Let's Play Board Games!
Playing is seen by some as a minor activity, something to kill time, but actually playing is essential for our integral development.
We are biologically programmed to play, a behavior shared by many other species.
Biologists have detected that play serves a developmental purpose, both physical and neurological in animals. However, if playing in nature plays a training role for survival, in the human being it goes beyond, fulfilling a purpose of cognitive and social development.
According to theories of cognitive development established by Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, playing is a fundamentally socio-cultural activity, indispensable for our cognitive and social development.
Dice players, Pompeiian fresco.
Although playing in the animal kingdom is mainly based on the development of physical skills, the greater volume of the human brain and its cognitive potentialities made us develop other types of games, less physical but more stimulating for the mind - board games.
Board games are almost as old as humanity. Games like Senet, and Backgammon date back to ancient Egypt (3000 BC), while Go appeared in Asia around 2356 BC.
Already in the 1st century BC the Romans played dice and the Ludus Latrunculorum, a military strategy game similar to chess.
Chess itself appeared in India around the 15th century and is still today the best-known board game in the world.
Card players, Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin (1735)
Cards, another favorite of board games, have been the faithful companions of humanity for centuries, being widely recorded in art, literature, songs and poems.
Card games require math, strategy and memory skills, and many players admit important life lessons from poker in particular.
Throughout the ages, each culture has developed its own board games, and these are an important part of the socialization rites of each.
This is not surprising, as board games demand the same skills required in the life of any community: planning, prevention, organization, cooperation, understanding of and compliance with rules, as well as making decisions and taking precise actions towards a specific goal.
In recent years, and especially after the pandemic lockdowns, board games have seen a revival in popularity all over the world, with new gaming clubs and play-a-thons organized online as well as in physical locations.
Why? In this time of advance technology, video games and virtual reality, aren’t board games out of date?
Far from it.
Board games aren’t just fun, but they render a variety of benefits for our mental, physical and cognitive health as few other activities do. Want to learn more? Read on!
Playing Board Games...
Boost brain functions
All board games engage our brains in ways we normally don’t do during our daily routines, which is why our brain tickles with gusto at ‘stretching its muscles’.
Although all games provide cognitive stimulation, those which require strategic thinking stimulate the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex of the brain, areas responsible for the formation of memory, complex thinking processes, and decision taking.
For a list of games and its benefits, read at the end of the article.
Helps to strengthen social bonds
Most board games require two or more players, making them a perfect excuse for social interaction. When played in a non-competitive environment, this moment of relaxation and distention is perfect to connect with others and establish bonds.
Games are so efficient in this respect that even corporations use them in their social mixers in order to strengthen the bonds of their employees.
Develops our imagination
Either sliding down a snake or casting a counter curse against an evil wizard, board games stimulate our imagination bring out our playful side and allow our brain to use rarely used skills.
This process stimulates our creative thinking, which in turn helps strengthen our decision-taking abilities.
Helps in the development of social skills
Playing board games demands attention, self-control, adherence to the rules, waiting for your turn, cooperation with other players, etc. All of these are basic social skills necessary in any group or community.
Learning these skills and enforcing them in a relaxed and fun atmosphere help us remember them without even really trying.
In addition, if properly guided, playing board games may help children to learn how to remain gracious in victory and how to control their frustration when they lose, two skills they will need for life.
Are a source of fun and laughter
Although these may seem frivolous goals, both have important benefits for our health.
Laughter oxygenates our brain, relaxes our muscles, improves circulation and helps to decrease blood pressure. Fun, on the other hand, releases endorphins (the feel-good neurotransmitter), which makes us feel alive and happy.
All these boosts our immune system and improves our overall health. And you thought it was all just fun and games!
Improves our mental health
Relaxed social interaction and quality time shared with friends and family are the best prevention tools to keep depression and mental illnesses at bay.
In addition, the mental stimulation provided by board games keep our cognitive functions in top shape and prevents mental decay.
As if all these were not enough, enjoying a fun time among friends helps to bolster our self-esteem - even if we don’t win!
Fosters social interaction
Due to its regulated nature, the shy ones and those with few athletic abilities often find in board games their turf.
Role play games and board games that require cooperation (such as Catan) also strengthen the bonds amid players, foster teamwork, and the players get a sense of achievement when they reach their set goals.
Role play games can also help develop our analytical skills, our social interaction and cooperation, and can also boost our self-esteem.
Even though group sports also render these benefits, board games are a good alternative for shy or less athletic personalities.
And what about video games?
Although many traditional board games can also be played online, these version and video games lack a fundamental part of board games: face-to-face interaction.
If solitude is inevitable, you may still get benefits from playing certain kind of video games.
Some, such as Just Dance, Wii Fit, or Sport Champions may help with motor skills, and some studies have found that playing video games that require quick action may help improve our decision-taking abilities.
However, whenever possible try to favor face-to-face board games in order to obtain the most benefits.
Even a confessed video game addict prefers them over video games, for five good reasons.
Which board game to choose?
With so many game options available, it’s hard to choose, but here’s a basic list of board games and their benefits.
-Board games with easy rules for all ages.
Snakes and ladders (Chutes and ladders), Parchisi, Uno, Checkers, Chinese checkers.
-Board games to develop cognitive abilities.
Chess, Trivial Pursuit, Cranium, Scattergories, Cortex challenge plus.
-Board games to develop language skills.
Scrabble, Pictionary, Taboo, Dixit, Bilingual memory, Apples to Apples, Cards Against Humanity.
-Board games to develop analytical and strategy skills.
Chess, Checkers, Naval Battle, Nine Men Morris, Backgammon, Go, Mah Jong, Catan.
-Board games to develop numeric skills.
Monopoly, Uno, Solitaire, Yahtzee, traditional card games, Dominoes.
-Board games to develop coordination and motor skills
Jenga, Chinese sticks, Twister, Tangram, Time Schock, Perfection.
There are board game versions for all ages.
It is not necessary to invest large sums to have fun and reap benefits from board games. For example, games like Scattergories, Pictionary, and Taboo are based on old-fashioned traditional games like Categories, which require nothing more than paper, pencil, and a good mood to have fun.
The levels of complexity of board games range from the simple Parchisi board to the complex rules of games like Catan or Role play. Similarly, there are board games for all ages, and even "junior" versions of games originally created for adults.
From the simplest to the most complex, with one or more players, board games are so varied and so diverse that it is possible to find at least one that we like and keep us entertained for hours.
Regardless of our age or physical prowess, board games are a great way to combine fun and benefits for all tastes, ages and levels.
There’s no excuse for not having a good time!
To Learn More...
* Would you want to know more board games and learn the rules to play them? Then visit this comprehensive and informational web site: https://boardgamegeek.com/
* Would you like to play a traditional board game online? Visit this web page:
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