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Yes, it’s a much different world than 30 or even just 20 years ago. Nowadays, it’s all about the smartphone, the tablet, the laptop, and whatever overpriced gaming console was just released. It’s a real shame, because there are thousands of great board games out there, and they come complete with tons of benefits for everybody, kids and adults like.
Let’s talk about 11 of those benefits right now.
#1: They Bring Families Together
If you are often looking for something to do with the whole family or with your friends, then why not play some board games? Families often end up in the same house, or even in the same room, and everyone’s on their phones in their own world.
Yes, it can be hard to bond with people sometimes, but sitting in close proximity, playing a game, and actually focusing on it, as well as your family, can certainly help people become closer with one another. There’s a reason why they used to call it a family game night.
#2: They Get You Away from the Screen
Related to the above point, board games don’t have screens, they aren’t connected to social media, and they don’t allow propaganda-like news outlets to constantly bombard you with fear-mongering and hate-filled campaigns. Board games are simple, they bring you to the real world instead of removing you from it, and they force you to concentrate on the real and physical world around you.
If you are sick of seeing targeted advertisements because sneaky marketing teams and social media platforms are spying on you via your smart devices, then board games make for a great escape.
#3: They Help Pass the Time
So, let’s say your internet has gone down due to a winter storm, you can’t go out due to the raging blizzard, and oh-no, you can’t scroll through Facebook for hours on end anymore. What do you do?
Well, if nothing else, board games help pass the time. Sure, finding the right kind of board game helps, but whatever the case, it’s a great way to kill a few hours when you have nothing better to do.
#4: They Can Be Lots of Fun, Without Violence
Yes, nowadays it’s all about shooting as many terrorists as possible in the newest first-person shooter game, or whatever it is that kids do on their gaming consoles these days. The fact of the matter is that while video games are certainly fun, many are also very violent and not appropriate, especially for kids.
If you want your kids, or you, to have some clean and wholesome fun, there’s nothing wrong with some good old Monopoly. It’s plenty of fun, and all without massive amounts of bloodshed.
#5: They Can Increase Cognitive Abilities
Something that many board games do very well, particularly those designed to be educational and/or mentally stimulating in nature, is that they can really get the brain juices flowing. Problem-solving skills and memory recall are just some of the cognitive abilities that board games can help maintain and improve.
Simply put, using your brain to play something like Clue, War, or any other such game, makes you use your brain, and just like your muscles, when you use and train them, they get bigger and better.
#6: They Can Decrease Anxiety and Increase Mood
Something that board games can also do is to act as mood regulators. Playing board games is fun, and when people have fun, their brains create and release so-called feel-good chemicals, mainly dopamine and serotonin.
These brain chemicals are the same ones produced via exercise or when you eat something tasty like chocolate. They make you feel good, they decrease anxiety and depression, and they can make you feel happy and elated. This is possible with something like a simple board game.
#7: They Teach Strategy and Patience
Of course, whether or not a board game teaches strategy and patience does depend on the specific board game, but there are plenty out there that are designed for this specific purpose.
If you want to become a strategic and tactical genius, then training with some board games is a great way to go about it.
#8: They Can Decrease Blood Pressure
Although this is a bit of a stretch, it has been shown that board games can help reduce anxiety and depression. This in turn can help to lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is of course unhealthy, and it can lead to a myriad of cardiovascular health issues that you would probably rather not have to deal with.
Although replacing your blood pressure medication with a game of Monopoly is obviously not the best choice, the fact that board games can help maintain cardiovascular health is pretty impressive nonetheless.
#9: They Inspire Both Teamwork and Competition
There are board games out there where each player is on their own, and there are others where players have to work in teams.
Team-based games are great for helping to build team spirit. They help people work together to achieve a specific goal, a skill that is important in many respects when it comes to the real world. At the same time, board games can also inspire healthy competition, the drive to do better and to be better, which is after all how we humans have gotten to where we are today, by always wanting to be more, to be better.
#10: They Can Help Teach Language and More
When it comes to children, basic board games can be great for educational purposes.
Whether it has to do with learning the language, learning to count, or anything in between, board games can certainly help accomplish this.
#11: They Teach You How to Lose with Grace
One life skill that all people need to learn is how to be gracious losers.
The fact of the matter is that you cannot win at everything, which is fine, but how you react to losing is what really matters. No one likes a sore loser and causing a scene whenever things don’t go your way certainly won’t get you very far in life.
Are There Any Disadvantages to Playing Board Games?
The only viable disadvantage that can be mentioned here is that some people may just not like some board games. Yes, people have personal preferences. That said, realistically, there are no drawbacks to board games that we can see.
Summary
At the end of the day, board games are fun, they’re educational, they help you feel happier, and at the very least, they help pass the time. The cool thing is that there are hundreds, even thousands of awesome board games out there. The world is your oyster.