and really get into it. You're going to get very oily!

As you oil each other, you'll notice an incredible freedom to slip and slide all over each other's bodies. Enjoy this sensual experience to the maximum. You'll feel as though you've never had so much of your body touched and stimulated at one time. Be playful. Fun is the name of the game here.

If you want to move on to making love, you need to clean off the oil first; salad oil may not be your lubricant of choice.

Pulp Fiction

Write your own pulp fiction. Each of you can write an account of your ideal erotic fantasy, then read these aloud to each other. This is a great turn on and a wonderful exercise in spontaneous self-expression. Get pens and paper, and just write. Don't think. Just write for ten minutes. Or pick another erotic subject that you have thought of ahead of time. Take turns coming up with the subject. Examples: “The best orgasm I ever had” or “The riskiest sex I ever had.” Read these to each other.

Or you can use an intimate apparel catalog as a starting place for an intimate story. Have either the models in the catalog or you two be the subjects. Create an erotic adventure tale.